Night at Old Trafford: Brighton Knocks Manchester United Out of the FA Cup in a 2-1 Thriller
11 January 2026
Match fallout
Manchester United bowed out of the FA Cup at the third round, losing 2-1 to Brighton in front of their home fans at Old Trafford.
Statistics and context
According to the statistics site SofaScore, United exited both the FA Cup and the League Cup in the same season for the first time since 1981-82.
The same outlet added that United left the domestic cup competition at the third round for the first time in the Premier League era.
Opta noted that Shia Lassi (18 years, 272 days) became United's youngest player to be sent off in all competitions since Luke Shaw in February 2015.
With this defeat, United can only focus on the Premier League for the remainder of the season, having also exited the League Cup early and missing European competition this term.
Punchline 1: If cup runs were coffee, United's would be decaf—lots of noise, little bite.
Punchline 2: The trophy cabinet is practicing social distancing again; it keeps two metres away from this season's cups.
