“We felt injustice…” Erik ten Hag and Thomas Frank disagree over “huge” Manchester United moment

Erik ten Hag and Thomas Frank have disagreed over a “huge” moment as Manchester United came from behind to defeat Brentford on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester United secured a crucial victory on Saturday afternoon, coming from behind to defeat Brentford 2-1 at Old Trafford.

The visitors took the lead just before half-time when Ethan Pinnock headed home from a corner. However, United responded after the break, with Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund both finding the net.

Read More: Wes Brown explains why one Manchester United player was crucial in Brentford turnaround

Their goals were brilliantly set up by Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, respectively, turning the match in United’s favour.

Beyond the goal scorers and creators, Matthijs de Ligt delivered a standout performance at centre-back, made even more impressive after he continued to play with blood streaming from a first-half clash.

The win propels United back into the top half of the Premier League table as they aim to recover from their challenging start to the 2024/25 campaign.

A “huge” moment

Brentford’s first-half goal has caused a lot of debate. Just before, referee Sam Bennett told De Ligt he had to leave the pitch due to blood on his face, just before Pinnock headed in the corner.

The official rules state that if a player is bleeding, they must leave the field of play until the bleeding has been stopped.

Ten Hag has explained that he and his squad felt injustice at half-time because they believe the referee made the wrong call. De Ligt was not bleeding, and what the referee was actually seeing was dry blood.

“We felt injustice at half-time, and we used it as fuel for the equaliser,” Ten Hag told reporters at full-time.

“We didn’t know why the referee brought one of our players in a critical moment off the pitch. It was dry blood – it happened before.

“Then in a critical moment on a corner from them – which is their strength – they bring one of our best headers off and then Brentford take benefit from it. Of course then you are frustrated.”

Thomas Frank disagrees

Thomas Frank, however, disagreed. Speaking himself, the Brentford manager explained that he thought Bennett’s refereeing was good.

“I think it is good refereeing if I am honest. If Manchester United took the corner and we took out Nathan Collins because he was bleeding, they would want to take the corner…”

Ultimately, United managed to turn the game around and keep the three points at Old Trafford. Next, they will face Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in Istanbul before a trip to London to play West Ham.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.