Manchester United put on a sensational comeback as they secured a much-needed 2-1 win over Brentford.
The Red Devils were slow to start and fell behind to Ethan Pinnock’s header late in the first half, but United made some tactical tweaks at the break and produced perhaps their finest 45 minutes of Football this season after the break.
Alejandro Garnacho equalised almost immediately, before Rasmus Hojlund chipped home a deserved winner.
How the game unfolded
Brentford nearly made their typically fast start and could have easily found themselves 1-0 ahead inside the opening few minutes. Kevin Schade came agonisingly close to tapping home a fierce cross, but could not find the extra inches needed to stretch and make contact.
Mikkel Damsgaard should have done better with a volley from the edge of the penalty area as Brentford tried to make their early dominance in possession count.
Against the run of play, Mark Flekken nearly gifted United the opener. The Brentford stopper claimed a tame header but managed to drop the ball right at the feet of Hojlund, needing to fling himself at the loose ball to stop it crossing the line.
Garnacho stung Flekken’s gloves midway through the first half as United grew into the game, while down the other end, Andre Onana had to make an excellent save to deny Christian Norgaard from range.
United definitely took control of proceedings as the clock ticked on, but with almost the final kick of the first half, Brentford took the lead. Matthijs de Ligt had to leave the field to address a nasty head wound, and United’s ten men failed to stop Pinnock from heading home from a corner deep in added time.
It took just 90 seconds for United to tie things up after the restart. Marcus Rashford’s excellent cross found Garnacho at the back post, and the Argentina international rifled home with real class.
Flekken got down well to deny both Garnacho and Casemiro from range soon after, but United’s growing momentum could not be stopped and Hojlund dinked a delightful chip over Flekken shortly after the hour mark.
Diogo Dalot, of all people, found himself played through on goal but could not find a way beyond Flekken, but it mattered little as United retained control of proceedings all the way up to the final whistle.
GK: Andre Onana – 6/10 – Didn’t have a whole lot to do aside from pick the ball out of his net. Great passing vision.
RB: Diogo Dalot – 7/10 – Defended his wing so well, but spoiled his first-half performance with a poor attempt to stop Pinnock from heading home the opener. Given more attacking freedom after the break.
CB: Matthijs de Ligt – 7/10 – Took a seriously sore bump on the head early on and had to leave the field twice to address his blood-soaked face. Nice and composed in possession and came out with a real fire underneath him after the break.
CB: Jonny Evans – 6/10 – Showed his experience on occasion but lacked the pace to keep up with Brentford’s speedy forward line.
LB: Lisandro Martinez – 7/10 – A gritty, physical performance to try and keep on top of Bryan Mbeumo. Often won that individual battle with some crunching challenges.
DM: Casemiro – 7/10 – Lacked the energy to cope with Brentford’s energetic press in the first half but looked far more useful after the break when United established their control.
DM: Christian Eriksen – 7/10 – Kept it a bit too simple on the ball and offered very little defensive security but, like Casemiro, flashed his quality when the tide turned.
RM: Marcus Rashford – 7/10 – Quiet on the right side, with United focusing most of their efforts down the opposite wing. A lovely ball for Garnacho’s equaliser which helped spark his performance to life after the break.
AM: Bruno Fernandes – 6/10 – Definitely fell short of expectations once again but credit must be given for a sensational flick to set up Hojlund’s go-ahead goal.
LM: Alejandro Garnacho – 8/10 – The clear threat in United’s attack. Got in behind on a number of occasions and managed to score perhaps the most difficult of all the chances afforded to him.
ST: Rasmus Hojlund – 7/10 – Put himself about well and got the goal his performance deserved after the break. A really nice finish.
Substitutes
SUB: Joshua Zirkzee (74′ for Hojlund) – 6/10
SUB: Manuel Ugarte (88′ for Casemiro) – N/A
SUB: Victor Lindelof (88′ for Evans) – N/A
SUB: Noussair Mazraoui (90′ for Garnacho) – N/A
Subs not used: Altay Bayindir (GK), Jack Fletcher, Amad Diallo, Antony, Ethan Wheatley
Manager
Erik ten Hag – 8/10 – After an underwhelming first half, Ten Hag make the tactical changes needed to wrestle absolute control of this game. The second half was perhaps the best 45 minutes of United’s season so far.
GK: Mark Flekken – 6/10 – Nearly gifted Hojlund an opener but made up for it well with a series of solid saves.
RB: Sepp van den Berg – 4/10 – Some really nervy moments in possession and struggled up against Garnacho. Lost his man for the equaliser.
CB: Nathan Collins – 6/10 – Kept a close eye on United’s forwards and ensured there was no space around him.
CB: Ethan Pinnock – 7/10 – A lively defensive performance capped off with a crucial goal shortly before the interval.
LB: Kristoffer Ajer – 6/10 – Solid and unspectacular. Didn’t really have to do much to keep hold of Rashford.
RM: Mikkel Damsgaard – 7/10 – Buzzed around with infectious energy and caused all sorts of problems for United’s back line in the first half. A great corner for Pinnock’s opener.
CM: Vitaly Janelt – 6/10 – Pressed with purpose in the first half but lost control of proceedings after the restart.
CM: Christian Norgaard – 6/10 – Unfortunate not to score with an excellent strike midway through the first half.
LM: Keane Lewis-Potter – 5/10 – Not always involved in proceedings but tended to produce some really nice touches when he did get the chance to impress. Faded after the break before being hooked.
ST: Bryan Mbeumo – 5/10 – Brought serious energy to the forward line, even if space wasn’t always easy to come by. A little too isolated at times.
ST: Kevin Schade – 6/10 – A willing runner who often found himself hitting dead ends. Can’t fault the work rate.
Substitutes
SUB: Yoane Wissa (65′ for Lewis-Potter) – 6/10
SUB: Fabio Carvalho (74′ for Schade) – 6/10
SUB: Yegor Yarmolyuk (74′ for Yanelt) – 5/10
SUB: Mads Roerslev (86′ for Van den Berg) – N/A
Subs not used: Hakon Valdimarsson (GK), Ben Mee, Jayden Meghoma, Ryan Trevitt, Yunus Emre Konak
Manager
Thomas Frank – 5/10 – Brentford looked great in the first half but Frank simply had no answers for Ten Hag’s half-time changes and could only watch as the game faded away.