Ethan Pinnock was heading in the right direction as Brentford fell to a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United within the Premier League.
The defender’s thumping header put the Bees in entrance throughout the last seconds of the primary half, however United had been the higher facet after the break and hit again by means of Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund.
The guests, unchanged after a 5-3 win over Wolves final day trip however with Yoane Wissa among the many substitutes, created the primary opening at Previous Trafford.
Keane Lewis-Potter and Vitaly Janelt mixed down the left and Jonny Evans bought a toe to the latter’s harmful supply with Kevin Schade lurking contained in the six-yard field.
Kristoffer Ajer’s cross-field move introduced Bryan Mbeumo with a primary alternative to run at Lisandro Martínez. The ahead superior up the touchline, reduce inside and let fly from 20 yards however his shot cleared the crossbar.
On 16 minutes, Pinnock’s lengthy throw was headed away by Casemiro and the ball dropped kindly for Mikkel Damsgaard on the sting of the realm, however his volley lacked conviction and was misplaced within the crowd between the midfielder and Andre Onana’s purpose.
There was a second of panic for the Bees followers halfway by means of the primary half. Christian Eriksen’s nook, delivered to the close to publish, was met by Martínez and Mark Flekken allowed the ball to flee his clutches. Højlund poked in direction of purpose and Flekken dropped down shortly to claw the ball off the road.
The keeper was examined once more moments later, diving to low his proper to push Garnacho’s highly effective drive out for an additional United nook.
On the different finish, captain Christian Nørgaard took Mbeumo’s brief move on the flip and examined Onana with a dipping, long-range effort.
On 34 minutes Eriksen blazed over the bar from shut vary, however the referee had already stopped play for Casemiro’s foul on Nathan Collins.
Quickly after, Casemiro was teed up by Bruno Fernandes on the sting of the field, however his shot was wild and landed within the Stretford Finish.
Garnacho then introduced down Rashford’s very good change and blazed vast from the left of the realm beneath stress from Sepp van den Berg who did simply sufficient to slim the angle.
5 minutes earlier than the break, Højlund pulled vast having been discovered by Garnacho. The pair mixed once more seconds later and Garnacho’s shot from an analogous place, slowed by a slight deflection off van den Berg, was parried by Flekken and cleared to security by Pinnock.
Pinnock then confirmed his high quality on the different finish. His early cross was headed properly vast by Schade, earlier than he gave Brentford the lead within the last seconds of the half.
The centre-back pulled away from marker Diogo Dalot and timed his leap to perfection to satisfy Damsgaard’s in-swinging nook with a thumping header that whizzed past Onana and into the highest nook.
The house followers voiced their discontent as the perimeters disappeared down the tunnel as Matthijs de Ligt had been off the pitch for the set-piece as a result of a head harm, however the defender’s absence ought to take nothing away from one other well-worked routine from the west Londoners.
The hosts got here flying out after the half-time break. Simply seconds after Pinnock had prevented Højlund from pulling the set off from shut vary, Rashford picked out Garnacho with a deep cross and the winger beat Flekken with a managed, first-time end.
United and Garnacho instantly went seeking one other, with the winger’s long-range effort following a burst down the left tipped across the publish by Flekken.
Casemiro and Fernandes had been each denied by Flekken as Erik ten Hag’s facet maintained the stress.
However United weren’t to be denied a second purpose. Eriksen’s piercing move was cleverly flicked on by Fernandes into the trail of Højlund, who superior into the field and lifted the ball over the keeper.
Flekken raced off his line and made a sprawling cease to disclaim Dalot, after the full-back had capitalised on Schade’s slip to latch on to Onana’s lengthy ping.
Casemiro’s speculative shot flashed vast of Flekken’s left publish as United seemed to increase their benefit.
De Ligt’s cross from the fitting broke kindly for Garnacho and the ahead’s first-time effort, once more from distance, was held by Flekken. Collins then made a courageous block to forestall Rashford’s highly effective strike from discovering the goal.
Substitute Yehor Yarmoliuk lashed over the bar after a fast Brentford counter, however the assistant’s flag was raised for a Wissa offside within the build-up.
Fábio Carvalho dragged vast after some pinball within the United field, and Fernandes’s shot was blocked by Flekken at his close to publish, as the sport resulted in defeat for the Bees.
Manchester United: Onana; Dalot, de Ligt, Evans (Lindelof 89), Martínez; Casemiro (Ugarte 88), Eriksen; Garnacho (Mazraoui 90+1), Fernandes, Rashford; Højlund (Zirkzee 74)
Subs not used: Bayindir, Fletcher, Amad, Antony, Wheatley
Brentford: Flekken;van den Berg (Roerslev 86), Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Nørgaard, Janelt (Yarmoliuk 75), Damsgaard; Lewis-Potter (Wissa 65), Schade (Carvalho 74), Mbeumo
Subs not used: Valdimarsson, Mee, Meghoma, Konak, Trevitt
Frank: Not sufficient of our gamers hit a excessive sufficient stage
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank was upset with the Bees’ second-half efficiency at Previous Trafford, admitting he “wanted extra” from his gamers after a stable opening 45 minutes.
“It was a superb first half, I used to be very pleased with that, I believed we had been the higher crew in that interval of the sport in opposition to a superb crew,” he acknowledged.
“We went 1-0 up, but it surely’s so irritating and annoying that they scored after two minutes of the second half – if they do not try this, you do not know what would have occurred. However truthful play to Manchester United.
“I believed that we had been means too passive. However we’re at Previous Trafford, they’ve some high gamers.
“After the primary purpose, I felt like we lacked a bit extra character. If we wish to win right here, we want extra. Sadly, not sufficient of our gamers hit a excessive sufficient stage within the second half.”
Damsgaard: We didn’t preserve the depth within the second half
Mikkel Damsgaard, who assisted Ethan Pinnock’s header in first-half stoppage time, was left pissed off by United’s turnaround after the break.
“It’s disappointing to lose this recreation, and that we didn’t preserve a clear sheet and the depth within the second half,” stated the midfielder.
On the nook that led to the opening purpose of the sport, Damsgaard added: “[Pinnock] is wonderful; in the event you can hit him, you’ll rating. Now we have an enormous deal with being good at set-pieces and we’ve been in a position to rating from them in our final two video games, which is wonderful.”
