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51 min “The Apres Match clip and talk of Eamon Dunphy reminds me of the peak years of Champions League on RTE in Ireland in the mid to late noughties,” says John. “You would watch a dull group phase game but you would be treated to Dunphy, John Giles and Liam Brady arguing or complaining about the game. They were wrong half the time (‘this fella Ronaldo is a cod’) but they were entertaining. You then had Apres Match come on to parody the ridiculousness of the whole thing.
I can imagine if Brady, Giles and Dunphy were still on TV, they would not fancy Bruno at all,but his production for United is amazing without even considering how much of a mess the whole place has been since he joined the club.”
I was lucky enough to interview Dunphy when making Busby, and he was terrific. I asked him if had the tapes from the interviews he did for Strangre Kind of Glory … and he chucked them. Horrendous, but so in character.
50 min Er, not really. Mbeumo sewings to the back post, Maguire heads firmly but from a narrow angle, and Kelleher blocks.
49 min Actually, it looks like a 5-2-2-1, with Mbeumo and Bruno behind Sesko. Meantime, United win a corner; will anyone bother marking Maguire and Casemiro?
47 min Carrick mustn’t be happy with United’s defending, and rightly so – they’ve been very open, and seem to have gone to a back five, Mbeumo now up front alongside Sesko.
Updated at 16.06 EDT
46 min Change for United: Mazraoui for Amad.
46 min We go again…
Half-time email: “Jonathan Wilson made the point this weekend in the Guardian that Premier League teams have a safety first approach that compares unfavourably to the devil-may-care attacking of the best sides in Europe, PSG and Bayern,” says Kári Tulinius. “The Red Devils seem to have taken that to heart. I’m a neutral, but United’s defending has me on the verge of stress sweating, and yet they lead two goals to nil.”
The generally defend the box fairly well, but their rest defence needs a lot of work. A new midfielder will presumably make a difference, not just in putting out fires but in keeping the ball down the other end, but I’d also say they need two new full-backs.
Half-time reading:
ShareHALF-TIME: Manchester United 2-0 Brentford
A really entertaining first half which could’ve seen five or six goals. But United’s superior quality has made the difference, two good finishes and a couple of fine saves helping them to a two-goal lead
45+1 min We talked earlier about Amad’s ability to recover the ball – he’s extremely tenacious for a little lad, and his timing is excellent. As we said, his numbers must improve, but the balance of Carrick’s side is better with him in it.
45 min We’ll have two additional minutes and Brentford again move forward, a pass into the middle meeting the run of Jensen who swats fractionally wide of the left-hand post from the edge of the box, dead centre.
45 min Bruno Fernandes, though. We shouldn’t forget he played half of the season in deep midfield, and all of it without a prolific striker to finish his creations. His vision and execution aren’t far off genius level.
ShareGOAL! Manchester United 2-0 Brentford (Sesko 43)
United come again, Amad winning a terrific challenge on the edge and finding Bruno, who moves through midfield, leading a three v two with Mbeumo to his right and Sesko left. He waits and waits, picks Sesko, delivers the pass, and the delayed, emphatic finish first gulls Van den Berg into sliding off towards the Megastore, then is swept high inside the near post with the keeper expecting the shot to go far. That’s 19 league assists for Bruno, the record of 20 surely soon to go.
Benjamin Sesko fires home to double Manchester United’s lead over Brentford. Photograph: Naomi Baker/Getty ImagesSesko celebrates. Photograph: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 15.56 EDT
41 min For the first time in a while, United move it forward, Mbeumo finding bruno, who slides in to Amad, who finishes off the base of the far post … but the flag goes up and he’s miles offside. Why did he go so early, especially given the ability of the man seeking to find him.
41 min Van den Berg pulls Sesko back and is booked.
40 min The ball did indeed hit Heaven’s arm, but it was in a natural position and not deliberate; United get the corner away, eventually.
39 min Here come Brentford again, Damasgaard pulling left to curve in another delicious pass. It goes over Maguire and Thiago is in between Heaven and Dalot, perhaps getting as hip to it as Heaven deflects with his arm; again, Lammens plunges, throwing up a strong arm to prang the ball behind.
37 min Damsgaard caresses a gorgeous pass over the top and again, Thaigo is in behind Heaven! he takes a touch but, as he shapes to shoot, a telescopic left foot comes from arounds his body, effectively shooting for him, and Lammens saves from his own man. That’s very good recovery-defending, but Thiago didn’t protect the ball well enough.
Updated at 15.38 EDT
35 min Outtara marches between Amad and Shaw, then threads a fine pass through the middle for Thaigo and he’s in! But rather than hit it first time, he takes a touch, slips, and Heaven bumps it back to Lammens, just about. Brentford are knocking at the door.
Igor Thiago loses his balance before being able to get a shot off. Photograph: Paul Currie/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 15.44 EDT
34 min Brentford move it nicely as they look for holes in United’s defence, then Mainoo crunches in on Kayode and the home side clear.
31 min And here he is now, doing just that to touch off for Bruno who, on the edge, flights a lovely cross over Kayode’s head and again, Amad is in space! But this time, he heads straight at Kelleher … then the flag goes up.
Updated at 15.35 EDT
30 min I’m not sure Sesko has had a kick yet. He’s not had great service, but given the players outside him, he can come to the ball and lay it off as the runners motor.
29 min Amad wins the first header but the ball comes back, and Mainoo does well to hook clear.
27 min Damsgaard is pulling the strings for Brentford, controlling their attacks, and when he slides a pass in behind, Lewis-Potter barges through one tackle, then wins a corner off Dalot.
26 min Mainoo finds himself on the left wing and again, looks to attack his man, but Kayode is a terrific one-on-one defender and does enough to win the ball.
Kobbie Mainoo of Manchester United (centre left) is tackled by Brentford’s Michael Kayode. Photograph: Adam Vaughan/EPAShare
Updated at 15.46 EDT
24 min Damsgaard spreads left then, when the ball goes right, Outtara’s cross is blocked.
23 min Since that early run, Mainoo has been quiet, and that’s been his problem so far – he must get better at finding the ball and passing it incisively. Chelsea felt like a step forward, but only if he maintains the level
22 min “There’s an unbelievable amount of space in this game,” reckons Tim Stappard, and I agree. Both sides are good at finding it and United are also excellent at leaving it – a situation I imagine they hope to address in the summer by signing midfielders
20 min When United opted to start the season with Andre Onana in net, it was mind-boggling enough, but seeing how solid Lammens is, it makes even less sense. He saves almost everything he should, which alone makes him a massive upgrade, and also plenty he shouldn’t. There’s work to do with his passing and foot-movement, especially when facing long shots, but he’s been a monumental upgrade, and having him there has made a huge difference to United’s defenders.
18 min The resultant corner comes to nothing, but this is a really entertaining and open game.
17 min oh, he does get a touch because it’s a corner and gain, Brentford pick a pass in behind United, Damsgaard sliding in for Kayode as the defence steps up. He looks to send an outswinging finish towards the far side-netting, but Lammens spreads himself well to make the save.
16 min But then United give it away and Outtara seizes upon the loose ball, slipping a fine reverse-pass in behind for Lewis-Potter, who delivers a perfect low cross into the corridor. Thiago is there, but Shaw slides in and must put him off, because he doesn’t get a touch but the striker can’t land a boot on it.
15 min Brentford come forward and win a corner, the ref taking a moment as the players jostle around Senne Lammens, then the ball comes in and Casemiro, equally adept in his own box, heads clear.
Updated at 15.16 EDT