“Manchester United Triumphs 2-1 Over Brentford
Erik ten Hag’s side, Manchester United, accomplished a much-awaited victory with Alejandro Garnacho’s exceptional volley and Rasmus Højlund’s composed finish securing a 2-1 win against Brentford at Old Trafford. This victory came at a key time as Manchester United had stumbled to their worst start in the Premier League season after seven games.
Ol’ Trafford hadn’t seen a comeback by Brentford since 1937, even though Ethan Pinnock’s header during the first-half’s extra time was promising. However, Garnacho and Højlund’s goals cemented the 2-1 win, breaking a month’s drought across all tournaments.
The Red Devils had previous experiences of five continuous matches without a victory and were on the brink of a third consecutive home league defeat when Pinnock netted a corner kick after Matthijs de Ligt was forced to abandon the field due to injury.
Nevertheless, a brilliant cross from Marcus Rashford in the 47th minute saw Garnacho volley in, injecting fresh vigour into United. The team finally took the lead thanks to Bruno Fernandes’s creative flick that put Højlund in prime position to skillfully sail the ball over Mark Flekken, booking their third Premier League win of the season.
However, the outcome could have been different if Brentford had managed to strike an early goal as they had the opportunity to do so just 145 seconds into the match, but Kevin Schade missed a potential cross.
Additionally, Bryan Mbeumo missed a shot before Manchester United’s defence, already crippled by injuries, was thrown into disarray when De Ligt required medical attention post colliding with Schade’s knee. Despite the setbacks, the match continued evenly with Brentford able to evade danger in the 21st minute.”
While Lisandro Martinez aimed a header towards Brentford’s goalkeeper, Flekken had to act swiftly to prevent Højlund’s clumsy effort from crossing the line. United appeared to take control as Onana managed to deflect a fierce strike from Nørgaard. Meanwhile, Garnacho’s attempt was foiled, saving Eriksen from visible embarrassment for his skyward shot.
There was a surge of opportunities afterwards, including Garnacho missing the mark, thanks to a superb pass from Rashford. United’s lack of scoring prowess thus far in the season proved costly once again, particularly during a brief spell in first half stoppage time where they were down to 10 men due to medical attendants working hastily to attend to De Ligt’s head injury. This led to referee Barrott re-sending him to the sidelines as Damsgaard curled in a corner which Pinnock skillfully evaded Dalot to send a powerful header into the net. De Ligt’s exit ignited boos from the crowd as the officials retreated at half time.
Upon resuming, United quickly equalised within two minutes of the re-start, thanks to a splendid cross from Rashford from the right side to the far post, where Garnacho smashed a volley past Flekken resulting in jubilation across Old Trafford. Encouraged by the goal, Garnacho took the ball on the left flank, manoeuvred inside and released a strike that forced Flekken to deflect it wide.
Casemiro attempted a strike before Fernandes fired across the goal. The captain’s efforts were rewarded as Flekken managed to catch his powerful shot. Fernandes played a crucial role, his clever touch saw United take the lead in the 62nd minute. Receiving a pass from Eriksen, he cleverly flicked the ball onto Højlund who then softly lofted it over Flekken.
Despite Flekken’s best efforts to prevent another Dalot goal, Casemiro’s and Garnacho’s attempts came to nothing as United unsuccessfully tried to secure the game. Their squandered opportunities ignited hope for Brentford, given a stoppage-time shot gone wide by substitute Fabio Carvalho. Unrelenting, Fernandes forced Flekken into saving the final shot of the match.
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