Fabian Hürzeler praises Brighton discipline after FA Cup win over Manchester United

Fabian Hürzeler praised his Brighton side for their composure and defensive organisation after securing a 2-1 FA Cup victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The win sends Brighton & Hove Albion into the fourth round of the competition and compounds United’s difficult domestic cup campaign, with the hosts now out of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

Brighton made a strong start despite making several changes, with Brajan Gruda opening the scoring after 12 minutes, moments after Lisandro Martínez had cleared off the line at the other end.

The visitors doubled their advantage in the second half through a well-taken strike from former United forward Danny Welbeck, before Benjamin Šeško pulled one back late on to briefly raise the volume inside Old Trafford.

United’s hopes of a comeback were further dented when Shea Lacey was sent off, and Brighton saw out the closing stages with authority.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Hürzeler highlighted his side’s response to United’s direct approach, which relied heavily on long balls and runners from deep.

“I’m very proud,” he said.

“We had a tough start because we made a lot of changes, and it takes time to get used to each other. But after five or ten minutes we started playing our football and that helped us control the game.”

Hürzeler acknowledged that United posed problems, particularly in the first half.

“They were always dangerous with deep runs in behind. In the first half we didn’t defend that well enough, but in the second half we improved and handled it much better,” he added.

Despite United’s late goal and a raucous atmosphere inside Old Trafford, Brighton remained calm and organised, something Hürzeler was keen to emphasise.

“At this place it’s never easy when you concede late and the crowd gets loud,” he said.
“But we had belief, we had players who stayed calm, organised the team and found the right solutions. Overall, we deserved to win.”

Asked whether United’s recent struggles at Old Trafford gave Brighton extra confidence, Hürzeler dismissed the idea, insisting belief is a constant requirement rather than opponent-specific.

“We always have to believe we can compete with the best teams,” he concluded.
“If you want to achieve something, you need self-confidence. That’s what we try to build as a club.”

The defeat leaves Manchester United with the Premier League as their only remaining competition this season, having already failed to qualify for Europe and now exiting both domestic cups.

For Brighton, the result reinforces their growing confidence under Hürzeler and keeps alive hopes of another meaningful FA Cup run.

Can Brighton turn this momentum into another deep FA Cup run under Fabian Hürzeler?