May 03, (THEWILL) – Manchester United won 3-0 over Brentford at Old Trafford, with goals from Bruno Fernandes, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Raphael Varane.
United gave their long-suffering fans something to cheer about in their final home match of the season, improving their prospects of finishing in the top six by moving six points clear of West Ham in eighth.
The game got off to a fast start, with United putting the ball in the back of the net after only nine minutes. Diogo Dalot found Anthony Elanga when he spun in behind him. Elanga then sent in a dangerous cross that Fernandes met on the volley and fired beyond David Raya in the Brentford goal.
Brentford. did not let their heads drop after falling behind, and they fashioned out a few chances of their own, aided by the remarkable Christian Eriksen. They came within a whisker of scoring when Ivan Toney headed Eriksen’s deep cross barely over the bar in the 20th minute.
After a slick interchange with Cristiano Ronaldo, Juan Mata gave their opponents a scare when the Spaniard, who was surprisingly named in midfield, hammered an effort just wide. After that, Bryan Mbeumo skipped inside Alex Telles and fired into the side netting.
United eventually scored again after dominating possession in the first half and for a minute, they believed they had doubled their advantage.
But, Ronaldo was found to be offside from Mata’s through play following a VAR assessment, temporarily denying the striker his 18th goal of the season.
At the start of the second half, United continued to threaten. A lovely dinked ball from Nemanja Matic sent Fernandes through early on, but the midfielder failed to capitalise.
Toney forced a superb leg-save from David de Gea shortly before the hour mark to keep Brentford in contention.
The Bees’ fine work, however, was undone minutes later by Rico Henry’s rashness as he charged into the back of the Ronaldo and conceded a penalty. United’s number seven, unsurprisingly, made no mistakes from the penalty spot.
Varane then ensured the three points by volleying a deflected attempt past Raya in front of the Stretford End from an Alex Telles corner. Surprisingly, the goal occurred only seconds before some disgruntled fans protested the Glazers’ ownership of the club with a walkout.
Although only few left the stadium and a number of protest banners were displayed, inside Old Trafford, fans continued to support the players and the team alongside.
The rest of the game was a lukewarm affair, with the Bees going into damage-limitation mode and United stroking the ball around without putting too much pressure on the ball.
United’s next two matches of the season are against Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace, with a maximum of 64 points available if they win both – just enough to match their lowest-ever Premier League total.
Brentford, on the other hand, has already achieved its goals and will complete the season with matches against Southampton, Everton, and Leeds United.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
