Manchester United were held 1-1 by Brentford at the Gtech Community on Saturday evening in the Premier League, denting their top-four hopes as a result. Mason Mount’s 97th-minute opener was cancelled out by Kristoffer Ajer in the 99th minute, as Erik ten Hag’s side fell further behind Aston Villa in the race for a top-four finish.
Two fine goals
Despite Brentford dominating large proceedings of the game and bullying Manchester United, the visitors unjustifiably took the lead through substitute Mason Mount. Fellow substitute Casemiro received the ball at the edge of the opposition box, rode a couple of challenges and slid it to Mount, who expertly controlled and rifled a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Mark Flekken.
It felt like a smash-and-grab raid by Ten Hag’s side at the Gtech Community Stadium, only for their joy to be cut short moments later. As Brentford players swarmed in, Mathias Jensen launched the ball in the box which Ivan Toney expertly controlled and cut the ball for Kristoffer Ajer, who equalised in the dying minutes to eke a point and send the crowd into delirium.
Brentford outwitted, outsmarted Man United
Brentford outmuscled, outwitted and battered Man United in all aspects of the game. It was a largely meek display from Ten Hag’s side, who struggled to deal with the Bees’ physicality, set-pieces and direct, fast-paced attacks.
Ivan Toney struck the post when put through on goal while Mathias Jorgensen’s looping header clipped the top of the bar and went out in the first half. The second half witnessed Andre Onana keep the Red Devils in the game with two fantastic saves before Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo hit the post and rattled the crossbar respectively.
Brentford’s dominance in numbers
Brentford’s direct approach limited Man United to far and few attacks. There was very little urgency and crispness to the visitors’ play, and they really failed to threaten the Bees’ goal before Mount’s opener.
The Thomas Frank-managed side’s first-half dominance was demonstrated by the fact that they had 34 touches in the Man United box, compared to just seven for Ten Hag’s side in the hosts’ box. They had 14 shots in the first against Man United whilst registering 31 attempts. In return, the Mancunian giants were limited to only 11 attempts with five on target.
Man United enjoyed 53% possession and had a 79% pass accuracy. On the contrary, the Bees had 47% possession and a 69% pass accuracy, but they were effective in carving the opposition defence open multiple times. Thomas Frank’s side had an eye-watering 85 touches in United’s box, and despite being on top for the majority of the game, they were forced to settle for a point.
Annoying numbers for Ten Hag and Man United
Man United faced 31 shots on Saturday, with Brentford scoring the equaliser with the last of those. With that, they have faced 498 shots in the Premier League this season—only three teams have faced more shots than them.
Top four out of reach for Man United?
Ten Hag and United will know that it should have been three points in the bag once they took the lead through Mason Mount in the 97th minute. Following a 1-1 draw with the Bees, combined with Tottenham and Aston Villa winning their respective fixtures earlier on the day, the Champions League qualification places look a long way off now for Ten Hag’s highly inconsistent side.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
