Manchester United defeated Brentford 3-0 at Old Trafford on Monday. Portugal internationals Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo scored to keep their side in the sixth position in the Premier League.
In what is believed to be their final season with the club, Ralf Rangnick started Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic, while Edinson Cavani, who is also slated to leave, came off the bench.
Bruno Fernandes headed home Anthony Elanga’s cross in the ninth minute to give the hosts the lead as United. Just before halftime, Ronaldo appeared to have extended the lead, but the goal was called out for offside, giving United a 1-0 lead at the break.
David De Gea kept his team in the game with some outstanding goalkeeping, save attempts from Christian Eriksen and Ivan Toney in the first 15 minutes of the second half, as he has done all season.
61 – Since making his Manchester United debut in February 2020, only Mohamed Salah (73) and Harry Kane (65) have been involved in more Premier League goals than Bruno Fernandes (61 – 36 goals & 25 assists, level with Son Heung-Min). Influence. pic.twitter.com/mX0KVLWbNj
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 2, 2022
Ronaldo then made it 2-0 for United by comfortably converting a penalty after Rico Henry fouled Ronaldo in the penalty box. Raphael Varane then connected a powerful header from a corner kick and beat Brentford keeper David Rayato to extend the lead to three.
Mata was substituted immediately after the third goal to a standing ovation from the home crowd, with the Spain international possibly playing his final game at Old Trafford ahead of a summer transfer.
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United now has 58 points from 36 games, six more than West Ham United, who have a game in hand for sixth place and a place in the Europa League for the 2022-23 season.
Our Three Points from the Match:
1. Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic proving their class again
Many were surprised to see Ralf Rangnick give Juan Mata his first league start of the season and omit Marcus Rashford when the starting lineups were announced.
The 34-year-old, though, showed why the selection was sound by putting up a classy performance for the hosts for over 75 minutes.
For the first time this season, Manchester United made over 400 passes in the first half, thanks to the Spaniard’s smooth play, and he completed all of his take-ons while almost combining with Cristiano Ronaldo on two occasions.
Nemanja Matić‘a game by numbers vs Brentford (70 minutes):
100% long passes completed (2/2)
100% tackles won (2/2)
97% pass accuracy
82 successful passes (most)
7 ball recoveries
1 interception
1 chance createdA fine display on his final game at Old Trafford. 🇷🇸👊 pic.twitter.com/4FS5kCSp1o
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) May 2, 2022
Nemanja Matic was also impressive and received a standing ovation as he walked the Old Trafford’s pitch for the final time. Matic had 100 percent tackle success, 97 percent pass accuracy, and the most number of successful passes.
2. Brentford failed to replicate their dominant performances
Brentford’s four-match unbeaten streak came to an end at Old Trafford, but the scoreboard doesn’t always reflect the Bees’ total effort.
Thomas Frank’s team wanted to put Manchester United to the test right from the start, and they achieved so several times, with Ivan Toney and Christian Eriksen in particular shining.
Despite having more shots than the hosts and being given some glorious opportunities to claw themselves back into the game following shaky defending from United, their chances could not be converted into goals.
It’s now back-to-back games in which they have failed to score despite making 27 attempts in 180 minutes.
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Brentford is presently 14th in the Premier League, eight points ahead of relegation-threatened Everton, who has two games in hand. As a result, they’ll have to get over this stumbling block soon in order to alleviate some anxieties and, perhaps, avoid the drop.
3. Erik Ten Hag would be relieved to watch this match
Manchester United’s chances of finishing in the top four are still alive, thanks to their win on Monday night.
Regardless of which European competition Manchester United finds themselves in next season, their performance against Brentford suggested that the squad still has some quality despite the criticism.
Anthony Elanga continues to show he is a rising star, David de Gea never fails to save, Bruno Fernandes shines when he is at his best, and there is always Cristiano Ronaldo to add to the mix.
It was undoubtedly one of the team’s best performances under Ralf Rangnick, so who knows what the rest of the season may bring in if they can replicate the feat. Erik ten Hag, hopefully, was watching this one.
