It’s so close, they can almost taste it.
Despite a cataclysmic start to the campaign under Rúben Amorim, Manchester United have managed to get their act together under Michael Carrick and string together an impressive run of form. Whilst they haven’t yet managed the five-game winning streak needed to put an end to Frank Ilett’s self-imposed haircut boycott, they have put themselves in the driver’s seat for UEFA Champions League football, having missed out on the competition in each of the last two
seasons. It hasn’t always been pretty, but United’s consistently positive form has prompted the likes of Sebastian Salazar to tip Carrick for the permanent position. If Carrick can mastermind a top-three finish, they may have no other choice but to give him the full-time job.
United sit third in the Premier League table, 12 points behind Manchester City and Arsenal, level on 48 points with Aston Villa, and three points above defending champions Liverpool. Moreover, they sit eight points clear of Brighton, nine above Bournemouth, and 10 above Chelsea and Brentford, all of which have played one additional game, with the exception of Brentford. With England guaranteed at least one extra Champions League spot, United find themselves in a promising position with just five games remaining. After defeating Chelsea and securing their first away victory in two months, the Red Devils will host Brentford and Liverpool before traveling to Sunderland, followed by a visit from Nottingham Forest and a trip to Brighton. Whilst Liverpool might be their toughest out on paper, history shows that Brentford will pose the most difficult task.
Brentford and United met on six occasions between 1937 and 1947, with the Bees winning the first two before losing three in a row, followed by a stalemate. It would be 28 years before they faced off again, with the hosts prevailing 2-1 in a League Cup fixture. By the time they crossed paths 47 years later, Brentford were the plucky new kids on the block, while United were still struggling to rekindle a dynasty in tatters. It was smooth sailing for the visitors, who prevailed 3-1 in West London courtesy of goals from Anthony Elanga, Mason Greenwood, and Marcus Rashford. Ralf Rangnick’s side took care of business in the following match-up, with Bruno Fernandes opening the scoring within nine minutes and Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphaël Varane sealing the deal in the second half.
But with Erik ten Hag taking the reins in the summer of 2022, United started to find some difficulties against Brentford. Somewhere along the way, they became one of their bogey teams, with the Bees kicking off the 2022/23 campaign with a 4-0 walloping of United courtesy of goals from Joshua Dasilva, Mathias Jensen, Ben Mee, and future United winger Bryan Mbuemo. United bounced back with a 1-0 victory courtesy of Rashford’s goal, but they found themselves in a quagmire as Jensen broke the deadlock within 26 minutes at Old Trafford. United looked headed for a defeat until the 93rd minute as Scott McTominay levelled proceedings immediately after coming off the bench, before scoring a last-second winner for the Red Devils.
There was plenty more late excitement in their following encounter, as Mason Mount broke the deadlock in the 96th minute for United, only for Kristoffer Ajer to pull the hosts level in the 99th minute and secure a 1-1 draw. United went into halftime down a goal as Ethan Pinnock opened the scoring for the visitors, but Alejandro Garnacho would equalize after the interval, whilst Rasmus Højlund completed the comeback shortly after. Their next match-up was sandwiched in between United’s Europa League semifinals vs. Athletic Club, with Mount putting United in front, but Luke Shaw would squander their lead with an unfortunate own goal. Kevin Schade would score twice, followed by a goal from Yoane Wissa, whilst Alejandro Garnacho added a consolation goal for United in the 82nd minute. By the time Amad Diallo scored in extra time to make it 4-3, it was too little too late.
Despite losing longtime manager Thomas Frank to Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford have continued to punch above their weight and steer clear of relegation, and they have continued to be a nuisance to United under Keith Andrews. They faced off back in September, with Igor Thiago scoring an early brace and Benjamin Šeško halving the deficit, but United were unable to find a way back into the contest. Instead, Jensen sealed the deal immediately after replacing Thiago to secure a 3-1 win for Brentford. Thiago has been a revelation this season with 21 Premier League goals, second only to Erling Haaland (24), and it’s why the likes of Shawn McIntosh are backing him for a Brazil call-up for this summer’s World Cup. He’s scored each of Brentford’s last three goals, and he’ll be looking to build on that form as he pushes for the Golden Boot. If United are to make it eight home wins on the bounce vs. Brentford, they’ll need to find a way to limit Thiago’s impact.
