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Manchester United duo Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui made club history even as the club fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion over the weekend.
Brighton took the lead just after the half-hour mark after Danny Welbeck took full advantage of some pitiful defending from United to slide the ball into the back of the net.
United steadily grew into the game and got their reward in the second half through Amad.
The Ivorian was released by Mazraoui, who produced a sensational pass to send him on his way. Amad got up the pitch before cutting in and firing a shot that struck van Hecke on its way in.
Unfortunately for the Red Devils, another instance of shambolic defending – this time at the death – allowed Joao Pedro a free header at the back post.
The Brighton forward made no mistake from close range to deny Erik ten Hag’s side a share of the spoils at the Amex Stadium.
Not only was the goal Amad’s first away from Old Trafford with the first team, but it also marked the first time that African players combined to score a goal for United.
As highlighted below by statisticians OptaJoe, Mazraoui setting up Amad was the first time United have scored in the Premier League, with both the finishing strike and assist coming from African stars.
1 – Noussair Mazraoui setting up Amad Diallo is the first time @ManUtd have scored a Premier League goal that was both scored and assisted by African players. Continental. #BHAMUN pic.twitter.com/o6fLAPUKnn
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 24, 2024
Mazraoui was born in the Netherlands but lines up for Morocco at international level.
The full-back is eligible to play for the Atlas Lions through his father.
After joining United from Bayern Munich earlier this month, Mazraoui became the men’s team’s 12th African Player of all time.
The 20-time English champions return to action on Sunday when they face Arne Slot’s Liverpool at home.
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2024-08-26 19:30:02
