Hannibal Mejbri makes honest admission after scoring first Manchester United goal vs Brighton

Midfielder Hannibal Mejbri admitted that it was "impossible" for him to enjoy his first Manchester United goal after they were beaten 3-1 by Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

Already trailing 3-0 after goals from Danny Welbeck, Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro either side of the half-time interval, Hannibal, fresh from stepping off the bench, offered United a glimmer of hope with just over 15 minutes of normal time remaining. He fired the ball home from 25 yards to deny Brighton what would have been their first clean sheet of the season.

Hannibal, who spent last season on loan at Championship side Birmingham City, stepped off the bench with 64 minutes on the clock, replacing Casemiro in the engine room. It marked his first appearance for United since the final day of the 2021/22 Premier League season and just his fourth overall.

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But as a result of the damage that had already been done, Hannibal, though he celebrated his goal with immense passion, could not enjoy the moment as much as he would have liked. He did, however, admit that plenty of hard work had gone into making it possible.

Taking to his Instagram page, Hannibal posted: "Years of work went into that moment to score a goal for this incredible club. Impossible to enjoy it without the team getting the result we wanted."

Though the result took the gloss off a crowning moment for the youngster, it did, on a personal level, cap off a successful period for him. He featured twice for Tunisia over the international break, helping them beat Botswana (3-0) and Egypt (3-1).

On Hannibal's impact from the bench,