32 minutes: Opportunity for Mata! The Spaniard is combined with Ronaldo, who moves smartly on Mata’s path, but the 34-year-old can only shoot out when he shakes his weakest right foot. 30 minutes: Mata had, quietly, a very neat presence in the center of the midfield. Manchester United’s Juan Mata (right) avoids a challenge from Brentford’s Christopher Ayer. Photo: Martin Rickett / PA Updated at 20.39 BST 28 minutes: In scenes that will probably leave Ten Haag excited, Ronaldo loses the ball but then chases it back and removes it for a place by Brentford. The man can really do it all. 25 minutes: Mata, Elanga and Ronaldo exchange sparkling passes with a touch on the edge of Brentford’s hearth, before Ronaldo takes a turn inside it, seeking a penalty under Roerslev’s attention. It was not given, and the repetitions show that it is a rather majestic dive by the Portuguese. Charlie Adam-esque. Brentford’s Mads Roerslev watches Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post. Photo: Phil Noble / Reuters Updated at 20.31 BST 23 minutes: United counterattack quickly, with Ronaldo leaving Elanga. An excellent tackle from Sorensen to Elanga is mistakenly punished by Chris Cavanaugh, with Ronaldo sending the next foul directly to Raya at Brentford’s home. 21 min: Brentford approaches. Eriksen hits another great cross on the mixer and Tony looks right over the bar. Lindelof seems a little unsure what to do with the English striker. 17 mins: Brentford are lucky not to have received a dangerous foul right on the edge of their own area as Elanga steals to attack the clash between Sorensen and Henry. 15 minutes: Henry sends a great cross to the big area, but he hits it very well and even Tony is caught with a flat foot. Inaccurate. The rods can only be attached to the left legs (or, of course, carried by hand). 12 minutes: Eriksen hits one of the 25 yards directly to De Gea, who has to hit it to get the sting out of the shot. He has it in the closet. 11 minutes: This is a Manchester United team with a tragic lack of rhythm. Elanga is the only player in the starting line-up who could have reached this ball before scoring and it was an instinctive cross.
TARGET! Manchester United 1-0 Brentford (Fernandes 10)
Dalot plays another great ball over the top, Elanga runs over the ball, cutting the ball back into the box of six yards from the line, and Bruno Fernandes is there to volley in the goal! A great little goal. This is 10 for the season for Bruno. Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (second from right) congratulates his teammates after the opening of the score. Photo: Jon Super / AP Updated at 20.23 BST 8 minutes: Screams for a penalty! Cross from the left by Teles towards Elanga and Sorensen expels the Swede from the ball. It is not given. 5 minutes: Eriksen wants to do it. He floats around the field as if he had a stick in his hand. 3 minutes: Next, it is Dalot who sends an outrageously good pass over the top, to his compatriot Ronaldo. Ronnie gets it great on his chest, but just as he is about to shoot, he loses his legs on the glittering Old Trafford court! Ronaldo can not get exactly in touch for the shot as he falls – it’s a little left for Brentford. There has been a lot of rain in Manchester in the last hour and that saved them there. 1 minute: Πιεεεεεεπ! Start of Brentford and it takes five seconds for Eriksen to make a great pass to Mbeumo, who looks clean at the end! However, the bounce deceives him and Teles comes in again to clear the danger. Good alarm clocks! The teams are out. Manchester United with red shirts, white shorts and black socks. Brentford is wearing her yellow away jersey. A banner against Glazer is seen on the stands as the players go out on the field. Photo: Phil Noble / Reuters Updated on 20.09 BST “Am I the only one who finds the comparative reactions of the club’s fans surprising for the current difficulties of their team?” asks Eric Peterson. “On the one hand, the protests of a deeply dissatisfied base of Manchester United fans. On the other hand, the Everton fans who yesterday could not clarify more to their team how they have their backs, both during the trip to the stadium and throughout the match. “I’m proud to be Toffee today in so many ways.” It is true that the atmosphere at Goodison, inside and out, was purely electric. Fans shouted Frank Lampard’s name as he left the team bus. Despite their poor form and defeat in the derby, Everton fans seemed to realize exactly what their team needed and made it very difficult for Chelsea in the process during the match – as well as fireworks outside the Chelsea hotel last night. However, I’m not sure how comparable the situation is to Manchester United. The protests tonight at Old Trafford tonight are against the club’s ownership, not the team’s poor form. Although that does not help, of course.
Thomas Frank is talking!
Obviously the story of Manchester United and Old Trafford is huge. It is an emblematic place. We are in excellent shape, not only in results but also in performance. We want to be aggressive, brave, cool. Because this tweet has “Manchester United”, I put on your shoes tonight this shocking image of Eusebio buying an Otis Redding vinyl. Eusébio in a record store in view of the European Cup final between Benfica and Manchester United. Harlow, Essex 1968 pic.twitter.com/4LRO9fFmTp – Record Lovers (@recordlovers) May 2, 2022 “For a club with a relatively unknown continental coach and a team of many craftsmen, today’s lucky underdogs should be happy with finishing in the middle of the table,” he emailed Justin Kavanagh. “They have taken the strange scalp against the top five opponents and kept their fans in the suburbs of London clicking on the turnstiles. “Congratulations on another successful season under the Glazers for Manchester United.” This may not be the best idea on the part of the club, especially as it will bring to light many supporters who are not on the pitch. A further protest against the Glazers is expected to take place, this time with fans called to leave their seats in the 73rd minute of the match – 17 minutes from the end to mark the 17th anniversary of the Americans taking over. club. Mata starts his first championship of the season. You have to feel Rasford and Lingard. Fred also makes the bench, he has lost the last four games. It looks like Brentford will start 5-3-2, with Christian Eriksen in the engine room. The Bees are undefeated in all six games they have started.
The teams!
Manchester United: De Gea, Dalot, Lideloff, Varane, Alex Telles, McTominey, Matic, Elanga, Bruno Fernandes, Mata, Ronaldo. Under: Bailey, Jones, Rasford, Lingard, Fred, Cavani, Henderson, Fernandez, Garnazzo. Brentford: Raja, Ager, Roerslev, Jansson, Sorensen, Henry, Janelt, Norgard, Eriksen, Boomo, Tony. Second: Jensen, Dasilva, Visa, Zanvier, Fosu, Baptiste, Stevens, Fernandez, Yang-Kumbs. Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire)
Preamble
I went for lunch today with a friend from Manchester United. I told him I was doing this MBM and assumed he would watch the game as well. It does not go out: it is Monday, for goodness sake, at the end of a banking holiday weekend. I knew his girlfriend was out of the country, so he has the house and the TV for himself tonight. This is a textbook opportunity for an evening of good old-fashioned Manchester United home fun. So will he watch? “Probably not.” Of course, the enthusiasm of a fan to watch a particular football match should not cause mass protests or panic. After all, he’s a bit of a fan of good weather from south London having to get up early in the morning. And fear not, there will be a sell-out at Old Trafford and millions will read this MBM watching the game around the world, all adorned with their official merchandise. The funds will be fine for now. But apathy, rather than crushing frustration or even online anger, is perhaps the worst emotion in football, or at least the one that causes men the most fear of money. After years of lagging behind, do people get a little bored of Manchester United? This game is not completely irrelevant. For United, there is still a qualification in the Europa League to think about, important only because avoiding slipping into seventh place and the Europa Conference League should be avoided at all costs. There are many on the United team who play for their future. Rest assured that ETH will be watching from a couch in Amsterdam. Manchester United remain a day away from home for relegation to the Premier League and most Brentford fans will have their chances tonight on their first visit to Old Trafford in 46 years and their first visit since 1946. Thomas Frank and his partner have reached the magical 40-point, although survival is not yet mathematically secure. Another one or three points would not hurt. Brentford scared United in the reverse phase and really should have gone well at halftime with a few goals well, before United showed a rare ruthless streak in the second half to take the game 3-1. A similar competitive game would do very well tonight. Start: 8 p.m. BST.
