Rasmus Højlund’s winner was a strike of certifiable skill and brings a calmer vibe to Erik ten Hag and his troubled Manchester United after they claimed three points for the first time since the 3-0 defeat of Southampton in mid-September.
On 62 minutes Brentford were pinned back by their right corner flag. The ball was won, Christian Eriksen slid a pass to Bruno Fernandes, and his no-look flick to Højlund was as sweet as the No 9’s deft dink over Mark Flekken as Brentford’s goalkeeper went to ground.
It followed a volleyed Alejandro Garnacho equaliser inside two minutes of the second half which was an apt response to, what appeared, a debacle overseen by Ten Hag and his medical staff just before the interval that presaged Brentford’s opener. When the goal went in it seemed emblematic of United’s ills. As the visitors prepared to swing a corner in from the left, Matthijs de Ligt was ordered to the touchline by the referee, Sam Barrott, for a head wound, suffered early in the half, to be patched up for a third time.
At the same time in came Mikkel Damsgaard’s dead ball and – quelle surprise – there was Ethan Pinnock rising where the Dutchman should have been – in the middle of André Onana’s goal – to head in, unmarked.
Cue De Ligt going ballistic at the fourth official Gavin Ward, a seething Ruud van Nistelrooy doing the same, and the latter and Ten Hag being booked for their angry reactions. Two previous attempts had been made to stem De Ligt’s bleeding so United’s medics carried a measure of culpability while Ten Hag was ultimately responsible for not previously replacing the defender.
The manager’s explanation was that the fury was caused by De Ligt’s assertion that the blood was “dried” so did not need treating, yet even if so, for hygiene reasons, this would still seem to require addressing.
The bottom line: De Ligt, sans bandage, emerged for the second half, United harnessed feelings of injustice as fuel, Ten Hag declared, and, inside two minutes, the perfect riposte was fashioned: a curving Marcus Rashford cross to the far post was smacked in by Garnacho to equalise for a first league goal since the Saints victory, and increase United’s Premier League scoring tally by 20% – to six.
Of Garnacho, Ten Hag said: “I know what he is capable of: he is a threat and has scoring abilities but also a threat in one-v-ones. The end product is definitely what we need and missed in the first games of the season.”
His finish had Ten Hag and Van Nistelrooy hugging and United spirits rocketing, which they were certainly not before this contest. “Fairytales and lies” had been the manager’s pre-match claim about some reports that stated his job was at stake going into the international break. Ten Hag – mysteriously – did not mention how United standing 14th, with eight points from seven matches, and a goal difference of -3, might have piled on the pressure. Factor in, too, Sir Alex Ferguson’s £2.6m salary as a United “global ambassador” being culled – the former manager preferred to watch Celtic v Aberdeen on Saturday – and these were the strands of the latest intrigue to swirl around United.
Yet, here they ended on top and deserving of victory. De Ligt’s cut came when he butted Kevin Schade’s knee rather than the ball: the centre-back was as fortunate to continue as United were determined not to be bowed by the farrago he was the main player in. Next, United are at Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday, then travel to West Ham three days later.
Rashford was United’s standout performer, a compendium of bursts, zigzag passing and menace. “I really enjoyed how he played today,” said his manager. “You see what he is capable of. We want to see this every game, what he can contribute to the team, really intense and then a brilliant cross [for Garnacho’s goal].
“When he has this attitude then he will score [too] but it starts also with fighting spirit and when we all of us bring all this on the pitch, we have a team that can play for trophies this season.”
The poser remains: can United, at last, find the consistency to do so?
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