Danny Murphy said Albion were brilliant and brave in winning at Old Trafford.

The former Liverpool midfielder is an admirer of the way the Seagulls play.

He met head coach Roberto De Zerbi at an open training session towards the end of last season.

Murphy told Match Of The Day viewers: “We are not surprised any more. It was a brilliant, brave performance.

“I actually thought United started really well in the first 15, 20 minutes.

“They played differently tactically with a diamond in midfield.

“But, like all good teams, Brighton found a solution and they found it quickly.

"This is an intelligent team. United are setting up in a diamond, trying to stop Brighton playing through the middle, which I understood.

"But Brighton soon realised if they can push the full-backs high and wide, they can get some two-versus-ones and they are going to control the tempo of the game - and they did that really well.

"Playing into tight areas to then play out wide and have overloads.

"But you have got to be courageous when you play like this because, if you lose the ball, you are in a world of trouble.

"They play with freedom, they have got great technique and they all trust each other with the ball."

Murphy praised a “terrific” performance by Danny Welbeck.

He added: “The confidence grew. United tried to press but Brighton, brave, 1-0 up, ‘Let’s keep the ball, let’s keep playing, let’s use our technical ability, let’s use our pace and skill to wear them down’.

“It was a really composed performance.”