Match report: Man Utd 2 Brentford 1

FIRST HALF - END-TO-END ACTION

United carved out the first opportunity of the game, within two minutes, after a sensational run from Kobbie Mainoo which saw him beat two men and sit down Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher before laying it on a plate for Amad, but his right-footed effort was brilliantly blocked.

There’s no doubt that it would have gone down as one of the all-time Premier League assists, if it weren’t for the last-ditch defending of Sepp van den Berg.

It was an electric opening from the Reds, earning three corners in as many minutes, but Brentford also showed off their counter-attacking threat with the pace of Kevin Schade, whose burst forward led to Luke Shaw picking up an early yellow card, after he brought the run to an abrupt end.

Kelleher was forced into the first save of the game as United’s strong start continued, with Harry Maguire’s bullet header barely kept out by the Republic of Ireland international, with the whole of the ball not over the line.

Another sensational pass from Fernandes sent Bryan Mbeumo through on goal against his former side, but Nathan Collins got back well to block his cross and send it behind for a corner.

And it was from that set-piece that United got the goal that the sensational start had deserved, as Fernandes’s flighted ball was headed back across by Maguire, and Casemiro was in the perfect place to nod United in front for his ninth Premier League goal of the season.

Brentford were almost level minutes later when Dango Ouattara’s through ball found Keane Lewis-Potter in acres of space, but the dangerous Igor Thiago couldn’t make any contact with his centre.

And the Bees continued to threaten, with Michael Kayode found in the area by Mikkel Damsgaard, but the right-back’s effort was well saved by Senne Lammens in the United goal. The Belgium keeper was tested again just before the 20 minute mark, but Lewis-Potter’s curled effort from just inside the box proved to be a comfortable catch.

Both sides continued to trade blows until Brentford put together a fine move which split United’s defence, but Thiago inexplicably refused to shoot when played in on goal by Ouattara, with a combination of Ayden Heaven and Lammens eventually nullifying the danger.

And less than a minute later, the Brazilian was in the same situation but once again struggled to get his shot away, with Heaven getting back to make a superb last-ditch tackle and Lammens diving to paw it away.

Brentford looked threatening in attack in their quest for European football, and Lammens was on hand to tip a wicked delivery from Damsgaard over the bar after it had been deflected goalwards off Heaven's arm.

The Reds were close to making it 2-0 just before half-time but Amad was rightly ruled offside from Fernandes’s through ball, although the Ivorian’s impressive finish wasn’t to be sniffed at.

But then we did find our second through Sesko, who showed great composure to turn Collins and smash past Kelleher, reaching double digits in the Premier League in the process.

However, much credit must go to Amad, whose superb tackle not only denied Brentford a dangerous attack but also proved to be the perfect pass to Fernandes, who was always going to pick the perfect option as he moved one closer to the Premier League assist seasonal record, thanks to a 19th of the campaign.

That wasn’t to be the last action of an end-to-end half however, as Jensen whipped a wonderful effort just wide of Lammens’ post, but United were able to hold on to our two goal cushion at the break.

SECOND HALF - REDS HOLD ON

After a half-time substitution, which saw Noussair Mazraoui replace Amad, with Diogo Dalot pushing up on the right, some might have been forgiven for thinking that the Reds were happy to sit on the lead.

However, Maguire was causing all sorts of problems for the Bees from corners, and Kelleher had to remain sharp when he was called into action by the 33-year-old’s header early in the second half. But Brentford had chances of their own, with Ouattara firing narrowly wide after the ball broke to him in the box, while Lammens did well to cut out another Lewis-Potter cross as the former Hull City man continued to pick up intelligent pockets of space.

Maguire was certainly having his say and the centre-back almost added another assist to his name with a Bruno-esque ball over the top to Mbeumo, but the speedy winger couldn’t collect the ball and it carried through to Kelleher.

A rare slip-up from Maguire did almost let the visitors in when Thiago robbed him of the ball in United’s box, but his centre-back partner Heaven was on hand with a big block to deny Ouattara’s shot at goal. Brave defending was a theme of the night for United, with Maguire superb on his return to the side, and he put his body on the line to deny Ouattara’s acrobatic effort, moments after the winger had headed against a post from a corner.

It was United’s turn to threaten again shortly afterwards, as neat interplay on the edge of the box led to Fernandes laying the ball off for Casemiro, whose long-range pile-driver whistled just wide of Kelleher’s post.

With 87 minutes on the clock, Brentford hit back with a stunner to make the home crowd a little more nervous. The Denmark midfielder was left in space on the edge of the box and after shifting it past Sesko, he fired a superb strike past Lammens, the ball kissing the upright on its way in.

Brentford were reinvigorated and piled forward in search of a late equaliser, with Damsgaard heading straight into Lammens’s hands after a cross from the ever-threatening Ouattara. But Carrick’s side weathered the storm, with a fired-up Casemiro to the fore, to hold on for all three points, which solidifies the Reds’ spot in third place in the Premier League table, ahead of this weekend’s all-important clash against Liverpool.

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