Manchester United’s rollercoaster season took another sharp downturn on Saturday as they suffered a 3–1 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, a result that heaps more pressure on under-fire manager Rúben Amorim.
Brentford forward Igor Thiago stole the spotlight early, scoring a brace within the first 20 minutes to give the Bees a commanding lead.
Thiago opened the scoring in the 8th minute, perfectly timing a run behind United’s defence before slotting calmly past Altay Bayındır.
He struck again 12 minutes later, reacting quickest to a rebound to make it 2–0.
United responded in the 26th minute when Benjamin Šeško capitalised on a scramble in the box to pull one back, giving the visitors a glimmer of hope.
But the comeback was short-lived.
In the 71st minute, Bruno Fernandes had a golden opportunity to level from the penalty spot after Bryan Mbeumo was fouled, but Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher dived the right way to make a vital save.
Then, in stoppage time, Brentford’s Mathias Jensen put the result beyond doubt, breaking on the counter and firing a stunning long-range shot past Bayındır to seal a deserved win.
The loss is a serious blow for United, coming just a week after their morale-boosting win over Chelsea.
The result leaves the team in renewed crisis mode and raises serious questions about Amorim’s future, especially with the international break approaching.
Meanwhile, Brentford will take plenty of positives from the performance as they look to build momentum going forward.
