Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Brentford: Red Devils Can Taste Champions League Return

Manchester United all but clinched their presence in next season’s Champions League with a 2–1 victory against Brentford at Old Trafford on Monday night.

Both teams traded punches in the first half, but it was Man Utd who were able to capitalize, as Casemiro and Benjamin Šeško struck to give United a comfortable lead at the break. The dazzling Bruno Fernandes also added another assist to his season tally to get within one of matching the Premier League record—and he should’ve had more.

Michale Carrick’s men weren’t as incisive in the second half, and Mathias Jensen scored a beauty late to put Brentford back in contention and add some drama to the final minutes. But the Red Devils held on and have now won six of their seven home games under Carrick, comfortably sitting third on the table.

With only four games remaining, United have an 11-point gap over Brighton in sixth place, meaning a top-five finish and Champions League soccer returning to Old Trafford next season is essentially guaranteed.

Heroes and Villain

Heroes

Bruno Fernandes looks like a man amongst boys, immersed in a state of grace that has him playing the best soccer of his career. With his assist for Utd’s second, he’s just one shy of matching Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne’s Premier League single season assist record (20).

The Portuguese playmaker should’ve probably set the new record on Monday night, creating four chances in the first half alone. It looks like a matter of time before Fernandes breaks the record, which could easily translate to him deservedly winning the Premier League Player of the Season award.

Senne Lammens, Kobbie Mainoo, as well as goalscorers Casemiro and Šeško also were essential for Utd’s victory.

Villain

It was a night to forget for Amad Diallo, who not only was the United’s worst performer, but his egregious misses seriously let down his teammates, two in particular.

Diallo had an open goal to aim at inside the opening two minutes after Mainoo got away from four players—including the goalkeeper—to tee up the Ivory Coast international. But Diallo couldn’t bury his chance, instead hitting it straight towards the only place a Brentford defender could block the shot, denying Mainoo of a career highlight.

Then, twice Diallo wasted clear chances to help Fernandes’s quest to break the assist record. He fired a tame header from close range first and then second, simply didn’t time his run in action, waved off for offsides after finding the back of the net. Diallo could see the entirety of Brentford’s backline since he was cutting-in from the left wing, so getting caught offsides is a clear sign that he was inexcusably unaware of his positioning.

Carrick had enough of Diallo’s wastefulness, and the 23-year-old attacker was hooked at the break.

Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Brentford (4-2-3-1)

Casemiro has scored in United’s last three home games. | Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Senne Lammens—7.5: Had three crucial saves that could’ve easily been Brentford’s equalizer in the first half. Nothing he could do to stop Jensen’s screamer.

RB: Diogo Dalot—7.0: Struggled whenever Mikkel Damsgaard and Keane Lewis-Potter combined on his flank. Improved as the game progressed but he still never quite looked comfortable.

CB: Harry Maguire—8.1: Continues to be an absolute menace on set-pieces, assisting Casemiro’s opener soon after he got within inches of scoring a header himself. Simply dominant in the air.

CB: Ayden Heaven—7.4: Marking Igor Thiago was never going to be an easy assignment, but Heaven more than held his own against the Brazilian with some key interventions in urgency. Another confidence-boosting showing from the teenager.

LB: Luke Shaw—7.4: A quiet showing from Shaw, but he once again had to exit the contest prematurely as with yet another fitness issue United will hope is nothing but a scare—but Shaw’s history suggests they might not be as lucky.

DM: Casemiro—8.9: Scored his ninth Premier League goal of the term—the best goalscoring season of his career. Another performance that highlighted everything United will lose when he departs the club this summer, which is a lot.

DM: Kobbie Mainoo—7.8: Turned into prime Lionel Messi with a sensational run that should’ve resulted in the opener inside two minutes

RW: Bryan Mbeumo—7.3: Mbeumo is lucky Diallo on the other side had a horrendous showing, because he wasn’t much better. Looked alarmingly slow and was erratic outside of a couple of actions.

AM: Bruno Fernandes—8.2: Quarterbacked United’s possessions and got fans on their feet with a number of sensational deliveries. He picked up another assist but he probably should’ve broken the single-season Premier League record tonight.

LW: Amad Diallo—6.5: Should have to publicly apologize to Mainoo for wasting what would’ve been the assist of the season and then to Fernandes for seemingly forgetting the offside rule, denying him of another assist.

ST: Benjamin Šeško—8.1: Forced to battle by himself up top for much of the game, he was effective with his back towards goal and his defensive contributions didn’t go unnoticed by those present at Old Trafford. Was rewarded when Fernandes played him through on goal to score United’s second.

SUB: Noussair Mazraoui (46’ for Diallo)—7.1: Solid defensively since coming on.

SUB: Leny Yoro (73’ for Shaw)—6.1: Had less than five touches in his 20-plus minutes on the pitch.

SUB: Mason Mount (74’ for Mbeumo)—6.4: Another rather anonymous cameo from Mount.

SUB: Joshua Zirkzee (88’ for Šeško)—N/A

Subs not used: Altay Bayındır (GK), Tyrell Malacia, Patrick Dorgu, Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee, Shea Lacey.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Benjamin Šeško impressed as a starter. | Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images

With his goal today, Benjamin Šeško has reached double-digit strikes in his debut Premier League season. It hasn’t been perfect, but the Slovenian has had a very respectable first season at Old Trafford, and there are signs that he has the potential to continue improving in years to come.
Similarly, fellow summer-signing Senne Lammens continues to look like an excellent investment. The André Onana era was a colossal failure, but the young Belgian is quickly establishing himself as a major upgrade. It’s easy to envision him being Utd’s starter for the next decade.
With both Diallo and Mbeumo having unimpressive performances, Matheus Cunha should return to the XI as soon as he recovers from what’s believed to be a minor issue.

The Numbers That Explain Man Utd’s Big Win

Brenford had more shots and a higher xG than United, but the hosts scored two of the three big chances they created, while Brentford missed their pair of big chances crafted on the night.
After registering just one shot on goal in the win against Chelsea last time out, Carrick’s men were able to muster six attempts on target against Brentford.
Carrick has nine wins in 13 Premier League games managed this season, eclipsing the total of eight league victories Ruben Amorim oversaw across 20 games this term.

Statistic	Man Utd	Brentford
Possession	45%	55%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.27	1.43
Total Shots	11	12
Shots on Target	6	4
Big Chances	3	2
Passing Accuracy	83%	87%
Fouls Committed	6	9
Corners	7	8

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