Garnacho believed he had given his team the lead ten minutes after Danny Welbeck’s first-half opener was cancelled out by Amad Diallo, his former clubmate. The goal came beyond the hour mark. Zirkzee, a summer addition and teammate, was in an offside position only centimeters from the goalline when he scored from the narrowest of angles; his effort flicked off of him. The goal was disallowed following a long video assistant referee review, and Saturday’s result at the Amex reverted to 1-1.

This disallowed goal proved to be pivotal as Joao Pedro scored the winning goal for Brighton in the 95th minute, securing a last-gasp 2-1 triumph. Games are won or lost on such tiny margins. After defeating Fulham last time out (thanks to a late goal from Zirkzee), Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils appeared to be on track for a second consecutive victory. However, they now face a long trip back to Manchester.

The following Premier League match, on September 1, will pit Arne Slot’s Liverpool against Ten Hag’s United, who will be looking to recover from this setback. With Tuesday’s match against Crawley Town in the Carabao Cup second round, Hurzeler’s Brighton will have six points from his first two games in charge.