Manchester United Undone by Costly Blunders as Liverpool Halt High-Flying Brighton
The visitors broke the deadlock in the 38th minute when Justin Kluivert picked out Rayan with a cross, allowing the Brazilian winger to slot home the opener. Just five minutes later, Bournemouth delivered another blow following an unfortunate lapse from Leny Yoro.
The French defender slipped while tracking a ball played behind the backline, allowing Adrien Truffert to seize possession. Truffert then teed up Marcus Tavernier, who calmly made it 2-0.
The hosts failed to cut out the errors after the restart. In the 71st minute, goalkeeper Senne Lammens misjudged a charge off his line against Evanilson and arrived too late. The Brazilian striker rounded the keeper and squeezed his finish into the unguarded net from a tight angle.
Bournemouth secured another notable scalp on the back of their 3-0 Europa League victory over AC Milan. In contrast, Manchester United remain mired in a severe slump, with Carrick leaving club captain Bruno Fernandes on the bench for the entire 90 minutes.
At Anfield, two top-half contenders went head-to-head. Brighton arrived in Merseyside on the back of four consecutive league wins without conceding a single goal, but their formidable streak was finally brought to an end.
The hosts broke the deadlock in the 17th minute when Florian Wirtz's effort deflected off Pascal Groß and into the net, with the goal officially awarded as an own goal by Brighton's German midfielder.
Four minutes later, Alexander Isak doubled the lead after latching onto a pass from Bradley Barcola. Liverpool comfortably protected their two-goal cushion until the final whistle, halting the momentum of a Brighton side that started the match sitting third in the table.