Fresh from a morale-boosting victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi described it as an ‘honour’ to work with his squad as they chase European football for the first time in the club’s 122-year history.
The visit of Erik ten Hag’s United - a mere 11 days after their FA Cup semi-final clash at Wembley - promised to be a stern test for the Seagulls, and it was the visitors who threatened an early breakthrough, as Antony fired an excellent chance wastefully wide of the target.
Grateful for the reprieve, Brighton quickly settled into the contest, with Kaoru Mitoma and Adam Webster both seeing efforts thwarted by David de Gea, while United continued to look dangerous at the other end through the lively Marcus Rashford.
Despite a goalless opening half-hour, the crowd remained enthralled by the end-to-end nature of the match, as both sides probed for an opener before half-time.
However, Jason Steele stood firm to deny Anthony Martial and Facundo Buonanotte curled wide from the edge of the box, leaving nothing to separate the two teams going into the interval.
Having failed to find the net just once in the league since October, the hosts emerged after the restart eager to stamp their authority on proceedings.
For all Brighton’s possession and neat build-up play, a lack of cutting edge in the final third continued to prove problematic for the Seagulls, as Mitoma and Danny Welbeck both failed to hit the target when well-placed inside the box.
With time ticking into the final 20 minutes and the scoreline still tantalisingly poised, the visitors went in pursuit of a late winner to cement their place in the top four.
However, after De Gea came to United’s rescue to deny Mac Allister, a handball from Luke Shaw gifted Brighton a golden opportunity to clinch victory at the death, and the Argentine fired home to send the Amex into raptures.
The result lifts Brighton up to sixth in the table, having played two games fewer than their European rivals, while United remain fourth, with a four-point buffer over Liverpool in fifth.
Flashscore Man of the Match: David de Gea (Manchester United)
