A wild finish to a crazy game saw Mason Mount come off the bench to score his first Manchester United goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time, only for Kristoffer Ajer to equalise for Brentford in the eighth.
Brentford are now a point closer to safety, while United’s chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League look bleak.
United started marginally the better but without threatening, then Brentford took over and missed a succession of chances – most particularly when Ivan Toney eased by Victor Lindelof and drilled a low shot against the inside base of the post.
Whatever Erik ten Hag said to his players at half-time, it didn’t seem to work, because Brentford continued to dominate, hitting the woodwork twice more and spurning various other chances and situations.
And United looked to have punished them for it when Mount, put through by Casemiro, finished expertly into the corner.
But Toney performed one last act of magic, controlling beautifully before skirting around the outside of the United defence to tee-up Ajer for a deserved equaliser.
Talking point – Ten Hag under pressure
It’s very easy to make excuses for Erik ten Hag. The injury-list with which he’s had to deal has been atrocious – losing Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof the day he brings back Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire is a perfect example – and the off-field stuff must’ve been
a major distraction. But United have been consistently poor since winning the Carabao Cup last February, and tonight they produced another tepid display. It’s worth noting that Brentford were excellent, their hard-running, physical style a difficult match-up for United – and what a thing that us to say about a football team – and their midfield five allowed them to dominate territory and possession. But even when the visitors had the ball, they looked devoid of ideas, a poor pass leading to counter.
It will not have been lost on Ten Hag that INEOS are bringing new heads into every department, and it would not be unsual, in a multi-billion pound acquisition, for the the buyer to want their own person running the show. That can still be Ten Hag, but he is at the point where as well as results – a 1-1 draw at Brentford is not a terrible result – he needs the performances that make clear the team is progressing under him. Today’s did not.
Player of the match – Ivan Toney (Brentford)
An absolute menace, he was at the United defenders from the off and didn’t let up until the final whistle. His touch, vision and composure were superb, and though he might’ve scored, his technique and composure in creating the equaliser was excellent.