Manchester United secured a crucial 2-1 victory over Brentford at Old Trafford on Saturday, marking their first win in over a month. The result alleviated some pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, who has faced scrutiny amid a challenging start to the season.
A Comeback After Controversy
The match began with controversy as Brentford’s Ethan Pinnock scored from a corner deep into first-half stoppage time, taking advantage of a temporary injury to Matthijs de Ligt. Ten Hag expressed his frustration, calling the situation an “injustice”: “It was dried blood; he was already treated for the injury. Of course, that was a huge moment because Brentford are very good in corners,” he said. “When you then miss one of your best headers and they take benefit from it, then of course, you are disappointed.”Despite going into halftime down 1-0, United responded with determination in the second half. Alejandro Garnacho equalized just after the break, finishing off a cross from Marcus Rashford. Rasmus Højlund then scored the winning goal in the 62nd minute, chipping the ball over Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken after receiving a clever back-heel pass from Bruno Fernandes.
Ten Hag’s Reaction
Reflecting on the match, Ten Hag emphasized the importance of this victory:”Every game we win is important. This team, you see the togetherness, a fighting spirit. Today we had some determination to score goals, and that’s what we need.”He also highlighted the need for improvement moving forward:”We scored two brilliant goals and we are very pleased with it. But we have to keep improving our performance.”
Brentford’s Perspective
Brentford’s coach Thomas Frank acknowledged his team’s shortcomings in the second half: “We were the best team in the [first] half. Definitely opposite second half, disappointed second half that we were not able to do better. We knew of course they were going to come out flying; we were way too passive.”
With this victory, Manchester United climbed to 10th place in the Premier League standings with 11 points after eight matches. While this win eases some pressure on Ten Hag, it is crucial for United to build on this momentum as they continue their campaign. As Ten Hag stated, “Today we showed what we can do when we work together.” The challenge now is to maintain that level of performance as they look to rise further up the table.
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