Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 Manchester United: 5 talking points as Seagulls sink Red Devils with late penalty | Premier League 2022-23 

Manchester United went down 1-0 to Brighton in the Premier League on Thursday.

Alexis Mac Allister scored a penalty in the 99th minute as the Seagulls completed a first league double over the Red Devils in their club's history.

The sides played out an entertaining first half with end-to-end action at both ends. Antony, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial came close for United while Kaoru Mitoma saw a shot blocked by David de Gea.

Brighton and United continued to go at each other even after the break but a breakthrough didn't arrive. That was until the 97th minute when the hosts won a penalty after Luke Shaw was penalized for a handball and Mac Allister made no mistake from 12 yards.

Here are the five talking points from match:

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#5 Manchester United go down to bogey team again

It's now four games without a win over Brighton in normal time

Manchester United just can't seem to beat Brighton. Since last year, the sides have met four times and the Red Devils have failed to defeat them even once in 90 minutes, losing thrice.

Sure, Erik ten Hag's side prevailed in their FA Cup semi-final clash just a few days ago, but that was on penalties, and the Seagulls successfully managed to keep them at bay for 120 minutes.

Last night, the southern outfit rendered United goalless once more, and sunk them at the death from the penalty spot, winning three consecutive Premier League games for the first time. This was also Brighton's first league double over the Red Devils in their history.

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#4 Kaoru Mitoma versus Aaron Wan-Bissaka was a treat to watch

Wan-Bissaka and Mitoma put up an exciting player duel

Brighton star Kaoru Mitoma has been on fire lately, and he continued his rich vein of form with another eye-catching performance against Manchester United last night.

His duels with Aaron Wan-Bissaka was fun to watch, with the players often going against each other on the right. Their clashes in the first half especially added to the game's intensity.

A poor backpass from Lindelof to Wan-Bissaka in the fourth minute allowed Mitoma to jump right in and race forward with the ball. The United right-back then nearly conceded a penalty after bringing down the Japanese in the box.

Wan-Bissaka redeemed himself in the 25th minute with a wonderful tackle to dispossess the Japanese just when looked to cross in.

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#3 David de Gea's resurgence continues

The Spaniard was solid in goal

David de Gea came under scathing criticisms last month for his erroneous displays, but for the past two games, he's looked calm and reliable once more.

The Spaniard produced a vital save on Emiliano Buendia in their 1-0 win over Aston Villa last weekend and made five more crucial saves here.

De Gea's first real moment of action came in the fourth minute when he saved a shot from Mitoma with his face. The Spaniard really stepped up to the plate when Brighton upped the ante in the closing stages of the game as well.

After the clock hit 90 minutes, the Manchester United custodian denied Mac Allister, Pervis Estupinan and Moises Caicedo within a span of minutes, keeping his team in te game. It ultimately took Brighton a penalty to beat him.

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#2 Penalty king Mac Allister delivers yet again

He simply doesn't miss!

Whenever Brighton win a penalty, you can always bet on Alexis Mac Allister to bury it, and that's exactly what he did last night, converting a penalty for the sixth time in the Premier League this season.

With just a few seconds left on the clock, the Argentine kept his cool and sent a powerful shot down the top left corner to emerge as Brighton's hero once again.

He certainly has ice in his veins, having also scored a 90th minute equalizer against Brentford from the penalty spot last month, and a 97th minute penalty versus Leicester City on matchday six.

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#1 Manchester United's top-four hopes still alive

mChampions League not out of their grasp yet

Manchester United lost for the first time in six Premier League games and their lead over fifth-placed Liverpool was trimmed to just four points. However, they still have a game in hand and could reopen a seven-point lead.

Erik ten Hag's side face a tricky home stretch of the campaign, playing away at West Ham and Bournemouth and hosting Chelsea, Fulham and Wolves at home before the end of the season.

Liverpool, who've been on a roll lately with five wins in a row, will be monitoring their results, and looking for opportunities to further close the gap on the Manchester United.