Manchester United were eliminated from the Carabao Cup in the third round after throwing away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

Goals from Shea Lacey and Mason Mount inside the opening 10 minutes appeared to give United the perfect response to Sunday’s contentious 1-0 defeat to 10-man rivals Manchester City.

However, Charalampos Kostoulas pulled one back before half-time before playing a significant role in Maxim De Cuyper’s 69th-minute winner after Pascal Gross had equalised five minutes earlier.

The collapse saw United lose at Old Trafford after leading by two or more goals for the first time since September 1976, when they were beaten 3-2 by Tottenham.

With just one win in four Premier League games, Michael Carrick urged his team “to find answers” after what he described as a “big disappointment”.

Carrick is now desperate for his side to respond when they visit Fulham at Craven Cottage in Sunday’s Premier League clash.

“We can’t change that. It’s done. We’ve got to keep evolving as a group,” the United boss told BBC 5 Live.

“We have to keep learning and dealing with situations. Sometimes they come a bit easier than others. That’s up to me and the staff to help the players and guide them through it.

“I think we all know that in the end tonight feels like a big disappointment. We have to find the answers for Sunday.”

“We accept that” – Carrick takes responsibility

Carrick accepted responsibility for how his team finished the match.

“We ended up with a pretty disappointing night. It’s obvious for me to say that. We accept that.

“We can’t be in a position like that and lose the game in that manner. I’ll understand the disappointments and frustrations. I accept that. That’s on me. It’ll need to be better than that.”