Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to key eventsSkip to navigation

Manchester United rode their luck in the first half, but were ruthless in the second to continue their push for the top four

 Updated 
Wed 19 Jan 2022 17.39 ESTFirst published on Wed 19 Jan 2022 14.03 EST
Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford (centre) celebrates scoring their third goal with his team-mates.
Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford (centre) celebrates scoring their third goal with his team-mates. Photograph: Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford (centre) celebrates scoring their third goal with his team-mates. Photograph: Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Live feed

Key events

A sad state of affairs when, in January, we can only get excited about the top-four race and the relegation battle. This is the league table after the two Premier League results tonight.

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Man City 22 41 56
2 Liverpool 21 37 45
3 Chelsea 23 28 44
4 West Ham 22 11 37
5 Tottenham Hotspur 19 4 36
6 Arsenal 20 8 35
7 Man Utd 21 5 35
8 Wolverhampton 20 2 31
9 Brighton 21 0 29
10 Leicester 19 -3 25
11 Crystal Palace 21 -1 24
12 Southampton 21 -8 24
13 Aston Villa 20 -5 23
14 Brentford 22 -11 23
15 Leeds 20 -15 22
16 Everton 19 -10 19
17 Watford 19 -14 14
18 Norwich 21 -35 13
19 Newcastle 20 -23 12
20 Burnley 17 -11 11

An emotional Thomas Frank gives a brilliant interview

We’re the smallest club in the Premier League, I think Manchester United are the biggest. I am unbelievably proud of my team. We destroyed them in the first half. They didn’t have a sniff. We should have been two goals up. They were unbelievably lucky. The most they deserved out of the game was a draw. I know you can say that you need to take your chances, and all that crap, but we smashed them.

He is a compelling manager. It’s hard not to love him.

Share
Updated at 

Rangnick speaks!

We had to change a few things. The first half we were not good in almost all situations. We gave away almost every second ball. In the second half, we were more urgent. Elanga followed up on the performance at Villa Park: a lot of work against the ball and gets the first goal.

There is also a strange moment in the interview. Rangnick makes a couple of gaffes. He refers to Sweden’s Elanga as an English goalscorer. He also appears to forget either who Bruno Fernandes is, or that is was Bruno Fernandes who set up the final two goals. An awkward pause ensues. Rangnick asks BT Sport’s Des Kelly if he can do the question again, before Kelly explains that the interview is live. Rangnick turns a Manchester United shade of scarlet. He eventually remembers Bruno.

Anthony Elanga, who scored United’s first goal of the evening and his first Premier League goal, speaks to the cameras.

The touch sets it up. I work for these moments. I appreciate the boss so much. You can see in training, how much we’re running. We needed this win. It’s a big step forward.

I would say that United were completely outrun and outplayed in the first half. But the teenager took his goal wonderfully, an instinctive finish. He had a mixed evening but the goal – and a run from the left wing where he ghosted past Roerslev as though he wasn’t there – were evidence of the Swede’s immense talent.

Share
Updated at 

Full-time: Brentford 1-3 Manchester United

United were battered in the first half and ruthless in the second. A funny game, this.

90+2 min: Brentford throw men forward and United hit them on the counter attack. Fred has the freedom of west London to pick his pass to Fernandes, but the Portuguese tries to dink his finish. Lossl simply stands up and catches the ball in his midriff.

89 min: Brentford relying on set-pieces, Pinnock only manages a tame header from a corner, and a minute later, Matic is there to clear a dangerous free kick on the edge.

87 min: Should mention that just before the goal, McTominay went down in pain, and had to be replaced by Matic. I daresay at 6ft4in, the Scot would have been useful in defending that long throw. Alas.

Turns out bringing Harry Maguire had absolutely no effect on United’s ability to defend those long Brentford throws. Sorensen hurls one into the near post, the ball pinballs around the six-yard box and Toney is there to toe-poke a finish home! Just the inkling of a chance here for Brentford to get back into this game. 3-1!

Brentford’s Ivan Toney fires home to pull a goal back. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters
Share
Updated at 

79 min: The camera pans to Rangnick, who is having a quiet word with the previously disgruntled Ronaldo, on the United bench. Words to the effect of ‘back in your box, son’ are relayed to the Portuguese.

3-0! McTominay bursts forward through a pile of bodies in midfield, and suddenly Brentford – with their wing backs high – are exposed. Fernandes draws Jansson out and feeds Rashford to his right with a nice pass, and the England star strides onto the ball with confidence, passing the ball into the top corner at the near post. Brilliant finish. Eeesh. 3-0!

Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford fires hom the visitors’ third goal. Photograph: Ian Walton/Reuters
Share
Updated at 

75 min: Another chance for Brentford! This time it’s Roerslev at the back post, who finds enough space to take a touch, but completely spoons his finish over the bar. He scored a similar chance against Aston Villa earlier this month, but got that one all wrong!

74 min: Chance for Toney, the first sniff he’s had all evening! Baptiste gets to the byline on the left and cuts the ball back to Toney but a wonderful block from Varane sees off the danger. Great defending.

72 min: Looks like United have moved to a back three: Varane-Maguire-Lindelof flanked by Telles and Dalot. Entirely sensible substitutions to protect this 2-0 lead, especially with Brentford’s long throws and crosses towards Toney, but Ronaldo is still gesticulating with somebody on the sidelines. “Why me?” he mouths, with a face of thunder. It’s all about him.

Harumph. Photograph: Ian Walton/Reuters
Share
Updated at 

70 min: More changes, from both sides. Brentford make their final sub of the evening: Wissa for Jensen. Manchester United swap Mason Greenwood and Cristiano Ronaldo for Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire. Ronaldo does not look best pleased.

67 min: A minute’s applause for Peter Hayward, a lifelong Brentford fan who has died at the age of 67. Hayward was beloved in this corner of London, not least for walking to Hartlepool in 2004 to raise money for the supporters’ trust, when the club were struggling for survival back then. RIP.

66 min: Brentford make a double change as they attempt to salvage something from the game. Henry and Baptiste on for Canos and Janelt. There’s still time in this game. United blew a 2-0 lead at Villa Park on Saturday, remember.

2-0! Oh, how Brentford will rue those missed chances from the first half. Manchester United make no such mistake here. Ronaldo, so quiet tonight, is the architect: a wonderful lay-off with his chest releasing Fernandes, who goes clean through on goal. Fernandes has time to consider his options but rather than shoot, lays the ball square to Greenwood, who runs from deep to tap the ball into an empty net. 2-0!

Mason Greenwood of Manchester United scores their second goal. Photograph: Matthew Peters/Manchester United/Getty Images
Greenwood celebrates with fellow goalscorer Anthony Elanga after doubling the visitors’ lead. Photograph: John Patrick Fletcher/Action Plus/Shutterstock
Share
Updated at 

59 min: Should mention that Jensen, complete with Beckham-esque curtains, did try to shoot from the half-way line just before the goal. De Gea got back comfortably.

57 min: More United pressure, as McTominay tries his luck from range. It’s on target, the ball bouncing greasily off the surface and Lossl does well to shovel the ball behind for a corner.

1-0! Fred, who has been Manchester United’s best player since the arrival of Rangnick, picks a beautiful pass over Brentford’s defence. Elanga, just as he did in the first half, times his run wonderfully, and this time the pass is right. Elanga controls a difficult bouncing ball and heads the ball past Lossl into the corner with his second touch! A brilliant finish! 1-0!

Manchester United’s Anthony Elanga heads home past Brentford’s keeper Jonas Lossl to give the visitors the lead. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA
Here’s a view of the header from the other side of the pitch. Photograph: Dave Shopland/Shutterstock
Elanga celebrates his goal. Photograph: Ian Walton/Reuters
Share
Updated at 

53 min: An email from Thomas Jaggers: “Agreed that De Gea does not make the list of most important Man Utd players ever, but I would give him the accolade of second-best goalie ever - at least as far as my memory goes (which is as far back as Gary Bailey). It’s unfortunate for De Gea that for the majority of his time there he has played in a period when the rest of the squad has not been up to his standard/the club has been run and managed so poorly.”

48 min: Brentford hit United on the break! It’s two on one at the back, Mbeumo feeding the onrushing Jensen. But Varane shows great pace to close the angle and force the Dane into an early shot, which is straight at De Gea.

47 min: Strong start by United, and Ronaldo sends a header looping onto the top of the bar. Lossl completely deceived by Fernandes’ flight. That’s the closest that United have come. They look a little more animated.

Peeeeeep! Here we go again. Brentford covered four and a half kilometres more than Manchester United in that first half. The way that Brentford track back is a thing of beauty. It is not unusual to see Mbeumo getting a toe in, filling in at wing back.

In tonight’s other Premier League game, it’s Leicester 1-1 Tottenham, with Harry Kane equalising for the visitors.

250 - @HKane has scored his 250th goal in club competitions, 10 years and 362 days since he scored his first for Leyton Orient. His latest was his 18th against Leicester and his 15th past Kasper Schmeichel at club level, both personal highs for opponents and goalkeepers. Mammoth. pic.twitter.com/uEVEfymkeS

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 19, 2022

45 min: A slow end to this half, as Brentford give Rangnick a lesson in gegenpressing. Two minutes added on here.

Most viewed

Most viewed