{"id":420632,"date":"2026-04-27T22:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T22:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/420632\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T22:00:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T22:00:07","slug":"manchester-united-see-off-brentford-to-close-in-on-champions-league-return-premier-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/420632\/","title":{"rendered":"Manchester United see off Brentford to close in on Champions League return | Premier League"},"content":{"rendered":"

This swashbuckling Manchester United<\/a> victory moves them to within two points of Champions League qualification and is prima facie evidence of the job Michael Carrick has executed since his appointment as interim manager.<\/p>\n

The performance is also a fair calling card for the permanent role as United bettered a doughty Brentford<\/a> by simply being better.<\/p>\n

Kobbie Mainoo was smooth in midfield, Casemiro scored again, and Bruno Fernandes\u2019 assist for Benjamin Sesko\u2019s clincher was a 19th of the competition. Even if he does not equal or best the record of 20, Fernandes must be the favourite for player of the year.<\/p>\n

Next is Liverpool here on Sunday, a trip the champions will hardly fancy because Carrick\u2019s unit is clicking precisely when it needs to \u2013 further testament to the 44-year-old\u2019s abilities.<\/p>\n

Brentford arrived as the draw specialists, doing so in five of the six-game unbeaten run they kicked off seeking to extend. Yet in United \u2013 and Mainoo, particularly \u2013they encountered a host who began in aggressive mode.<\/p>\n

Collecting inside Brentford\u2019s half the midfielder scattered defenders and served the ball up to Amad Diallo, who was a few yards from Caoimh\u00edn Kelleher\u2019s goal. The Ivorian surely could not miss but he did, the shot hitting Sepp van den Berg and rebounding for the first of two corners.<\/p>\n

Here was an urgency not always present in United under Carrick. It continued as Harry Maguire\u2019s header was cleared off the line and Bryan Mbeumo burst along the right and won another corner. From this, Casemiro scored.<\/p>\n

In what seemed a training ground move, Fernandes\u2019 delivery from the right was swung deep onto Maguire\u2019s head. As he moved to leap Casemiro darted to the back post, the defender headed across and up went the Brazilian to outjump Dango Ouattara and nod home.<\/p>\n

This was Casemiro\u2019s ninth league strike of his swansong campaign. Yet after a pronounced kiss of the badge United had to defend against a defiant Bees who now dominated.<\/p>\n

Keane Lewis-Potter found space and swept the ball over from the left: Luke Shaw missed the interception and Igor Thiago might have equalised but failed to connect. Then Michael Kayode\u2019s swivel and shot drew a corner.<\/p>\n

United suffered and were unable to transfer play to the other end as Keith Andrews\u2019 men showed why they were so long without defeat, an equal partner in what was a bright, open spectacle.<\/p>\n

Benjamin Sesko celebrates after doubling United\u2019s lead just before half-time. Photograph: Dave Thompson\/AP<\/p>\n

Nathan Collins surged down the middle but Brentford\u2019s captain was dispossessed by Fernandes, who took over and launched a similar run and had Benjamin Sesko, Diallo and Mbeumo line up to receive.<\/p>\n

The Portuguese missed with his pass as did Thiago when clean through. The man with 21 league goals dawdled, Ayden Heaven and Senne Lammens, United\u2019s No 1, moved to intervene and eventually the ball was clutched by the goalkeeper.<\/p>\n

Andrews\u2019 men pressed on. Thiago was again put in and a Heaven stab would have been an own goal but for Lammens\u2019 reflexes. Then Heaven once more was saved when an inadvertent elbow went for a corner only.<\/p>\n

Mikkel Damsgaard\u2019s effort was then blocked after a melee before a riveting half had its second goal.<\/p>\n

It was United\u2019s. After having a goal ruled out for offside, Diallo now made a crucial challenge near his area. The ball rolled to Fernandes, who charged forward, with Mbeumo to his right and Sesko the left. He chose the striker, whose feint took the ball onto his right boot and he smashed in.<\/p>\n

United began the second half in rosy mood then and did not miss the injured Matheus Cunha, who nursed a sore hip flexor. In a reshuffle Diallo, perhaps hurt, was replaced by Noussair Mazraoui, who slotted in as one of three centre-backs in a now five-man rearguard.<\/p>\n

United pinged the ball back with a nonchalance and precision that oozed confidence. A slick sequence ended with a Shaw volley from range that he skewered wide but Fernandes applauded the ambition. From a Mbeumo corner Maguire\u2019s header went close.<\/p>\n

Where United were lethal, Brentford had been profligate. Thiago could rue enough openings for three or four goals but his luck and range were out. So too his teammates; Lewis-Potter beating his man along the left but could cross only weakly into Lammens\u2019 gloves.<\/p>\n

The Bees still knocked on United\u2019s door \u2013 Maguire\u2019s determination to keep them out caused an injury when Thiago barged him over, the veteran one of many in red performing near or at their best.<\/p>\n

Maguire\u2019s bravery drew an Ouattara kick to the head when the No 19 flew at his rebound off the bar. Brentford fought on and Mathias Jensen\u2019s 20-yard finish was a consolation at least.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This swashbuckling Manchester United victory moves them to within two points of Champions League qualification and is prima…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":420633,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[61,60,112],"class_list":["post-420632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=420632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/420633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=420632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=420632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=420632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}