Manchester United earned a hard-fought victory against Brentford yesterday and boy, what a match it was to watch!
The Red Devils earned all three points after goals from Anthony Elanga, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood ensured a clinical win. Ralf Rangnick named a relatively young attacking side in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
The first half was a dull one for both the teams as they were unable to find the net. Brentford started threatening United from the first minute itself.
Brentford meant business and they were holding the possession and looking for swift attacking moves. United wasn’t able to push them back and they soon foud themselves in trouble.
Manchester United are now unbeaten in their last 13 away games in London:
WDWWWDDWWWDW
It’s only unlucky for some. 🍀 pic.twitter.com/EIrLeTEYtk
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 19, 2022
The home side had a good chance to score in the 13th minute only for De Gea to make a wonderful save with his foot. A trademark Davide de Gea save and Brentford ruined the chance to open the scoring.
In the 25th minute, Diogo Dalot hit a powerful curling shot from outside the box but it went just inches wide of the post. United didn’t have enough sparkle before this moment but this attempt help them ease some tension.
Bruno Fernandes had the chance to create something wonderful from a free-kick but it resulted in nothing and the eventual corner was also easily cleared by Brentford defenders.
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In the 32nd minute, David de Gea again turned hero as he superbly saved a close-range shot from Mathias Jensen. It was a very swift counter-attacking move from Brentford but they were unable to finish it off. Thomas Frank wasn’t a happy man over there.
For Manchester United and Ralf Rangnick, the only player who was showing some caliber was Anthony Elanga. He run tirelessly to position himself at the correct place and made some good runs inside the box.
He was good but not a nightmare for Brentford until half-time. Did the second half have an impact on the scoreline? Let’s see…
In the 46th minute, Bruno Fernandes put in a delightful cross into the Brentford box and Cristiano Ronaldo rose the highest to head it towards the goal. But it hit the upper side of the cross-bar.
Just seconds later, Brentford strikers counter-attacked and it was a two-on-one situation for Manchester United. Mathias Jensen received the pass and just had David de Gea to beat but his shot found the comfortable arms of the United goalkeeper.
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The striker was ruining his missed chances and Brentford received a heavy pounding for these little mistakes.
In the 55th minute, Fred spotted Elanga’s run into the Brentford box and he put in a fantastic cross. The Ball fell kindly into Anthony Elanga’s feet who balanced it so neatly and headed it into an empty neat.
The goalkeeper was unable to stop his score and the United fans went wild in the stadium. The goal set the tone for the entire match as United became hungry for goals.
Their work rate changed, their productivity increased and they started to hold the ball for a longer time. Scott McTominay too got into the act as he tested Jonas Lössl again.
In the 62nd minute, United scored a smooth teamwork goal. Cristiano Ronaldo chested the ball into Bruno Fernandes’s path who ran swiftly towards goal and selflessly passed it to Mason Greenwood. The young striker did the rest and United went 2-0 up.
Bruno Fernandes has been directly involved in 57 #PremierLeague goals at Man Utd:
👕 71 appearances
⚽️ 33 goals
🅰️ 24 assistsWhat a signing he’s been! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/1BGVmbWrKk
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) January 19, 2022
The media got a point to talk about then Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted in the 71st minute and he didn’t look happy with the manager’s decision.
In the 76th minute, Scott McTominay again showed some delightful footwork to fool three Brentford defenders as he passed it to Bruno Fernandes.
Fernandes ran straight towards the goal and passed it to Marcus Rashford who then struck a very powerful shot past Jonas Lössl to make it 3-0.
The goal was enough to shut the criticizers and it gave him much-needed confidence. The goal ended his 11-game goalless stint.
Brentford had a slice of the cake when they got a consolation goal through a resultant corner. The ball was cleverly nicked in by Ivan Toney to make it 3-1.
Ralf Rangnick wished for a clean sheet but was still happy with his side’s performances. Brentford tried their best to find the second goal through resultant set-pieces but United help on to win the game.
A Super match and some superb performances from the youngsters grabbed all the headlines.
With this match, Manchester United has now won their 300th away game and they became the first team in the history of the Premier League to do so.
Ralf Rangnick’s team now sits in seventh place in the Premier League table with 35 points. They are level with Arsenal who is also on 35 points but they have a game in hand.
Some important statistics from the match:
1. Manchester United is now unbeaten in their last 13 games in London.
2. Bruno Fernandes has the most goals plus assists for Manchester United this season(13 combined).
3. Midfielder Fred has assisted in back-to-back Premier League games for the first time in his Manchester United career.
4. Diogo Dalot had the most ball recovering than any United player against Brentford (16).
5. David de Gea made three crucial saves as Brentford ended the game with an XG of 1.15
What’s next:
Manchester United now faces West Ham at Olf Trafford on the 22nd of January. The game will be a crucial one for Rangnick as he knows that a win can make things difficult for the Hammers.
Some crucial wins are needed for the Red Devils to enter the top four.
