“If you don’t…” Erik ten Hag issues stark warning to Manchester United stars after Brentford heroics

Erik ten Hag has issued a stark warning to his Manchester United stars following their heroic come-back win against Brentford on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester United mounted a late comeback to beat Brentford 2-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday, securing all three points in a dramatic turnaround.

Ethan Pinnock gave Brentford a first-half lead with a header from a corner just before the break. However, United responded in the second half, with Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund both scoring, assisted by Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, to turn the match in their favour.

Read More: Erik ten Hag “really enjoyed” two Man United stars vs Brentford, it’s bad news for £20m signing

Matthijs de Ligt put in a heroic defensive shift, even after suffering a head injury that left him with blood streaming down his face.

The victory propels United back into the top half of the Premier League table as they look to recover from their shaky start to the 2024/25 season.

Ten Hag’s stark warning

While the win has helped curve critics of the side’s recent poor performances, Ten Hag sent a stark warning to his players not to become complacent.

Speaking to the press after the game, Ten Hag explained that the game was “just a win”, and that if his side do not kick on from here, they will soon face criticism again.

“It’s great but don’t overrate it,” the Dutch boss explained. “It is just a win. At United, you have to win every game.

“You have to win the next game and the game after, you have to win as well. If you don’t win, everyone is criticising us, every time. So enjoy it for 24 hours and then move on.”

Praising the togetherness

However, Ten Hag was also keen to praise his players for their togetherness. Of late, the side has panicked once they concede, but the performance against Brentford was one of unity, fighting back to overturn the deficit and claim all three points.

“We defend very well as a team, we have four clean sheets in the Premier League and it shows the organisation is very good,” Ten Hag said. “We’ve created lots of chances, coming into the right spots, but the conversion was not of the level we can expect.

“Today, we did everything right and you see we have players who can finish high-quality chances. In the second half, there were slight changes, we fill the pockets and have better intensity for the counter-press.

“Also, the first half wasn’t bad, and we had some good moments, and some good chances, but didn’t score. In the second half, we scored and everyone is happy.”

On the goals, he praised the individual moves of the four stars involved. “The cross from Rashy [Marcus Rashford] was brilliant and it was a brilliant finish from Garnacho.

“For the second goal, the pass from [Christian] Eriksen, the flick from Bruno [Fernandes] and the finish from Rasmus, it was so beautiful. Of course, we’re happy Rasmus is back as we miss his goals.” 

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