It was another whirlwind half of football involving the Red Devils.
Ruben Amorim admitted in the build-up to Manchester United’s trip to Brentford that even he had no idea what kind of performance his side would put in—it’s fair to say the first 45 minutes at the Gtech Community Stadium would not have been what he wanted to see.
The Portuguese manager, who has been in charge for close to 11 months, has overseen a tenure dogged by mistakes and inconsistency, leading him to concede that United fans “don’t know what is going to happen in the next game,”—he followed that up by admitting “to be completely honest, I have an idea, but I don’t know how it’s going to be and I’m the manager of the team.” Amorim’s idea wouldn’t have been to trail 2–0 against Brentford with just 20 minutes on the clock, but that’s exactly what he got as Igor Thiago scored a quick-fire brace to pour even more pressure onto the Red Devils.’s penalty area when Matheus Cunha was dispossessed with a robust challenge. What followed was one of the easiest goals any Premier League side will score this season. Jordan Henderson hoofed the ball and clear over the top, somehow finding Thiago in acres of space in United’s half. He controlled the ball smartly, advanced towards Altay Bayındır’s goal and rocketed a terrific left-footed shot into the back of the net via the post—the Turkish goalkeeper motionless as the ball flew past him. Bayındır’s starting position for the ball over the top will be heavily scrutinised, but so will the defending of Harry Maguire. The only defender in United’s half when the ball was launched forward, he inexplicably allowed Thiago to be onside, with his body shape and weight completely wrong as Henderson pinged over the top. He was left scampering back—Matthijs de Ligt and Luke Shaw nowhere to be seen—but couldn’t do enough to put Thiago off.almost conceded twice more as Bayındır denied two headers from Sepp van den Berg and Nathan Collins—the Brentford central defenders under very little pressure as they rose highest on each occasion. Minutes later, De Ligt was caught out by another long ball, and Thiago combined with Kevin Schade before the German’s pull back was flapped at by Bayındır and the former slotted reacted quicker than Luke Shaw to slide home. Amorim’s expression on the touchline said it all.The 4–0 defeat suffered by Erik ten Hag in August 2022 came flooding back into many people’s minds, with United again looking woefully inept. Luckily, they sprung into life to claw themselves back into the half. Summer signing Benjamin Šeško needed three bites at the cherry to finally blast past Caoimhin Kelleher from close range, but the 22-year-old did eventually rifle into the back of the net to punish what had been some very weak goalkeeping from the Irishman—Bryan Mbeumo’s mere presence enough to make the former Liverpool stopper barely get a glove on Patrick Dorgu’s cross. Cunha had an effort deflected wide as United ended the half in a more positive fashion, yet the tale of the tape after 45 minutes was how the 13-timewinners had shot themselves in the foot once more with lackadaisacal, erratic defending. The goals conceded made it 52 goals conceded from Amorim’s 33 games in charge—far too many for a team who harbours any hope of finishing in the top half of the table let alone anything else.Toby Cudworth is Lead Editor for Sports Illustrated FC. A Premier League, EFL & UEFA accredited journalist, Toby supports West Ham United and still can't believe they won a European trophy.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Harry Kane: Bayern Munich Chief Delivers Surprise Response to Man Utd, Tottenham LinksKane is eyeing up a scoring record shared by Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland.
Read more »
Cole Palmer Injury: Enzo Maresca Reveals Return Timeline After Man Utd SetbackChelsea’s talisman has only started one Premier League game so far this season.
Read more »
Man Utd Predicted Lineup vs. Brentford: Cunha Returns to Form Fab Front ThreeRuben Amorim has a suspension to deal with but injuries are easing up.
Read more »
Amad Diallo Among Four Man Utd Players Ruled Out vs. BrentfordThe Red Devils are looking to build some much-needed momentum.
Read more »
‘I Plan’—Rasmus Hojlund Confirms Intentions Over Man Utd FutureThe Denmark striker was determined to stay at Old Trafford before heading to Napoli.
Read more »
Brentford vs. Man Utd: Preview, Predictions and LineupsRuben Amorim is aiming to oversee back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time.
Read more »