When it involves Alexis Mac Allister’s profession highlights, nothing will ever fairly examine to successful a FIFA World Cup. Converting a 99th-minute penalty to beat Manchester United within the Premier League gained’t be too far down the Argentina midfielder’s listing of feats, although.
Mac Allister demonstrated the composure of a world champion by dispatching a penalty into the highest nook with just about the final kick of the sport to earn Brighton a 1-0 win over United on Thursday. In the final of the allotted 5 minutes of stoppage time, United defender Luke Shaw patted the ball away together with his raised hand after a nook was swung in from the suitable.
This is a particular, particular crew. _ pic.twitter.com/OzWpyJS1XI
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) May 4, 2023
The referee awarded the spot kick after being advised to take a look at the incident on the pitchside monitor, and Mac Allister stored his cool. “Of course, I was a little bit nervous, as always,” mentioned Mac Allister, who was certainly one of Argentina’s unlikely stars in its run to a 3rd World Cup title late final 12 months in Qatar. “It was the final minute, everybody goes to speak about it. But I’m blissful each time I’ve the chance to attain a aim, so actually blissful for the crew.”
Brighton earned partial revenge for its loss to United in a penalty shootout within the FA Cup semifinals 12 days earlier and moved into sixth place, eight factors behind fourth-place United having performed one recreation much less within the race for Champions League qualification.
United stayed two factors behind third-place Newcastle and 4 factors forward of Liverpool, which has performed yet another recreation. “There is now a real chase,” Shaw mentioned. “People around us are picking up points. But it’s in our hands.”
Shaw mentioned he acquired a “little nudge” as he jumped to try to move away the ball, however accepted ‘the hand shouldn’t be there’. “I own up to it, it cost us the game,” the England left again mentioned.
The dramatic finish of the match introduced again reminiscences of a gathering between Brighton and United on the Amex Stadium in 2020, which was determined by a transformed penalty from United’s Bruno Fernandes within the tenth minute of stoppage time.
This time, Brighton was on the suitable facet of a late penalty, scoring its latest-ever aim within the Premier League and the newest ever in opposition to United within the competitors. Brighton supervisor Roberto De Zerbi felt a way of justice after his crew’s spectacular show at Wembley Stadium final month. “Both games I think we played better than United,” De Zerbi mentioned.
Just like of their FA Cup assembly, each groups created loads of probabilities on the Amex however discovered the goalkeepers in prime kind. United’s David De Gea made the standout save even when he knew little about it, with Kaoru Mitoma’s early effort placing the face of the Spain goalkeeper to shake him up for a couple of minutes.
At the opposite finish, Brighton’s Jason Steele produced nearly equivalent saves to disclaim first Marcus Rashford after which Anthony Martial within the first half earlier than a second half that the hosts edged with out ever wanting like scoring earlier than Mac Allister’s clinching penalty.
