Report: United 2 Brentford 1

Saturday 07 October 2023 17:20

Manchester United completed a sensational comeback in the Premier League to beat Brentford 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.

The travelling Bees took the lead in the first half through Mathias Jensen, who fired beyond Andre Onana as the United defence failed to clear.

But a breathless six minutes of stoppage time saw the Reds turn things around, thanks to second-half substitute McTominay. 

The Scotsman fired home three minutes into the added time, before heading home the winner with virtually the last touch of the encounter.

Old Trafford erupts as McTominay heads home a late winner.
The Reds began our encounter with Brentford on the front foot, surging forward in search of the opening goal. Operating on the right, Bruno Fernandes planted a handful of teasing balls into the box but to no avail. 

Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund combined just after the 10-minute mark, with the Portuguese defender pinging a pass into the area, but it skimmed just off the head of the Danish striker. 

For all of our hard work carving out chances, it was the travelling Bees who took the lead in the 26th minute through Jensen. After an initial crucial block from Victor Lindelof at the back, the Reds failed to clear our lines allowing the Dane to squeeze the ball beyond Andre Onana, who could not get a strong enough hand on it to keep it out.

Ten Hag’s men looked to hit back immediately, as Dalot found Fernandes in the box but Ethan Pinnock was quick to get in front of his effort before it could test Thomas Strakosha on his first Premier League start. 

Our first real sight of goal came in the build up to half-time, however. Marcus Rashford showed great skill to create room in the box, but Strakosha was equal to the shot.

Brentford had their own chances before the interval. Bryan Mbeumo came closest with an effort from range that curled narrowly wide of Onana’s goal.

Rashford had United's best opportunity of the opening 45.
The Reds began the second half with a substitution, as Casemiro made way for Christian Eriksen. It was the Dane who would have United’s first effort of the restart, with his long-range strike troubling Strakosha, but Nathan Collins was quickest to react to clear the danger. 

Collins was involved a few moments later at the other end of the pitch, with his headed effort deflected off Christian Norgaard and subsequently cleared by Dalot on the line. United reacted with a flurry of chances, the first of which saw Rashford fire an effort wide of the mark. Dalot then blazed his own strike over the bar, before Hojlund rattled the side netting. 

Substitute Alejandro Garnacho came close to pulling the Reds back into the game after a well-worked move. Picking the ball up on the right-hand side, Dalot played it into Sofyan Amrabat, with the Moroccan laying it into the Argentinian whose shot was too high to trouble the goalkeeper.
Rasmus Hojlund in action for the Reds.

After allowing United to have most of the ball in the second 45, Brentford had two chances to double their lead in quick succession. The first came from Neal Maupay, who forced an impressive save out of Onana, tipping it over the bar.

From the resulting corner, our shot-stopper pulled off yet another finger-tip save - this time from Christian Norgaard - to keep the deficit to one goal.

It looked as though we had pulled one back in the dying minutes, when Anthony Martial forced an own-goal. The Frenchman was immediately flagged offside, however, chalking our leveller out. 

Three minutes into stoppage time, though, we did finally have an equaliser through McTominay.

The Reds peppered the Brentford keeper, and it was the Scotland international who brought the ball down in the box before firing home to make it 1-1.

Mere minutes later, our no.39 latched on to Harry Maguire's flick-on and headed home beyond Strakosha to raise the roof at Old Trafford, completing another famous comeback for the Reds at The Theatre of Dreams.

Bruno Fernandes dictating play.

MATCH DETAILS

United XI: Onana; Dalot, Maguire, Evans, Lindelof (Martial 71); Amrabat (McTominay 87), Casemiro (Eriksen 46); Fernandes, Mount (Antony 63), Rashford (Garnacho 63); Hojlund. 

Unused substitutes: Bayindir, Van de Beek, Mejbri, Pellistri. 

Goals: McTominay 90+3, 90+7. 

Brentford XI: Strakosha; Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Hickey, Janelt (Onyeka 70), Norgaard, Jensen (Ghoddos 84), Roerslev; Wissa (Maupay 70), Mbeumo. 

Unused substitutes: Jorgensen, Yamolyuk, Kim Ji-soo, Olakigbe, Bierley, Balcombe. 

Goal: Jensen 26.

Bookings: Hickey, Norgaard, Collins, Janelt. Maupay.

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