Brighton secure Premier League safety after beating Manchester United

Brighton and Hove Albion have avoided relegation from the Premier League after beating second-placed Manchester United.

Pascal Gross scored the only goal of the game in the second half, with Anthony Knockaert impressing throughout.

Marouane Fellaini put the ball in the net inside the opening five minutes from Marcus Rashford’s cross but the assistant referee’s flag was up for offside.

Brighton matched United for the rest of the first half, though, and Jose Izquierdo’s shot was blocked after Knockaert’s through ball.

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Shots then came in from Glenn Murray and Gross but David de Gea kept the score goalless with some simple saves.

The United goalkeeper had to pull off a superb save in the 21st minute when he dived to his right to push away Murray’s long-ranger.

At the other end, Paul Pogba saw a shot blocked and Lewis Dunk headed away a Rashford volley.

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Brighton’s good performance continued into the second half and Knockaert’s 20-yard shot deflected over.

The South Coast club did take the lead in the 56th minute. Knockaert’s cross met the head of Gross, and after Marcos Rojo appeared to clear the ball off the line the goalline technology system awarded the goal.

Even after taking the lead, Brighton continued to push for more. Izquierdo’s strike went wide from 10 yards after more good work from Knockaert.

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Knockaert thought he had a penalty on the hour mark after falling under the challenge of Anthony Martial, but referee Craig Pawson said no.

United had a handful of chances to level in the closing stages, but Martial fired high over the bar and Pogba missed the target from 25 yards.

Jesse Lingard had a great chance with three minutes remaining, but Dunk’s superb sliding challenge kept Brighton in the lead.

The results sees Brighton move eight points clear of the relegation zone, and rise to 11th in the Premier League table. United, meanwhile, sit five points ahead of Liverpool, six ahead of Tottenham ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.

Cover Photo: Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. by Jonathan Rolande used under license by CC BY 2.0.

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