- Roberto De Zerbi credited his men for sticking to their style against Man United
- Brighton continued their excellent start to the season with a stylish win
- Their manager admitted he feels “lucky” to be part of their special journey
Roberto De Zerbi celebrated his Brighton players’ determination to stick to their principles after their 3-1 win over Manchester United.
Danny Welbeck, Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro were on target for the Seagulls as they stunned United at Old Trafford and dominated possession.
The result sent them into the top four and De Zerbi’s men were the puppet masters at the Theater of Dreams, handing their foes a third defeat in five games.
‘We played a great, great game. We deserved to win, we played well. In the first 15, 20 minutes we suffered a lot because Man United played in a different way than we had prepared for, but after that we played a great match,” De Zerbi told Sky Sports.
Roberto De Zerbi praised his players for maintaining their philosophy against Man United
Danny Welbeck opened the scoring after twenty minutes as Brighton started the day well
United have lost three Premier League matches in their first five games this season amid struggles on and off the pitch
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‘I think the game changed when we kept the ball. At that moment their pressure was high and keeping the ball helped us to control the game. And then we have four attackers who are very fast and very good.
“We have to keep our style when we lose, (and) when we win. We cannot forget our DNA because the game can change and it is bad if the result can change our style. We are working not to lose our characteristic, our quality and to score more goals. We scored three, but had many chances to score again.’
The 44-year-old admitted he feels lucky to be part of the ride at Tony Bloom’s Brighton, who made their first breakthrough into European football under his leadership last season.
The sky seems to be the limit for a side that consistently recruits with excellence and sweeps aside opponents with flair.
De Zerbi said: “I have to admit that I feel that I am very lucky to be this coach for this team. it’s like I’m dreaming because I enjoy it a lot, enjoy watching my team play and seeing their quality. It’s an honor, I’m proud.
Ahead of next week’s Europa League match against AEK Athens, he added: ‘Thursday will be a historic day for us, the fans, the club and the owner. We want to play and keep the memory of that day in our minds.”
Pascal Gross doubled their lead as United fell to a new low in front of the fans