Manchester United 2-1 Brentford: Five things noticed as star makes up for international woes

Five things noticed as Manchester United come from behind to defeat Brentford 2-1 at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Erik ten Hag chose to start Lisandro Martínez at left-back as Manchester United prepared to face Brentford in their return to Premier League action following the international break.

The tie started slow, although Brentford did create a few half-chances in the opening 20 minutes despite a break in play to treat a head injury to Matthijs de Ligt.

Read More: Player Ratings – Manchester United vs Brentford (Premier League)

While both sides continued to try and force an opening goal, neither team could quite create the perfect chance, as more drama continued to unfold surrounding De Ligt’s head wound, which continued to bleed despite treatment.

Finally, the referee forced the Dutch defender off the field just before half-time, with Brentford ready to take a corner. With United forced down to ten men, Ethan Pinnock rose above the rest to head in Brentford’s opening goal moments before the whistle blew.

With the game underway, United came out firing, with Alejandro Garnacho volleying in a lovely cross from Marcus Rashford right at the beginning of the second half.

Then, 15 minutes later, United struck again, with Bruno Fernandes flicking a first-time ball to Rasmus Højlund, who dinked the ball over Mark Flekken to hand United a well-deserved lead with 30 minutes left to play.

United continued to play well, and substitute Joshua Zirkzee came close to adding a third, but the whistle finally blew on a 2-1 victory for Ten Hag.

Here are five things we noticed from the win for the Reds.

#1 – Ten Hag words ring true

“We are playing really well in possession, we’re getting forward, we’re getting in the right positions, we’re defending well as a team, the four are clean sheets.”

Ten Hag said these words before kick-off when Sky Sports asked about the message he gave his players in the dressing room, and it was pretty much the story of the first half. United created their chances but could not score, and after 45 minutes, they went back down the tunnel a goal down.

However, the second half was much better, with the players heeding Ten Hag’s advice of needing to be much more clinical in finishing the chances they create.

They continued to be on the front foot, stepping up to snuff out any Brentford attack before it could materialise, which is a massive positive for the Dutch manager.

#2 – Fernandes’ free role working well

Fernandes was gifted a free role within the side, which worked well. Sometimes, he dropped deep to help create an extra man in midfield, while he also helped Højlund in the press out of possession to try and create an overload in attack.

With the last few games creating criticism for Fernandes, the captain looked more rational on the ball, and this accumulated with a brilliant assist for Højlund to hand United a lead in the second half.

#3 – Højlund’s increasing instinct

Rasmus Højlund is getting back up to speed as United’s first-choice striker, and his instincts as a striker are improving. On multiple occasions, he looked to link well with his attackers and also forced his way into great areas in the box.

His continued efforts were rewarded, with his brilliant chip finish over Flekken coming from the result of his striker instinct – he made the run to receive Fernandes’ flick before the Portuguese international had even touched the ball.

Coming off after 73 minutes, Højlund was handed a standing ovation for his goal and performance. After a less-than-ideal international break, the Danish forward will be chuffed with his display.

#4 – Garnacho helping Ten Hag

It must be noted that Garnacho’s goal in the second half did a lot to help quell critiques that surfaced before kick-off when it was revealed that Amad Diallo would not start.

Playing on his favoured left-hand side, Ten Hag’s gamble paid off, with Rashford’s brilliant cross from the right finding the 20-year-old, who volleyed in a fantastic effort.

The youngster was erratic in his finishing in the first half, but his goal early in the second helped repair any groans he may have caused at Old Trafford.

#5 – The win is brilliant, but the performance means more

United’s win and three points at Old Trafford are brilliant for all involved. After a tough start to the campaign and ever-increasing pressure on Ten Hag and his players, this will do wonders to calm nerves and instil belief at Old Trafford.

However, what matters even more than the win is the manner in which United secured victory on Saturday afternoon. There have been problems with the squad panicking once something goes wrong, but this was not the case.

Despite Brentford taking the lead just at the cusp of half-time, they stayed calm and replied well, putting in a brilliant and cohesive performance when faced with adversity – something that will need to continue to happen if the team are to turn their season around.

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