Brighton rally from two down to beat Man Utd in League Cup, Villa win

Manchester United surrendered a two-goal advantage in a shambolic 3-2 League Cup collapse to Brighton as loud boos rang around Old Trafford and pressure on boss Michael Carrick went up a notch.

The Red Devils returned to Old Trafford three days on from a defeat to 10-man rivals Manchester City that was as painful as it was controversial, but this time they only had themselves to blame.

United had made a dream start to Wednesday’s third-round clash as academy product Shea Lacey kissed the badge having marked his first start with a goal a day after it emerged that 15-year-old talent JJ Gabriel had requested to leave.

Mason Mount added a second in the 10th minute, but Brighton were invited on and deservedly pulled one back through Charalampos Kostoulas just before half-time.

Carrick’s men had no answer to the Seagulls’ second-half surge, with Pascal Gross coolly levelling before substitute Maxim De Cuyper struck to spark the boos.

Fan fury was even louder at the final whistle as United found a new way to make an embarrassing League Cup exit after last year’s Grimsby humiliation.

This was the first time since 1976 that the Red Devils had lost at Old Trafford having gone two goals up and leaves Carrick facing difficult questions, especially having wasted such a wonderful start.

Tammy Abraham scored twice on his first start of the season as Aston Villa booked their place in the fourth round of the League Cup with a 3-1 victory over Coventry.

Everton‘s forgotten man Charly Alcaraz stepped up when his side needed some inspiration to score the only goal in the third-round win over Wolves just three minutes after coming on as a substitute.

The hosts struggled to put on a show for UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his Canadian counterpart and fellow Toffees fan Mark Carney, who had met for official talks at Hill Dickinson Stadium earlier in the day. But they did just enough.

A 57th-minute Rhys Norrington-Davies own goal sent Fleetwood into the last 16 for the first time as the fourth-tier outfit stunned second-division Sheffield United 1-0 at home.