Alexis Mac Allister held his nerve to score a winning penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time as Brighton & Hove Albion beat Manchester United 1-0 to go sixth in the race for Europe.
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In an open match featuring 38 shots, the Seagulls avenged their defeat in last month’s FA Cup semi-final, when they lost on penalties.
Brighton have climbed above both Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, and are four points behind fifth-placed Liverpool with two matches in hand on the sides around them.
Man Utd remain fourth, with a four-point lead ahead of Liverpool in the top-four race, and a match in hand over their pursuers.
See: How clubs qualify for Europe
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Manchester United
MUN
|
38 | +15 | 75 |
| 4 |
Newcastle United
NEW
|
38 | +35 | 71 |
| 5 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +28 | 67 |
| 6 |
Brighton & Hove Albion
BHA
|
38 | +19 | 62 |
| 7 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +5 | 61 |
| 8 |
Tottenham Hotspur
TOT
|
38 | +7 | 60 |
The tone for an exciting contest was set in the opening four minutes. Antony shot just wide for Man Utd, and at the other end Kaoru Mitoma ran clean through on goal but was denied by David De Gea.
Man Utd went on to create the better first-half chances after that, with Casemiro heading just over, Marcus Rashford forcing a smart save from Jason Steele at the near post and Anthony Martial firing straight at the goalkeeper from 10 yards.
But Brighton dominated the second half and increased the pressure in the final minutes.
Mac Allister’s 90th-minute strike was well saved by De Gea, and Brighton were then awarded their penalty as Luke Shaw was penalised for handball in the box following a VAR review.
Mac Allister fired clinically into the top-left corner, successfully converting a seventh successive Premier League spot-kick.
At 98 minutes and 16 seconds, it was Brighton's latest ever goal in a Premier League match, and the latest penalty scored by any team in the competition since Bruno Fernandes’ winning strike for Man Utd against Brighton in September 2020.
The Seagulls have now secured back-to-back top-flight wins for the first time since January, and completed the league double over Man Utd.