Last night we saw Manchester United travel down to the Brentford Community Stadium and walk away with the all important three points. After a pretty dismal first half performance from the Red Devils, second-half goals from Elanga, Greenwood and Rashford inspired the win. Here are five things that we learnt.
David de Gea
Once again David de Gea put in a vital performance. I think it’s fair to say he has been, if not our best, but United’s most consistent player this season. It feels like we have the David de Gea of old back. The one who keeps us in games and gives us that fighting chance. And last night was no different. In the first half, Brentford looked like the better team. And it was only because of de Gea that we went into halftime with a clean sheet. He pulled off some big saves and kept United alive. I thought he was unlucky to not walk away from the match with a clean sheet. I don’t think he can take much responsibility for the Brentford goal. Hopefully, he can continue this good run of form and stick being back to his best.
2nd Half Spark
Manchester United came out after halftime looking much better than in the first half. Granted the bar was pretty low with a dismal first half performance. But the players came out looking so much better in the second half. Whatever Rangnick said to them or whatever tactical tweak he made at halftime worked an absolute treat. All of the players came out with a new lease of life. There was a big step up in energy levels and commitment. We were stringing nice passages of play together, trying to work chances through. Whereas in the first half it felt like we were rushing everything and that’s why nothing came off.
That second half performance is something to build on. Hopefully we can kick on from that and continue to control games for the full 90 minutes. Rather than what we have seen so far. Where we play well for 30 minutes or one half and then look abysmal for the rest of the match.
Attacking options
I thought that in the second half all of our attacking players played really well. It felt like we had genuine options and goal threats in multiple positions rather than just relying on Ronaldo or Bruno for example. It was great to see Anthony Elanga get a goal. I thought he was one of the bright sparks in the first half and has been putting in really solid performances lately. It was excellent for him to get that goal last night and the composure he showed for the finish was fantastic.
Bruno put in another effective performance last night. With 4 key passes and 2 of those being assists, Bruno Fernandes is continuing to put up the numbers we know he can do. Greenwood getting a goal will give him a boost and hopefully we can see him playing his best football again. And the same can be said for Rashford coming off the bench and getting his goal. I think it’s also worth mentioning that all three of United’s goal scorers were academy products. There’s not too much to say on that. But it’s nice to be reminded of what Manchester United stand for. Especially when the atmosphere around the club has been so sour.
McTominay Solid
Scott McTominay put in another man of the match performance last night. We all know the limitations that Scott has in terms of what he is capable of on the ball. But when a game is going to be scrappy and physical like that he was just United to needed to get that foothold in and take control of the game. I think he had a really solid performance last night and the numbers back that up. He made 2 tackles, 2 interceptions and 4 clearances. As well as that, he had a pass accuracy of 89.4% which was the highest in the team. And on top that he was progressing the ball up the pitch effectively, with 6 successful dribbles and 2 accurate long-balls. Overall, Scott McTominay put in a solid performance and a worthy man of the match.
Work to be done
By no stretch of the imagination was that perfect from United last night. Even in the second half where we looked a lot better there were still issues defensively and that’s when we conceded a goal. On that front, the way we conceded that goal was shambolic. No to be too negative about a win, but this is something that needs addressing. Conceding like that from a long throw-in shouldn’t be happening. All the players just panicked when the ball started bouncing around the box. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence that we saw this after Maguire came on. But either way it’s unacceptable.
In the first half it was just basics. There was no energy. Everyone looked flat. We were being outrun in the midfield. Going into halftime Brentford had run 4.5km more than United, that says it all really. United were beaten to every second ball. Brentford wanted it more in that first half. And whilst we weathered the storm in those 45 minutes against Brentford. United approach a run of games in which we take on teams, no disrespect, of a much higher quality than Brentford. If we play anything like we did in the first half last night we stand no chance against the likes of Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City.