Brighton were seeking to win three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since October 2018, and Graham Potter’s looked like they would when they took the lead.
Danny Welbeck headed the Seagulls into a deserved lead against his former club after 13 minutes with a lacklustre United having failed to register a single shot on target in the opening 45 minutes.
United improved in the second half and were soon rewarded as Marcus Rashford restored parity with his 19th goal of the season.
Brighton will feel hard done by as they were denied what looked like a clear penalty after Harry Maguire had pulled back Danny Welbeck while he was close to finishing a clear cut chance.
The misery piled on for Brighton as Mason Greenwood completed Manchester United’s spirited second-half fightback, stooping to head in a mis-hit strike from Paul Pogba in the 83rd minute.
The result comes as a relief for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whose side stay second on 60 points – meaning Manchester City still require a further 11 to be confirmed as champions. Brighton stay 16th, six points clear of the relegation zone.