The pressure on manager Ruben Amorim intensified on Saturday as Manchester United slumped to an underwhelming 3-1 Premier League defeat at the hands of Brentford. A disastrous opening 20 minutes, defined by catastrophic defending, and a crucial second-half penalty miss from captain Bruno Fernandes condemned United to another significant setback, ensuring the manager is yet to record back-to-back league victories.
The Red Devils were hoping to build on their dramatic win over Chelsea last weekend, but instead found themselves completely overwhelmed by the hosts’ direct approach in the opening stages.
United’s defence implodes in West London
Brentford striker Igor Thiago expertly beat United’s offside trap to open the scoring, with a single long pass completely dissecting Amorim’s back three. While goalkeeper Altay Bayındır made two saves to keep his team in it, he was unable to prevent the Bees from doubling their advantage shortly after. Another direct aerial ball caused chaos in the United rearguard, allowing Kevin Schade to deliver a cross that was palmed by Bayındır directly into the path of Thiago for a simple tap-in.
A glimmer of hope was offered midway through the first half when Benjamin Šeško scored his first goal for the club, rattling the ball home from close range after some poor goalkeeping from Caoimhín Kelleher.
A glimmer of hope and a moment of despair
Despite Šeško’s goal, United continued to look vulnerable. They were handed a golden opportunity to level the match with 15 minutes remaining when Nathan Collins was penalized for a foul on Bryan Mbeumo in the box. However, Bruno Fernandes, who had already missed a penalty at Fulham this season, saw his spot-kick saved by Kelleher.
The missed penalty seemed to suck the belief out of the visitors, and their fate was sealed in stoppage time when Mathias Jensen thundered home Brentford’s third goal. This defeat raises serious questions about Ruben Amorim’s tactical system, as his back three was repeatedly and easily exposed by simple, direct football.
Manchester United player ratings (3-4-2-1)
Ratings provided by FotMob
- GK: Altay Bayındır – 6.1
- CB: Matthijs de Ligt – 6.4
- CB: Harry Maguire – 6.2
- CB: Luke Shaw – 5.9
- RWB: Diogo Dalot – 6.8
- CM: Manuel Ugarte – 6.9
- CM: Bruno Fernandes – 6.5
- LWB: Patrick Dorgu – 7.1
- RF: Bryan Mbeumo – 7.1
- ST: Benjamin Šeško – 8.0
- LF: Matheus Cunha – 6.7