Super sub Scott McTominay scored twice in injury time to secure a sensational 2-1 comeback win for Manchester United over Brentford.
2023/2024 Premier League
2-1
Match Report
In the 95th minute Erik ten Hag's side were heading for a third defeat in a row at Old Trafford thanks to a first-half error from Andre Onana which had allowed Mathias Jensen to put the visitors in front.
But McTominay transformed the mood in Manchester, first firing in a rebound and then heading in from Harry Maguire's flick-on a minute later to snatch all three points for United.
Brentford's players - on the brink of a first win for their side at this stadium since 1937 - were crushed. They thought the offside flag had saved them when Kristoffer Ajer stuck the ball in his own net on 89 minutes - but there was still time for McTominay magic.
The victory lifts United up to ninth in the Premier League table and able to take a positive feeling into the international break after returning two wins from their previous seven across all competitions.
Brentford are down in 14th, three points above the bottom three and still waiting to add to their solitary win of the season.
How it happened...
For the majority of the game it seemed another Onana error would be United's undoing again. The summer signing is firmly in the spotlight after his recent mistakes allowed Bayern Munich and Galatasaray to score in the Champions League and he was too easily beaten by Jensen here.
He got a touch on the low shot down to his right but it was a weak attempt at a stop. Casemiro, who gave the ball away in midfield earlier in the move, was also at fault.
The problems stretch across the park for Ten Hag right now, though. In front of Onana was an injury-hit defence featuring the unlikely centre-back pairing of 35-year-old Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire, who was making his first Premier League start of the season, with Victor Lindelof a surprise selection at left-back.
The midfield combinations again looked uncertain while a six-game goal drought for subbed-off Marcus Rashford summed up United's problems in the final third as they struggled to trouble Brentford's Premier League debut-making goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha for long periods.
Rashford did at least make Strakosha work with a near-post effort in the first half but with Ethan Pinnock heading away any United cross and Bryan Mbeumo going close as Brentford sought a second, it was the visitors who deservedly led at the break. Out-of-sorts United were booed off.
Casemiro was replaced by Christian Eriksen for the second half, and the former Bees midfielder stung the hands of Strakosha from distance within 10 minutes of the restart. United managed just one more shot on target by the 89th minute, though, with Onana instead being worked late on by Neal Maupay and Christian Norgaard.
When Ajer's own goal was scrubbed off for an offside call against Anthony Martial, it seemed Brentford were nearly there.
The late drama would go United's way, though, with McTominay brilliantly controlling a loose ball from Diogo Dalot's saved shot to convert the equaliser and then coolly heading home moments later to send Old Trafford wild. Wins over Brentford have rarely been celebrated so emphatically by Manchester United but this was an important one.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
10' Yellow Card! Aaron Hickey booked
16' CHANCE! Aaron Hickey's long shot wide out
26' GOAL! Man Utd 0-1 Brentford (Mathias Jensen)
38' CHANCE! Mbeumo's long shot wide out
53' CLOSE! Eriksen's long shot denied
64' CHANCE! Hojlund's shot hits the net
71' NICE TRY! Bruno's long shot stopped
89' OFFSIDE! Martial's goal disallowed
93' GOAL! Man Utd 1-1 Brentford (McTominay)
Line-ups
Man Utd XI: Evans, Casemiro, Lindelof, Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Amrabat, Onana, Mount, Dalot, Rashford, Rasmus Højlund
Subs: Eriksen, Martial, Van de Beek, Altay Bayindir, McTominay, Facundo Pellistri, Hannibal, Antony, Alejandro Garnacho
Brentford XI: Christian Nørgaard, Strakosha, Yoane Wissa, Kristoffer Ajer, Mathias Jensen, Janelt, Ethan Pinnock, Mads Roerslev, Bryan Mbeumo, Aaron Hickey, Nathan Collins
Subs: Jorgensen, S. Ghoddos, Maupay, Ellery Balcombe, Frank Onyeka, Ethan Brierley, Yegor Yarmolyuk, Ji-soo Kim, Michael Olakigbe