Manchester United has hope. The question is: how much?
A last-minute 2-1 win over Brentford after being 1-0 down after 90 minutes glossed over another disappointing performance, but United will hope it gives them the springboard to restart their season.
Scott McTominay was the hero, scoring two goals off the bench in the 93rd and 97th minutes to secure the most unlikely of victories.
Andre Onana appears to lack confidence and is full of mistakes, Casemiro was substituted at half-time and Marcus Rashford also had another difficult afternoon.
But after two home defeats, Erik ten Hag’s team has now won again and is heading into the international break just shy of a crisis.
How big was the result or were cracks just covered up?
Laurie Whitwell: Old Trafford hasn’t seen celebrations like this for a long time. McTominay’s stoppage-time brace transformed disaster into ecstasy, the stadium a sea of whirling limbs accompanied by an incredible noise.
It reminded me of Steve Bruce’s late brace 30 years ago that turned defeat into a sweet victory for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. The difference is that United were on course for the title at the time. This win takes United to ninth place in the table. The thought of championships is a long way off.
Before McTominay scored, Ten Hag’s reign was actually in deep crisis. Brentford fans taunted him with shouts of “sacked in the morning” as United headed for a third straight home defeat in the league. The last time this happened was in 1979.
United managed to avoid this devastating statistic, but the worrying thing was that United looked uninspired for large parts of the game. Furthermore, Brentford’s goal was perhaps United’s worst goal conceded, a litany of errors from Ten Hag’s players.
Ten Hag has eliminated Casemiro and Rashford, two of his best players from last season, and defeat would have robbed the manager of all hope of survival. These problems remain. But the manner of this comeback victory, the energy at Old Trafford at the final whistle, could be the catalyst for a deeper change.
Who deserves credit for the win?
Dan Sheldon: Ten Hag will thank McTominay for turning this game on its head.
As the game entered its final stages, Brentford moved deeper and deeper and United began to increase the pressure without producing a result.
McTominay celebrates as Brentford are stunned (Photo: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
But when McTominay scored his first goal in the 93rd minute, there was a riot at Old Trafford and it felt inevitable that they would score again.
The noise in the ground grew louder until Harry Maguire’s header from a set piece was headed home by McTominay. Ten Hag bounced around the technical area knowing how much the Scotland international’s goal meant.
United dominated large parts of the game, but McTominay’s desire to win this game was a real spectacle. In the last few minutes he was obsessed.
Who was responsible for Brentford’s opener?
Ahmed Walid: If you saw United’s comical errors against Galatasaray in the Champions League during the week then perhaps this wasn’t so surprising.
First, Casemiro lost the ball in his own half to give Brentford the opportunity to attack, then Harry Maguire dropped deeper instead of moving up to counter-press and win the ball back quickly – something Ten Hag was encouraged by demanded of his team.
Afterwards, due to a poor defensive performance from Victor Lindelof, Yoane Wissa managed to find Mathias Jensen in the penalty area and the Danish midfielder’s shot ended up in the net.
After his weak pass resulted in United going down to 10 men against Galatasaray, Onana should have blocked Jensen’s shot here too, with Jensen’s shot in the middle and close to his hand.
Fernandes and Maguire can’t believe the start (Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Is it the right thing for Onana to take him out of the firing line?
Dan Sheldon: Considering how United handled David de Gea’s departure and paved the way for them to sign Onana, it would be a big decision if Ten Hag decided to drop him after the international break.
However, as the Stretford End cheered wryly midway through the second half after Onana won the ball, it’s hard to imagine the fans’ patience starting to wear thin.
The 27-year-old was expected to give United a new dimension with his goal distribution, but the goal kicks against Brentford, where Jonny Evans played a short pass to him and he then shot it wide, were bizarre.
Ten Hag needs the signing to work, so it would be an admission for the Dutchman that Onana may not be the solution to his goalkeeping woes.
Two goals conceded in 11 games is a poor record, but would Altay Bayindir fare better with a constantly changing defense?
Why does Rashford keep failing when United need to score?
Dan Sheldon: Quite simply: Rashford wasn’t good enough.
He has scored just once in the Premier League this season, in the 3-1 away defeat to Arsenal in September, and provided one assist.
Ten Hag admitted on Friday that the winger is struggling with his form and his performance against Brentford left a lot to be desired. Despite retaining the support of the United manager, the Dutchman is finding it increasingly difficult to keep him in the starting XI – especially considering the club’s struggles this season.
Alejandro Garnacho is waiting in the wings and his name is often chanted by the crowd at Old Trafford.
The young Argentine always looks lively when he comes into play and brings energy to United’s forward line, something Rashford hasn’t been able to do for several weeks.
There was a good assist from Rasmus Hojlund against Galatasary, but it counted for nothing as United lost the game.
(Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images)