He was crowned with a goal by Rafael Varane in the 72nd minute, from a corner, 60 seconds before leaving the constituency unhappy for the Glazer family. This was not observed in the numbers that the organizers hoped for: a sure sign of how the product on the field pleased the home fans. United, however, could end up with a new lower tally in the Premier League and, this term, had three coaches and hired a new one, Eric ten Hague. Except for almost a miracle, there will be no qualification to the Champions League and the “rating” round after the match after this last home outing was definitely one of the ones that caused embarrassment to all the players. Rangnik’s troubled midfield game’s 27 started with a squad that made Juan Mata start his first league this year – replacing Marcus Rasford, another sign of how his star fell. Cristiano Ronaldo, of course, has swallowed his reputation after returning to the English game and it was no surprise when he stepped behind Brentford’s rear and lowered a cute cross by Diego Dalot. Now, however, a collectible has arrived: the usually clinical No. 7 passed by David Raya and slipped, leaving visitors to disengage. This came after Thomas Frank’s team almost scored just three seconds after the start, when Bryan Mbeumo ran with a laser-like Christian Eriksen pass, Alex Telles’s challenge saved United from the most difficult start. A side, a corner from the right and one from the left for Brentford, United continue to try to clear. This seemed to bode well for visitors. But then the hosts hit. Dalot is a sure force when he passes in space in front of the right back belt. He found Anthony Elanga and what followed was the type of 100 mph drive that United fans longed for. The winger pulled the zipper forward and pulled the ball back to Raya to hit Fernandes with a volley for the 10th goal of the league season. Bruno Fernandez chases Manchester United in the lead against Brentford. Photo: Ash Donelon / Manchester United / Getty Images Frank instructed his players to be “cool” and proved to be steadfast. Eriksen hit a 20-yard cross that David de Gea needed two attempts to grab, while Rico Henry’s raid scattered United’s flaky defense. An attack had the left extreme back to power the effervescent Eriksen and when he threw the ball to Ivan Toney’s head, a more ruthless finish could have equalized. In the middle of half or three verses of “stand up if you hat the Glazers” was answered by many supporters who stood up, to something that has become a well-known spectacle during the 17 years of American ownership. There was, however, a happier atmosphere around the pitch simply because United were winning and winning like players who had not been maligned. Mata was one of the leaders of this gang, with his clever play, including one or two with Ronaldo, which ended with the Spaniard making a small effort. Ronaldo believed that he had doubled United’s lead after executing Mata’s cross before half time, but his finish was ruled offside after a VAR check. At the break, this was a match of two attractive attacks against two controversial defenses. Further evidence of this came when Eriksen – certainly worth seeing as a free transfer for United this summer – fouled Tony’s United, who should have done better with his volley. The Fiver: sign up and receive our daily football email. Ten Haag’s job should start with the players protecting De Gea, as in the opening kick, the goals against the column showed 52 goals conceded – the worst record of the top nine in the category. This number includes natural goals scored from the midfield. An Eriksen run from this area forced Nemanja Matic to dismiss the villain. Eriksen’s foul attempt was one of those swinging joints, and De Gea had to move smart legs and arms to repel it. But now it’s time for Ronaldo. Dalot’s ball went over him on the right, however he bent Henry aside and threw in the area. The defender’s response was to throw Ronaldo and Christopher Cavanaugh showed the point. The Portuguese broke the penalty for the 18th goal of the league this season and United were sailing. Towards the end, Brentford mocked “where did your protest go?” In a losing campaign for United, that was a compliment: the home side impressed for once.
