Manchester United has booked a tight victory at home in the Premier League. Manager Erik ten Hag’s team was 1-0 too strong for Brentford thanks to a goal by Marcus Rashford. United was the better party and had little to fear from the Brentford, especially in the first half. United break a series of three league games in a row in which they failed to win and now rise to fourth place. Brentford is currently ninth.
Wout Weghorst had to deal with a big disappointment before the match. Ten Hag preferred Rashford during rush hour, leaving a spot on the left for Jadon Sancho. Tyrell Malacia was also a reserve, but he already came in in the first half. Casemiro was still missing due to a suspension, leaving Marcel Sabitzer in midfield. On Brentford’s side, Ivan Toney was naturally at center forward. The attacker has already scored 17 goals in the Premier League this season.
Manchester United ahead ??
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United failed to get through Brentford’s compact defense in the opening stages. In fact, it was Brentford that was the more dangerous team on the counter, although Frank’s team in the vanguard lacked sharpness. After twenty minutes Scott McTominay had a good opportunity. Antony reached the Scot, who saw his shot fly over from edge sixteen. A little later, Antony tried it himself. The Brazilian cut in in a characteristic way and saw his curled shot go just wide.
United got into the game better and just before half an hour they took the lead. A corner kick initially yielded nothing, but after a bounce Marcel Sabitzer managed to keep the overview and reach Rashford. The striker shot in his fifteenth Premier League goal of the season from close range: 1-0. Antony and Rashford in particular remained threatening in the first company, without really creating great opportunities. A minute before the break, Brentford’s first threatening moment was there. Toney tried from a difficult angle with a header that went meters over.
After the break, United remained the better party, although the chances became scarcer. Ten Hag’s team received the necessary corner kicks and tried, among other things, to double the lead via Sancho. That turned out to be in vain. Substitute Shandon Baptiste, who was available again after his suspension, provided some more attacking threat for the visitors. He saw how teammate Kevin Schade tried with a shot, which was blocked by David De Gea. United was mainly limited to stopping and saw to his relief that Toney, among others, was unable to find the net in the final phase.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | v | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 29 | 23 | 3 | 3 | 43 | 72 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 28 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 45 | 64 |
| 3 | Newcastle United | 28 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 26 | 53 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 28 | 16 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 53 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 29 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 50 |
| 6 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 27 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 46 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 29 | 13 | 5 | 11 | -1 | 44 |
| 8 | Liverpool | 28 | 12 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 43 |
| 9 | Brentford | 29 | 10 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 43 |
| 10 | Fulham | 28 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 39 |
| 11 | Chelsea | 29 | 10 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 39 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 29 | 7 | 9 | 13 | -15 | 30 |
| 13 | Leeds United | 29 | 7 | 8 | 14 | -11 | 29 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton W. | 29 | 7 | 7 | 15 | -19 | 28 |
| 15 | West Ham United | 28 | 7 | 6 | 15 | -13 | 27 |
| 16 | Everton | 29 | 6 | 9 | 14 | -18 | 27 |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 29 | 6 | 9 | 14 | -28 | 27 |
| 18 | AFC Bournemouth | 29 | 7 | 6 | 16 | -30 | 27 |
| 19 | Leicester City | 29 | 7 | 4 | 18 | -11 | 25 |
| 20 | Southampton | 29 | 6 | 5 | 18 | -24 | 23 |