United Beyond Manchester

After a 4-3 victory over rival Liverpool, Manchester United seemed poised to take on the end of the season with confidence. Instead, against a floundering Brentford, the Reds were awful and were lucky to take a point. Below, we take a look at the match.

First Half

Manchester United started on the right foot and had a lead in shots and possession through the opening minutes of the match. Despite the early pressure, no real opportunities were created for the United front three.

Brentford had a period of pressure through a series of corners and a free kick, but United defended well. A particularly good piece of defending came from a Varane block just outside the six-yard box to force another corner.

The first big chance came from Brentford in the 23rd minute. Yoane Wissa slid Ivan Toney a ball in behind, but his shot struck the post and was cleared by Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Wissa’s header on the ensuing corner went out for a goal kick.

United were lucky again in the 32nd minute when a header from Brentford hit the bar.

Manchester United were woeful the rest of the half, and Brentford had chance after chance. The home side’s press caused the United midfielders to turn the ball over repeatedly, and the Bees finished the half with 14 shots on Andre Onana’s goal. Thankfully, Brentford’s attacks fell short, and only one of the shots was on target.

Second Half

The first real chance for United came in the 53rd minute. Bruno Fernandes made a great run in behind and found Rasmus Hojlund at the top of the box. Hojlund’s shot was saved well with a quick reaction.

Immediately on the other end, Andre Onana made a fantastic double save to keep the match level at 0-0. The first save was in his bottom corner with his outstretched hand, and the second came off his leg on the rebound.

Manchester United continued to play poorly through the 80th minute and were unconvincing going forward. Rashford lost the ball numerous times on the wing, and Hojlund was unable to connect with other attackers.

Ivan Toney thought he had broken the deadlock in the 72nd minute, but VAR showed he had strayed just offside before finding the back of the net.

Yet again, the Reds survived as Bryan Mbuemo hit the crossbar with a volley. Poor defending gave him the space to strike it after a simple free kick that should have been dealt with.

Mason Mount and Casemiro came on for Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashord in the 80th minute and combined for a scrappy United goal in stoppage time. Casemiro laid the ball off to Mount who took a touch and found the bottom corner with his left foot.

With the match seemingly won after a late goal, United failed to grab the three points. A ball back over the top fell to Ivan Toney after Aaron Wan-Bissaka failed to get back into position. He took it to the end line and cut it back where an unmarked Kristofer Ajer scored from the middle of the box.

The United performance today was shameful, and the Reds were lucky to get a point. The midfield was dominated, and several players looked lost on the field. After the thrilling win over Liverpool, fans expected a strong game against a struggling Brentford side. Instead, United produced one of the worst performances of the season and may have lost any chance of Top 5.

Man of the Match

Andre Onana wins the Man of the Match. His saves, particularly the double save, kept Manchester United alive. He is the sole reason that the Reds leave the Gtech Community Stadium with a point. The goal conceded was a defensive error, so there was not much he could have done.

Player Ratings

Andre Onana: 8 – The only reason United was in the game. Produced several top saves.
Diogo Dalot: 5 – Failed to support the attack and did not defend well.
Victor Lindelof: 5 – Struggled defensively before being withdrawn due to injury.
Raphael Varane: 6 – His blocks in the first half helped keep Onana’s goal clean. Injured and off at half.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka: 4 – Looked lost, and his slow walk kept Toney onside to give Brentford their goal.
Kobbie Mainoo: 5 – Struggled against the press and was not able to connect play effectively.
Scott McTominay: 5 Looked out of sorts playing deeper and was unable to do anything in possession.
Bruno Fernandes: 6 – The only player who wanted to attack.
Alejandro Garnacho: 4 – Never got going and provided nothing for Hojlund.
Rasmus Hojlund: 4 – Never got going and had minimal touches. Did not have any support.
Marcus Rashford: 3 – Provided nothing in attack and gave no support to Hojlund.

Harry Maguire (on at Half): 5 – Missed several tackles and headers.
Antony (on in the 59th Minute): 6 – Provided energy and had a shot flash just wide. At least showed he wanted to play.
Lisandro Martinez (on in the 69th Minute): 5 – Struggled in and out of possession.
Mason Mount (on in the 80th Minute): 7 – Scored his first Manchester United goal in his injury return.
Casemiro (on in the 80th Minute): 6 – Assisted Mount’s goal but was slow defensively.

Looking Ahead

Manchester United play Chelsea and Liverpool in three days at the end of this week. United will travel to the Blues on Thursday before hosting Liverpool on Sunday. Both games are must-win for United to stay alive in the Champions League race.