Man United finally heading in right direction after thrilling 4-2 win against Brighton

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MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The crisis is over for Manchester United. For now at least.

A 4-2 win against Brighton on Saturday finally has Ruben Amorim's team moving in the right direction, up to the heady heights of the top five in the Premier League and with a sense of momentum not felt for a long time at Old Trafford.

“I think we are improving in the bad moments,” said the United coach. “We can respond in a different way and we feel that we can solve anything. It’s so hard and in football, everything can change in one week, so let’s enjoy today and focus on the next one.”

A third straight win extended Amorim's best league run since he was appointed last November.

It was the first time United had won three in a row in the same season in England's top flight since February 2024.

Victory also ended Brighton's winning streak in this fixture, which dated back three seasons.

It is still too early to tell if Amorim has turned a corner after such a wretched start to his tenure, including the 20-time champion's worst-ever season in the Premier League last term.

But coming on the heels of last week’s morale-boosting win at Liverpool, the signs are positive, even if Brighton sparked a fightback to make it a nervy finish for the home fans.

A prime source of encouragement for Amorim is the manner in which his summer signings have added a new dimension.

Brazil forward Matheus Cunha scored his first goal for the club with a curling shot from outside the area to give United a 24th-minute lead.

Another new signing, Bryan Mbeumo, also scored twice in the second half, making it three in his last two games, after Casemiro had doubled the lead with a deflected effort before the break.

“The money was well invested,” Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler said.

It was a former United player, Danny Welbeck, who gave Brighton hope with a brilliant free kick that flew into the top corner, and when substitute Charalampos Kostoulas headed another goal in time added on, the tension rose inside the stadium.

Then came Mbeumo's second to snuff out any chance of a collapse and ensure the winning streak continued.

“This needs to be the normal for this club,” said Cunha. "I am so happy to be a part of this. Amazing day, I will remember this.”

Defending champion Liverpool was playing Brentford later Saturday and a win would see it move up to second.

Sunderland provisionally moved up to second after Chemsdine Talbi scored in stoppage time to complete a stunning 2-1 comeback win over Chelsea.

Chelsea led after four minutes at Stamford Bridge through Alejandro Garnacho, but Wilson Isidor leveled in the 22nd before Talbi’s dramatic winner in the third minute of second-half added time.

“We have a great team with great players," Talbi said. "We knew we could do the job and we showed it today.”

Sunderland was only promoted this season and moved to within two points of leader Arsenal, which plays Crystal Palace on Sunday.

There was also a late winner at St James’ Park, where Bruno Guimaraes scored in the 90th minute to seal Newcastle's 2-1 victory over Fulham.

Jacob Murphy put Newcastle ahead in the 18th, but Sasa Lukic equalized in the 56th for Fulham.

“We have to learn how to finish. In the first half we could have finished at least 3-0,” Guimaraes said. “We had a lot of chances, but I am happy in the end we scored a goal. In the last few games we have been punished at the end.”

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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