Brentford 3-1 Manchester United: More misery for Ruben Amorim as Manchester United fall to 17th defeat in 32 under Portuguese
Manchester United’s season lurched further off course on Saturday as Brentford ruthlessly exposed their systemic weaknesses in a 3-1 victory that left Ruben Amorim once again scratching his head.
Two goals in the opening 20 minutes from Igor Thiago set the tone, the Brazilian striker punishing slack marking and confusion in United’s back line. Benjamin Sesko briefly sparked hope with his first goal for the club, but United’s familiar cocktail of fragility and wastefulness saw the contest slip away.
Bruno Fernandes’ missed penalty midway through the second half only deepened the sense of inevitability before substitute Mathias Jensen lashed home Brentford’s third in stoppage time.
For Amorim, the numbers are damning. Seventeen league defeats in 33 games, and still not a single run of back-to-back victories since his arrival last autumn. Even when United win, as they did seven days ago against Chelsea, momentum evaporates as quickly as it arrives.
Brentford’s opener crashed the optimism of the United travelling support from the get go. Jordan Henderson, former captain at Liverpool, launched a raking ball over the top seeking Thiago. Harry Maguire stepped up half-heartedly, misjudging the line, and the Brentford forward accelerated into acres of space. One touch to set, another to lash high beyond Altay Bayindir.
The home side’s second soon followed. Kevin Schade escaped down the left, his low cross mishandled by Bayindir, and Thiago reacted quickest to bundle home from close range. Sesko’s strike just before the half-hour offered much hope of a fight back. The £74m signing, after twice being denied by another ex-Liverpool player Caoimhin Kelleher, finally forced the ball over the line following a scramble sparked by Patrick Dorgu’s cross.
Then United spent much of the game chasing the equaliser. The turning point arrived on 76 minutes. Bryan Mbeumo, on his return to the Gtech Stadium since leaving in the summer, wriggled into the box and was hauled back by Brentford captain Nathan Collins.
Referee Craig Pawson pointed to the spot, VAR checked for a possible red card, and Fernandes faced an incredible five-minute-long wait before striking low to Kelleher’s right. The goalkeeper guessed correctly and saved it.
United’s confidence was drained but the final blow came when Jensen picked up a loose ball on the edge of the area and drove a rising shot past Bayindir to add some gloss to a well-deserved victory.
