London, Sep 16 : Manchester United's 2023-24 season went from bad to worse as they slumped to their third defeat of the season in the Premier League as a doughty Brighton & Hove Albion FC beat them 3-1 in Manchester on Saturday. Manchester United started with a formidable attack and saw some close shots at the start of the game, but failed to score at the Old Trafford. They then conceded the opening goal in the 20th minute of the game ex-United striker Danny Welbeck rattled the defense and went through the back of the net to score the first goal of the game. However, it was not too late for United as Ramsuj Hojlund, playing his first game for the club, could have equalised but the referee disallowed the goal. Rober De Zebri's mighty Wolves dominated the second half completely with a solid position forward and launched two strikes early in the second half. Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro scored spectacular goals that gave Brighton a 3-0 lead, adding dismay to the United crowd. With only 18 minutes left, Hannibal Mejbri, a United replacement, managed to score a consolation goal, but it was already too late. With assurance, Brighton successfully finished the game and earned a victory. Brighton now have 12 points from five games and is in third place in the Premier League standings. United, however, continued to struggle, languishing in the 12th position with just six points following a dismal start to the season. Brighton also put an end to Manchester United's home winning streak that had dated back to the first game of the previous campaign against Brighton. Earlier in the day, defending champion Manchester City took on West Ham United and showed their resilient fight, beating the Hammers 3-1 and overtaking Liverpool to propel to the top spot after their fifth consecutive win. Liverpool started the Premier League with a weekend's impressive comeback to defeat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 in an away match. Manchester City is in the top spot with five wins in 5 games. Tottenham is in the second spot and Liverpool placed third with four wins. /IANS