United View: Brentford win eases pressure on ten Hag

After two weeks of speculation around Erik ten Hag’s future at Manchester United, he and his side desperately needed a win against Brentford.

At halftime, things looked bleak with the Reds facing a fourth defeat in the league, but they responded well to the setback, winning the game and buying their manager more time.

United have been silent over the international break as it became apparent that ten Hag would continue as manager, likely being given until the November international break to change the club’s fortunes.

The Dutchman came into this game on the defensive, accusing the media of ‘creating stories and fairytales’ ahead of Saturday’s game, clearly fed up with the scrutiny and gossip surrounding his position.

Whilst the Reds needed a result, they were poor in the first half, and when Ethan Pinnock headed home just before the break, there was a sense of despair around Old Trafford.

There was controversy over their goal as Matthijs de Ligt was removed from the field by the referee just before the corner that led to the goal as the defender was covered in blood. This was the third time he left the pitch to receive treatment after clashing with Kevin Schade in the 11th minute.

Whilst the referee had to follow his rules, United felt as though the timing of his intervention was uncalled for with ten Hag arguing that the blood was dry, and the official should have intervened earlier. Likewise, the medical side should have sorted the issue much earlier.

Often this season, United have flaked when conceding, but with the goal coming just before the break, the Reds regrouped at halftime, still feeling they were the targets of injustice by the referee. Rather than using it as an excuse, they channelled it in their favour, spurring them on for the second half.

Within minutes of the restart, they were back level through Alejandro Garnacho’s first-time finish, easing the pressure on the Reds and giving them the impetus for the second half.

Whilst it was a fine finish from Garnacho, it was Marcus Rashford’s ball that made it, he was fantastic on the right wing, showcasing his playmaking abilities. Rashford has quietly been one of United’s top performers this season, and when he’s in such form he has to play, the Reds are a better team for it.

Rasmus Hojlund, scored the second, with a delightful chip over Mark Flekken after Bruno Fernandes’ flick sent the Dane away for his first Premier League win of the season. Hojlund, having missed much of the season through injury, was up for the physical challenge, dropping deep and turning the Brentford defenders.

United have only scored seven goals in the league, still with a negative goal difference. Ideally, they would have put three or four past Brentford, Saturday showed this side has the players who can open up teams, they just need to be consistent and clinical.

This was United’s first league win since a 3-0 win against Southampton, in that game, they also suffered a setback, which they used as motivation to earn three points. Again, it’s something the club hasn’t shown nearly enough. The last time they came from behind to win in the Premier League was a 4-2 victory over Sheffield United back in April.

The Reds now face a tough test on Thursday away to Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe, needing to get a win to climb into the automatic qualification spots. Even though it’s a difficult fixture, a win would help to build momentum ahead of some more favourable fixtures.