Manchester United 2-3 Brighton: Player Ratings as Koustoulas Helps Seagulls to Knock Red Devils Out

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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: Shea Lacey of Manchester United celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on September 16, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

Manchester United hosted Brighton and Hove Albion this Wednesday, Sept. 16, for the third round of the EFL Cup. Here are the player ratings for both sides.

Neither the Red Devils nor the Seagulls had to play in the second round to reach this stage, so it is more appropriate to look at their most recent Premier League matches.

Manchester United were coming off a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the derby on Sept. 13. Before that, on Sept. 10, they convincingly defeated Sabah 4-0 on the opening matchday of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League. In that match, four different players scored, including Mateus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Benjamin Sesko and Lisandro Martínez.

United sit 13th in the Premier League with four points after four matches: one win, one draw, and two defeats.

Brighton, meanwhile, were coming off a convincing 5-0 victory over newly promoted Coventry City on Sept. 13. Similarly, all the goals for Fabián Hurzeler’s team came from different players, including Charalampos Koutsoulas, Malick Yalcouye, Pascal Groß, Lewis Dunk and Yasin Ayari.

Brighton sit fifth in the Premier League with seven points after four matches: two wins, one draw, and one defeat. In other words, the Seagulls were going through a better moment than Michael Carrick’s team.

Manchester United vs. Brighton: Player Ratings

Players such as Kostoulas, Groß and Vuskovic took the spotlight, but we are going to give the MVP to Kostoulas, not only because of the goal he scored, but also because he was the player with the most touches in the opponent’s box during the 90 minutes, accumulating 13, and he was also the player who attempted the most shots during the match, with four in total.

For Manchester United, players like Tielemans, Mount, and Lacey had outstanding matches, but it wasn’t enough.

What’s Next for Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion?

Following this third-round Carabao Cup matchup, Manchester United will visit Fulham at Craven Cottage in London on Sunday, Sept. 20, for the fifth matchweek of the Premier League.

Brighton & Hove Albion, meanwhile, will host Arsenal at the American Express Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 19, also for the fifth matchweek of the English league.