Scott McTominay’s last-gasp heroics denied Brentford a victory at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon. Mathias Jensen put Thomas Frank’s side in the lead from inside the penalty area on 26 minutes, giving the Bees a deserved advantage at halftime.
In the second half, Brentford defended resolutely and posed a threat on the counterattack. Christian Nørgaard and Neal Maupay both had efforts saved by Andre Onana. However, late drama was in store.
Introduced during the closing stages of normal time, McTominay equalized with a powerful strike just past the 90-minute mark before scoring the winning goal with the final action of the game, flicking the ball beyond Thomas Strakosha.
Brentford’s already lengthy list of absent players grew by two more for their trip to Old Trafford. Mark Flekken fell ill on the morning of the match and was replaced by Strakosha, making his Premier League debut. Keane Lewis-Potter was sidelined due to a calf injury, becoming the ninth player unavailable to Frank. Mads Roerslev took his place in the starting XI, leading to a change in formation with Bryan Mbeumo partnering Yoane Wissa up front.
Manchester United also made two changes from their previous match, a 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace. Raphael Varane was absent due to injury, and Harry Maguire replaced him as center-back. Jonny Evans was preferred to Facundo Pellestri, resulting in a shift in formation. Victor Lindelof moved to left-back, Sofyan Amrabat partnered Casemiro in midfield, and Mason Mount took Pellestri’s place in the attacking trio behind Rasmus Højlund.
In the opening 45 minutes, Brentford defended deep, denying United space behind their defense. Frustration grew for the home side, resulting in a series of crosses into the box, which Brentford’s defense handled with ease.
Brentford posed a threat on the counterattack, with Wissa and Mbeumo isolating Evans and Maguire in wide areas. The visitors started brightly, creating early chances, including two long-range efforts from Aaron Hickey and a blocked shot from Wissa.
Brentford took the lead after Mbeumo closed down Casemiro, setting up Jensen to sweep home from 10 yards. United struggled to break down Brentford’s resolute defense, with their first shot on target coming in the 37th minute when Strakosha saved Rashford’s near-post drive.
Brentford had better opportunities to extend their lead before half-time, with Mbeumo’s curling effort narrowly missing the target, and Collins failing to convert Janelt’s near-post flick-on from a corner.