Ruben Amorim singles out two Man Utd stars after huge Brighton win

Ruben Amorim heaped praise on Matheus Cunha and Casemiro following Manchester United's win over Brighton. United established a commanding three-goal advantage against Brighton through strikes from Cunha, Casemiro and Bryan Mbeumo, though they surrendered two goals late on to create a tense finale.

Mbeumo secured all three points with his second strike in the 97th minute, firing into the roof of the net after Bruno Fernandes cleverly allowed Ayden Heaven's pass to run through. The victory means United have claimed three consecutive league wins for the first time since February 2024 and have risen to fourth in the Premier League standings, sitting just three points behind Arsenal.

When quizzed about Cunha, Amorim remarked: "I think everyone felt against Liverpool he feels more confident if the game is harder. He feels more comfortable and wants the responsibility.

"I really like the way he defends today. He was not jumping all the time. He was not jumping and returning to position without the right pace. Today he defends really well and when he has the ball I have no concerns. He was struggling about not scoring goals, he can try to hide.

"But I understand. He was really happy. But not just with Matheus, everyone understood really well how to beat a very good game."

Amorim also lauded Casemiro, declaring: "I think he gives a lot of experience, he is an example for everyone. In the beginning, he was behind every midfielder, even Toby [Collyer].

"But he fought and worked and now he is back in the national team. He is so important to us. He ran a lot, today he had to fight and press, and then return. I'm really pleased with him.

"And the other guys need to look at Casemiro. To understand that football can change really fast. You just need to work for me. If I think you are the best one to play a game, then you will."

When questioned about the significance of the triumph, Amorim responded: "It was really important, also the performance, we had to play different games in different moments of the game.

"And I think the players understood really well what to do in every moment. We had to suffer a bit at the end, it wouldn't be Manchester United without a bit of suffering, but we deserved the win against a very good team, a team that is hard to press against high, but we did really well.

"I think they [the players] are more confident, the best game we did this season was against Arsenal. But then when you are confident, you have a different spirit, that helps you to win games. That's what I'm feeling now. We're a little bit more free. Last week we are a bit more luck because of that."

The Portuguese boss added: "I have that feeling [that Brighton is a bigger win than Liverpool], I think it was a more complete performance. You can say whatever you want to say against Liverpool, but Liverpool did not deserve to win that game. Today we did everything. We had the ball and created chances.

"We defend high, we defend low and when it's more complete, it's not a statement, but I feel more complete as a manager. So today, I liked it more today than the last weekend."

Amorim outlined his tactical philosophy, explaining: "That was the plan [defenders pressing with aggression]. When we have Harry Maguire we can defend better our box so we can play a little lower.

"But when you have players that can press high... Luke is not really tall, but he's fast and aggressive. We can press a little higher and we know if we win the ball we have players in front of the goal. They [United's attackers] are so good that we just need one chance when we win the ball."

The United chief also revealed Luke Shaw's early withdrawal was due to illness during the week. "Luke is fine. He had the virus during the week. He struggled a little bit in the first half but he's fine," he confirmed.