Brighton 0-2 Manchester United: Ten Hag's Men Need FA Cup Win To Reach Europe

Manchester United must secure the FA Cup to qualify for European competition after finishing eighth in the Premier League, despite a 2-0 victory over Brighton on the final day. Diogo Dalot scored first, and substitute Rasmus Hojlund added a late goal, giving United consecutive wins before their Wembley clash with Manchester City.

United needed to surpass Newcastle's result to finish seventh, but Eddie Howe's side won 4-2 against Brentford. Joao Pedro came close twice for Brighton, who had most of the better chances. However, Roberto De Zerbi's final game as Brighton manager ended in defeat, leaving them 11th in the table, just behind Crystal Palace.

Brighton started strongly and should have taken the lead when Carlos Baleba found Valentin Barco in a dangerous position. Barco's shot was too close to Andre Onana, who made a crucial save. Adam Webster posed an aerial threat but failed to convert his chances. United's best first-half opportunity came from a counterattack, but Scott McTominay missed after a heavy first touch.

Joao Pedro continued to threaten but dragged his shot wide after beating Diogo Dalot. Casemiro cleared off the line from Pedro's close-range attempt early in the second half. United broke the deadlock 17 minutes from time when Casemiro's long ball found Dalot, who scored with a powerful finish. Hojlund secured the points with a crisp right-footed finish after an exchange with Christian Eriksen.

This match marked De Zerbi's last as Brighton manager, following his confirmed departure earlier in the week. De Zerbi led Brighton to a sixth-place finish in his first season. Although his second campaign did not match those heights, narrowly missing out on a top-10 spot and securing a last-16 berth in the Europa League remains commendable.

Brighton fans were disappointed not to secure a winning send-off for De Zerbi, especially as they looked more likely to score first with 17 attempts, though only three were on target. Adam Lallana received a huge reception when substituted early in the second half, marking an emotional farewell after four seasons at the Amex.

Brighton had won their last four Premier League games against United but fell short of becoming the first team since Norwich City (1988-1990) to beat them five times consecutively.

Despite ending the season with wins over Newcastle and Brighton, eighth place is United's lowest Premier League finish. Victory over Man City in the FA Cup final is essential for Europa League qualification; otherwise, they will miss out on European football entirely.

Newcastle were three goals up by halftime while United struggled against Brighton. This perhaps explains why Erik ten Hag substituted Bruno Fernandes and Lisandro Martinez around the hour mark when the match was still level. Raphael Varane also made a late appearance, which bodes well for the final.

Hojlund's late goal meant he reached double figures in his first Premier League season, having also scored against Newcastle on Wednesday.