OLD TRAFFORD, MANCHESTER — Scott McTominay scored twice in injury time as Manchester United beat Brentford 2-1 to breathe some life into their Premier League season.
The Red Devils lost a chaotic match at home to Galatasaray in the Champions League 3-2, meaning they have started their European campaign with consecutive defeats. They also came into this game on the back of four losses in five home games, meaning defeat was almost unthinkable for Erik ten Hag and his players.
Yet it looked like being just that in the October sunshine at Old Trafford. United fell behind midway through the first half to a Mathias Jensen goal — the first Brentford have ever scored at this stadium in the Premier League.
The match followed a similar pattern to the 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace a week ago, when United toiled in front of a disciplined defence and failed to create enough meaningful chances to snatch a result. An equaliser was disallowed for offside, a penalty appeal for a trip on Anthony Martial was dismissed, and Bruno Fernandes stung the palms of stand-in Brentford goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha.
Then, implausibly, it all changed in second-half stoppage time.
McTominay, on as a second-half substitute, squeezed in a clever finish from inside a crowded penalty area after good work from Alejandro Garnacho. Then came a winner that, from a Brentford perspective, was annoyingly route one: Fernandes’ long ball from a free-kick was headed down by Harry Maguire, and McTominay nodded the ball beyond Strakosha’s despairing grasp.
Man United vs Brentford analysis
McTominay’s secret? Ignore Ten Hag
McTominay described his match-winning cameo as “one of my favourite moments on a football pitch”. It certainly proved a masterstroke by his manager to send him for the closing stages.
It turns out McTominay didn’t even hear what Ten Hag told him when he came on.
“It was very loud, the fans were roaring us on so I couldn’t hear fully,” he said to PLP. “He probably said something like: ‘Go on and score,’ which is what I did.”
Is the secret to turning Manchester United’s season around to ignore the manager?
Alright, we jest. But it’s an interesting admission from the midfielder, who essentially went on with the feeling that he just had to make something happen, rather than with the surety of some clear instructions from the man in charge.
Ten Hag was asked if he told McTominay to go on and score a goal. “No,” he replied. “[I said] Go on and score two goals.”
Man United survive another calamitous moment: Is it time to drop Onana and Casemiro?
Brentford’s opening goal came as a result of several United mistakes wrapped up into one awful 15-second spell. Casemiro gave the ball away with a simple (but failed) pass, nobody closed down Yoane Wissa, Victor Lindelof kicked a clearance straight against the Brentford forward, and Andre Onana failed to keep out Jensen’s shot despite getting a hand to it.
That United’s defence was in relative disarray is hardly a surprise. Their first-choice back four were all missing today, as were two back-up left-backs, one of whom — Sergio Reguilon — was only signed on an emergency loan to cover for injuries. Maguire started alongside Jonny Evans in a league game for the first time since they both played for Leicester City four years ago.
But the abject nature of some of their errors is a major concern. Casemiro was transformative last season, and he has been again in 2023/24, but for the wrong reasons: he seems to create havoc in the middle of midfield with his roving role and reduced pace. Onana played some fine long passes in the first half but again failed to keep out the first savable shot that came his way. As of halftime, the Cameroon goalkeeper had conceded 12 Premier League goals from xGOT (a measure of the saves a keeper should realistically be expected to make based on the quality of shots) of 9.77. That was the worst figure in the league, except for Brentford’s Mark Flekken, who didn’t play today due to illness.
Casemiro came off at halftime and United certainly didn’t get worse. The same can be said when Marcus Rashford was hauled off for Garnacho. Will either start after the international break against Sheffield United? Will Onana?
Ten Hag’s Man United job might just have been saved
It’s extremely unlikely that Ten Hag would have been sacked had United lost today. It’s also true that, some halftime booing aside, the fans inside Old Trafford were on the side of their manager, and most stayed in their seats rather than head for an early exit when injury time began.
It’s also true that this was absolutely a game United were expected to win, and scraping a 2-1 victory should not detract from some of the problems that reared their heads again: namely, defensive mistakes, and a lack of attacking cohesion.
But this result, and the manner of it, might just transform the spirit inside the United camp. The timing of the goals sent players, coaches and supporters into jubilation, much more so than if United had held onto a one-goal win after scoring earlier. The fact we now go into a two-week international break, and had players headed off to play for their countries off the back of another loss, morale would have been painfully low.
Now, the players can celebrate a result, spend two weeks away from the pressure-cooker at Carrington, and come back feeling a lot more positive. Ten Hag and his coaches can also work closely on improvements to tactics in far greater spirits, with the knowledge that key players should soon be returning from long-term injuries.
This was far from the kind of performance expected of United, but the result could still be transformative.
Man United vs Brentford updates, highlights, commentary
Fulltime: Man United 2-1 Brentford
Brentford barely have time to kick off before the final whistle sounds! Manchester United have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat here. What an astonishing end to the game. Scott McTominay might just have saved Erik ten Hag’s job.
90 + 7 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLL! MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE WON IT! Fernandes sends a long free-kick into the box, Maguire heads it down, and McTominay nods it beyond Strakosha, who couldn’t keep it out! As route-one as they come, but it’s a goal that’s blown the leaking roof off Old Trafford!
