United crash out of League Cup after blowing two-goal lead

Manchester United suffered a humiliating exit from the League Cup after blowing a two-goal lead in a 3-2 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford on Wednesday. The loss, which marked United's first home defeat after leading 2-0 in 50 years, piles further pressure on manager Michael Carrick as the club endures a dismal start to the season. United started brightly, with academy graduate Shea Lacey scoring on his full debut in the eighth minute. The 19-year-old collected possession inside the Brighton area and fired a low finish into the bottom corner. Mason Mount doubled the lead just two minutes later, pouncing to fire into the roof of the net after Marcus Rashford's shot was saved by Jason Steele. However, Brighton refused to buckle. Charalampos Kostoulas pulled a goal back in first-half stoppage time, capitalizing on poor marking from Ayden Heaven to drill past goalkeeper Karl Darlow. The setback unnerved United, and Brighton equalized in the 65th minute when Pascal Gross controlled Luka Vuskovic's header and fired home from close range. Maxim De Cuyper completed the comeback in the 70th minute, sweeping Kostoulas' pass into the net after sloppy United defending.