While it was such an impressive collective showing from Ruben Amorim’s team, there was no doubting the importance of Mbeumo’s involvement, and these results back that up.
Our no.19 was a livewire even before his two second-half strikes, nearly teeing up both Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko in the first 45, while an evasive piece of dribbling left Carlos Baleba with little choice but to stop a swift attack and his fellow Cameroonian’s progress by bringing him down and earning a yellow card.
A crowd-pleasing nutmeg on Yasin Ayari after the break then came not long before Bryan had the majority inside Old Trafford on their feet to celebrate his cool finish through the legs of defender Lewis Dunk, which made the scoreline 3-0 after Matheus Cunha and Casemiro’s earlier efforts.
That strike looked to have put the result beyond doubt but, after Brighton pulled two back, it was Mbeumo who was on hand to calm the nerves of the home faithful with his second goal, a stoppage-time settler. His left-footed shot, which crashed in off the underside of the Seagulls’ bar, is sure to be a frontrunner for our October Goal of the Month award.
