Manchester United stole a victory away at Brighton in what will perhaps be the weirdest game of the Premier League season.
In a heart-stopping football match, Brighton hit the post not once, not twice, not even thrice! Five times the seagulls were denied by the woodwork, Leandro Trossard hitting the frame of the goal on a hat trick of occasions.
Brighton are the first team since @OptaJoe recorded such data in 2003-04 to hit the woodwork FIVE times in a single Premier League game.
Leandro Trossard has completed the left post, right post and crossbar hat-trick. 💥
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 26, 2020
The Mancunians will consider themselves very fortunate. On another day it could have been a rout as Brighton came close on so many occasions whilst United seemed to be feeding off scraps.
It took a controversial penalty award in the deepest of stoppage times for United to snatch the three points.
Here are the winners and losers from the most bizarre of games.
Winner – Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford has been quite sensational off the pitch in recent times, advocating for the eradication of child poverty in the UK. Many feared that the young Englishman’s heroic efforts off the field were beginning to affect his performances on it and have called for him to “stick to football”.
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) September 26, 2020
Well, yesterday he did, and he did so quite brilliantly. On what marked a return to form for the Mancunian talisman, he had a goal disallowed, set up a goal that was also disallowed, but they couldn’t keep him out for long.
He latched onto a smart pass from Bruno Fernandes then went on a brilliant driving run, turning Ben White inside out before smashing the ball home to establish a United lead.
Rashford seems to finally be showing glimpses of the player he was before a spinal fracture halted his stunning form last season. He literally broke his back carrying Manchester United, but he seems to finally be recovering, and everyone associated with United will hope this can kickstart his season and theirs as a whole.
Loser – Leandro Trossard
Leandro Trossard hit the woodwork on three separate occasions, THREE! The young Belgian just couldn’t get the ball to go in. This isn’t the kind of hat trick anyone would want to be associated with, especially when their team ends up losing the game so cruelly.
Leandro Trossard vs. Man Utd:
◉ 4 shots
◉ 3 x woodwork hitMan Utd vs. Brighton:
◉ 3 shots on target
◉ 3 goalsA crazy, crazy game. pic.twitter.com/EQq8dShUFD
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 26, 2020
There’s a saying that the woodwork is the goalkeeper’s best friend, well David De Gea might have to get married to the sticks at the Amex stadium because they’re definitely in love with him.
The woodwork bailed the visitors out on five separate occasions, Brighton finding spaces on the left side of United’s backline with alarming regularity. March did eventually score what the hosts thought a well-deserved equalizer, but VAR and Bruno Fernandes had other ideas.
Winner – Bruno Fernandes
A penalty in football is not a guaranteed goal unless your name is Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese international demonstrated his nerves of steel from the spot yet again as he snatched all three points right at the death for his employers.
Bruno Fernandes has not missed a penalty in a league game since April 2016. 🥶 pic.twitter.com/8dlIbnLFtF
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 26, 2020
He continues to prove himself a bargain buy as he seems to somehow always get the job done, on good days and bad.
It didn’t matter that he himself had given away a penalty which was cheekily converted Panenka style by Neal Maupay in the first half. It didn’t matter that the final whistle had gone before VAR awarded his team a spot-kick and a glorious chance to snatch all three points.
All that mattered to Fernandes were the ball on the spot, the width of the goal, and the goalkeeper. United’s number 18 fired in his 17th consecutive league penalty since the 17/18 season, in the 100th minute of a 90-minute football match to win the most bizarre game of the 20/21 season so far.
Don’t you just love football?
