Erik ten Hag sends statement after beating potential Man Utd successor in Thomas Frank
Manchester United had to come from behind to beat Brentford 2-1, with Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund finding the back of the net after Ethan Pinnock gave the Bees the lead
by Simon Mullock · The MirrorSecond-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund ensured Erik ten Hag escaped a proper Old Trafford stitch-up.
The Manchester United boss was furious with referee Sam Barrott for ordering a bloodied Matthijs de Ligt to the sidelines to have a head injury patched-up deep into first-half injury-time - and then seeing Ethan Pinnock power into the near-post gap left behind by the Dutchman to put Brentford ahead.
Assistant boss Ruud van Nistelrooy was booked for protesting - and coach Darren Fletcher had a meltdown in the tunnel as the teams went off at the break. But referee Barrott was right.
A steady stream of blood had been trickling down De Ligt's face from the moment he took the full brunt of Kevin Schade’s knee on the crown of his nut. Maybe physio Jordan Reece should have put a stitch or two into the offending wound to stem the flood.
To the home side’s credit, though, they refused to feel sorry for themselves and came roaring back on the restart. Garnacho equalised with a sizzling far-post volley from Marcus Rashford’s cross just 90 seconds into the second period.
And Hojlund secured a victory that will go some way towards easing the pressure on Ten Hag by lifting a textbook finish over Bees’ keeper Mark Flekken after Bruno Fernandes’ glorious flick had fashioned his escape route. How United needed these three points.
Ten Hag needed a vote of confidence during the international break after seeing his team fail to score in three Premier League games which had included goalless draws at Crystal Palace and Aston Villa either side of a 3-0 home hiding at the hands of Tottenham.
His United bosses did their bit to take the spotlight off the manager by deciding to tell Sir Alex Ferguson that his services as a club ambassador were no longer required and his £2million-a-year wages were being stopped.
Fergie's seat in the posh seats was empty, he was instead inspiring another of his former clubs, Aberdeen, to a stirring comeback against Celtic. But Ten Hag would have recognised the irony that it was Thomas Frank in the opposition technical area. Frank, the Dane who has built a stellar reputation by turning Brentford into an established Premier League club, gets linked with just about every top job going these days.
He will certainly be a contender should time finally run out for Ten Hag this season. The Brentford boss might even have guided the Bees to their first league win at Old Trafford since 1937 had United not had the game’s outstanding performer in the shape of Garnacho.
The visitors had scored inside the opening two minutes of each of their last four Premier League outings. United were unscathed for a little longer - but if Schade had connected with Mikkel Damsgaard’s inviting cross when unmarked six yards from goal then Brentford would have surely been ahead after just 148 seconds.
There was a let-off for the Londoners when Flekken failed to hold Lisandro Martinez’s header and was forced to scoop the ball off the line with Hojlund lurking. But Andre Onana came to United’s rescue at the other end when he saved spectacularly to keep out Christian Norgaard’s swerving drive from 25 yards.
Garnacho, however, was starting to be a real menace. He fired over after Rashford’s raking pass had given him a clear sight of goal, before then having a low shot saved by Flekken. De Ligt was spending as much time off the pitch getting treatment than he was on it - and when he was ordered off for repairs for a third time, Damsgaard’s on-the-money delivery from a corner on the left invited Pinnock to bury a header from close range.
But United channelled their anger into energy on the restart - and when Rashford’s cross from the right was brilliantly despatched past Flekken by Garnacho as he arrived at the far post, the tide had changed.
Fernandes and Casemiro tested Flekken from distance before Hojlund got his reward for an afternoon of toil when Fernades’ instinctive flick released him through the middle to win the game.
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