Man Utd 1 Brentford 0: Rashford seals first Premier League win since February as United keep up Champions League push
ERIK TEN HAG called on his players to start performing with the consistency of robots.
Their recent form in the league has seen them get their wires crossed.
But the Red Devils’ bid for a top-four place sparked back into life last night thanks to the electric Marcus Rashford.
It was his 28th goal of the season in the 28th minute that lit up Old Trafford.
It brought a victory that moved them back above Tottenham into those Champions League places.
It wasn’t totally convincing, but against a team that humiliated them 4-0 back in August, it was enough.
With just three wins from their previous nine league games and no goals in the last three, questions were starting to be asked of this Ten Hag team.
The progress in the cups – which has seen them win the Carabao and reach the semis of the FA Cup and quarters of the Europa League – have masked a dip in form in the race for the top four.
Defeat at Newcastle on Sunday saw them drop out of those Champions League positions with what the boss called an “unacceptable” performance at St James’ Park.
The Magpies had responded to their Carabao Cup final defeat while the suggestion from ex-United ace Rio Ferdinand has been that his old club had relaxed after winning its first silverware in six years.
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Ten Hag denied this but needed a reaction from last Sunday and it was clear from the first whistle that the players wanted to provide one.
The Red Devils spent most of the first period camped in Brentford’s half.
It wasn’t just the midfield and forwards providing a threat either with Luke Shaw and Raphael Varane having early runs at the Brentford back four.
The United boss had made only one change from Sunday and a much-needed one at that with Wout Weghorst finally dropped.
He was benched after 19 straight starts that have brought two goals, none in the league.
Sunday was the final straw even for Ten Hag who has constantly defended him despite the overwhelming evidence for the prosecution.
However, this season ends this club needs a proper No9 once again if it wants to make the next steps.
Weghorst isn’t, Anthony Martial is always injured and Rashford, for all his goalscoring exploits this season, is best coming in off the left.
Still it was he who added to his career-best goals tally for a season from a central position.
That made him the joint best goalscorer in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2016-17 and Bruno Fernandes in 2020-21 who both also got 28.
There are likely to be plenty more to come before this season is up too.
The deadlock was broken when a cleared corner was chipped back into the area by Antony.
On-loan Marcel Sabitzer rose highest to nod the ball back across goal for Rashford to meet on the half-volley and fire into the roof of the net.
As ever he celebrated by pointing to his temple.
It’s all about mentality he claims and his is spot on.
It was about time for United as well as this was their first goal in league football in 327 minutes.
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Still, this is a very different team to the one that Brentford hammered in the second game of the season, despite recent hiccups.
The question now was whether they themselves could now hammer home the advantage they had gained against Thomas Frank’s side.
It was nearly handed straight back at the start of the second half.
Newcastle had targeted David De Gea’s extremely limited ability to play the ball out from the back last weekend.
Brentford were clearly alert to it as well when Lisandro Martinez played a short goal-kick to his goalkeeper.
The Spaniard’s attempted clearance was immediately charged down by Ivan Toney who gambled on the goalkeeper making a mistake.
The ball rebounded back off the Brentford forward and went just wide of De Gea’s goal.
It was a moment that seemed to spur on the visitors.
The underrated Scott McTominay was putting another shift in tracking back and twice intervened when the Bees began to buzz around the United box.
Then when a De Gea clearance was immediately intercepted Toney put sub Kevin Schade through one-on-one.
What De Gea lacks in his distribution skills he more than makes up for in his instinctive stops.
Although on this occasion when he came out and spread his body it was his groin that stopped the ball much to his discomfort and resulting in a break in play.
United should have had a second with ten minutes remaining when Rashford teed up substitute Fred but he fired over.
This team creates chances, it just doesn’t have enough players who can put them away.
That will be addressed in the summer – because United have not won a league game without Rashford scoring since the 2-1 victory at Fulham on November 13.
For now it remains down to Rashford’s rediscovered goalscoring instincts to keep the season on the right course.