Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature 33 min: Eriksen dribbles down the right but his cross is easily saved. Lots of boos, but no one is particularly turned on by it. The home crowd has other things to shout about. “Christian, what’s the score?” they rattle. 32 mins: Martinez is so easily beaten by Mi there. A penny for Ronaldo’s thoughts. You can be sure he’ll have a few things to say at halftime.
TARGET! Brentford 3-0 Manchester United (May 31)
This is a fiasco from United, great from Brentford. Corner hit wide on the right. Toney heads the ball across the left. At the right post, Mee bends but still beats Martinez and heads home from a yard out. All the color has drained from Erik ten Hag’s face. 30 min: Long free kick. Maguire wrestles Jansson to the floor. Hickey wins a corner on the right. From this too… 29 mins: Jensen wins the free-kick towards a team at the far stick. De Gea hits clear. Dasilva takes the ball and wins a free kick on the left side. Another chance for Brentford to fill the United box. 28 min: Hickey dribbles down the right and is brought down by Fernandes, near the right corner of the United goal. Brentford loaded it. 27′: The match restarts with a goal for United. Will they try to play again? No. De Gea launches it. Ten Haag looks confused and no one is very happy. 25 minutes: … and that’s drinks. Thomas Frank comes off the tactical board. Erik ten Hag, by contrast, stands still, hands on hips, briefly gazing at an imaginary object 1,000 yards away. He finally snaps out of it and addresses his rattling team. 24 mins: United get a little bit, to very little effect. Rashford competes for a ball that comes in from the right. Hickey calmly chases it down for a run. “Who would have thought that re-appointing Maguire as captain and building a defense around him and then asking De Gea to play using his feet would lead to chaos?” asks Adam Roberts, why should anyone. 22 min: The Brentford fans are enjoying it. “They fire you in the morning,” they sing. On the touchline, Erik ten Hag has the grace to look very worried. 20 mins: Ronaldo tries to make something happen at the other end. He drifts in from the right and attempts the spectacular. His effort always misses high and wide left. Ronaldo can be furious. his teammates look shocked. 19 mins: BREAKING NEWS: Ronaldo is sulking. It’s breaking news, but not surprising.
TARGET! Brentford 2-0 Manchester United (Jensen 18)
From the goal, Martinez and De Gea try to get out from the back. Eriksen is immediately stripped of possession on the edge of the box by Jensen, who adjusts before sweeping a shot down the left. United are a mess. Bradford’s Matias Jensen (left) doubles the home side’s lead. Photo: Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images Updated at 17.54 BST 17 min: Jensen takes the free kick over the bar. But it doesn’t matter because… 16 mins: Eriksen takes the ball out and Toney comes out with the ball, straight down the middle. On the edge of the D, Maguire comes from behind and clears him. Free-kick, but only a yellow, because luckily for the United captain, Martinez had again reacted well and was close. 15 mins: Brentford are giving the ball away with confidence. They slide wide to the right for Dasilva, whose low, piercing cross almost finds Toney on the penalty spot. Martinez reacts well to clear, with Toni preparing to sweep a shot towards goal. 13 min: That was a terrible mistake from De Gea. A penny for the thoughts of a certain Nottingham goalkeeper. Meanwhile, Ronaldo claims a foul in the build-up but Jensen looked to have effectively stripped him of possession. 11 min: United looked to respond immediately, but Fernandes curled a long-range effort over the bar.
TARGET! Brentford 1-0 Manchester United (Da Silva 10)
Brentford swarm United after the goal. Ronaldo loses possession, then Da Silva, coming down the inside-right channel, curls a speculative effort into the bottom right from 20 yards. It should be an easy challenge for De Gea, but the keeper lets the ball roll out of his hands and into the corner. Oh, what a mistake. Bradford’s Josh DaSilva scores his first goal. Photo: David Klein/Reuters And he looks almost embarrassed to be celebrating. Photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images Updated at 17.53 BST 9 min: Foul to Brentford on the right. Sure they will incorporate it… but Jensen and Norgaard are overdoing it. A complex move in the training ground breaks down and the ball rolls apologetically for a goal kick. 8 mins: Hickey and Shaw compete for a loose ball. Shaw is a nanosecond later on the scene. For a second, it looks like the referee will wave the yellow, but it wasn’t much, and a discussion will suffice. 6 min: Bumo takes the corner from the right. It’s only half, allowing Henry to take a shot from long range. The ball goes miles over the bar. Early signs, however, that United’s below average defense will be regularly tested under some high balls. 5 mins: Seaming for Brentford deep into United’s box from the right. Jensen throws it in. A little pinball. United’s defense is panicking. Eriksen takes charge and goes for a corner. 4 mins: United are seeing more of the ball in these early exchanges. Fernandes feeds Ronaldo from the inside right. Ronaldo takes a shot from distance. It’s an easy gathering for Raya. 2 mins: After a flurry of ping-pong, United put their first move of the afternoon together. Rashford turns into space and feeds Ronaldo through the middle. Ronaldo moves into Mee’s general area, and wants a free-kick just outside the box, but doesn’t get it. United get the ball rolling. A fantastic atmosphere in a storming Gtech community stadium. Brentford fans have a good voice. Photo: Mark Leech/Offside/Getty Images Updated at 17.38 BST The teams are out! Brentford are buzzing in their red and white stripes, while United’s designers show plenty of devilment by sending out their men in neon lime. We’ll be gone in a few minutes of sweat! Pre-match reading. Erik ten Haag talks to Sky. “We have problems with numbers in attack but Ronaldo has had two weeks in training and is always a threat to score. The second half last week, when he came on, he made the difference, so I expect that today. In the second half we played very well. We have to react.” Sky presenter Kelly Cates asks Brentford boss Thomas Frank how the “exceptional” heat will affect the match. His prediction: “Both teams will try to play with as much intensity as possible but I have no doubt there will be spells when both teams try to rest a bit before they are ready to go again.” Michael Fish presents the BBC weather forecast, when we had normal heatwaves. Photo: BBC/PA Updated 17.11 BST Pessimism before the match. “Is he playing Fred?” overwhelms John Reed. “It must be a misprint. I scored Fred 1/10 last week and that was generous.’ David Wall meanwhile is playing a long game. “People at United are saying that the Haag ten must, and will, be given time. But let’s assume they lose here. They will obviously lose at home to Liverpool, and then Leicester and Southampton are places that have struggled to beat in recent years. Then it would be a rejuvenated Arsenal starting to look like a dangerous and resilient team again. Will that patience remain if they go a few months without a win? And should I?’ One way or another, we might be back to reevaluate these chat games full-time. Brentford make two changes to the line-up named for the opening day draw at Leicester. Mads Roerslev and Josh Dasilva replace Yoane Wissa and Vitaly Janelt, who both drop to the bench. Just one change for Manchester United from Erik ten Haag’s competitive first choice last week against Brighton. Cristiano Ronaldo replaces Scott McTominay, who takes a place on the bench. Christian Eriksen faces his old team. Updated at 16.39 BST
The groups
Brentford: Raya, Hickey, Jansson, Mee, Henry, Roerslef, Norgaard, Jensen, Bumo, Toni, Dasilva Mandatory: Visa, Godos, Onieka, Strakosa, Lewis Potter, Damsgaard, Baptiste, Janelt, Sorensen. Manchester United: De Gea, Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw, Eriksen, Fred, Fernandes, Sancho, Ronaldo, Rashford. Referee: Stuart Atwell.
Preamble
Manchester United may not be very good at the moment, but they are forever cash. Last weekend’s dismal display at home to Brighton increased the pressure on Erik ten Hag after a game in charge – I know, I know, but that’s life in 2022 – and a second successive defeat while almost unthinkable at the beginning of The alleged honeymoon period of the new manager, is not at all improbable. Instead, Brentford kicked off their second Premier League season with a spirited two-goal comeback to salvage a point at Leicester. Accordingly, their mood is high, while the expectation as a minnow is low. None of this helps the visitors, who really need to get something going tonight ahead of next week’s game against Liverpool. However, say what you will about this United team, but they often produced a big result when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer really needed one. Can they offer similar help to their new boss? After last week’s loss, they certainly owe him something. Kick off is at 5.30pm. It’s up and running!
