Just as Manchester United set about celebrating a heist that would warrant a prison sentence in any other walk of life, they were trapped by the realities of their own ineptitude. Even the gift of a 1-0 lead in the depths of stoppage time is not safe in those slippery fingers.
But before we get to the wildest of finales, and two goals between the 96th and 99th minutes, it is necessary to reflect on the craziness that preceded it.
That being the sheer insanity of a 0-0 scoreline and how little United had done to deserve one point let alone three. For make no mistake, they had been pummelled and embarrassed in so many ways apart from any of those that matter.
They had been ripped apart. Shredded. Massacred. One of the worst games of the Erik Ten Hag reign? Very much so.
Kristoffer Ajer scored nine minutes into stoppage time to bring Brentford level at the death
Mason Mount had seemed to score Man United’s stoppage time winner moments earlier
But Man United’s joy quickly turned to despair by conceding the late equaliser in West London
Had Brentford scored six here, it would not have smelled like a false accounting. Ivan Toney hit a post and had a goal disallowed in a close-call offside, to go with two other good chances. Bryan Mbbeumo hit the bar and side-netting. Yoane Wissa had multiple opportunities, so did Keane Lewis-Potter, and Andre Onana was a yellow blur of saves.
Remember Brentford’s 4-0 win in this fixture last season? This game was double the mauling. And yet, somehow, United had a sniff of an astonishing victory when Mason Mount, so peripheral in this team, was played in by Casemiro. He buried the finish and truly, that result would have been extraordinary.
But this is United and this United is flimsy. They are brittle. And so, with a win to defend, they made an almighty hash of a high ball into the box, left an acre for Toney to control and turn, before playing in Kristoffer Ajer to rescue a draw that will feel desperately hollow.
Ten Hag was trapped in an emotional no-man’s land at the close – to celebrate something from nothing or one that got away? He was unsure, but he was desperately underwhelmed by the performance, as he should have been.
‘We didn’t deserve to win but if you are winning you have to take it over the line,’ said Ten Hag, whose side sit 11 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, albeit with a game in hand. ‘We showed resilience through the game but in aggressiveness Brentford were better. We should show more passion and desire. There was fight but not enough.
‘We didn’t deserve to win but we showed resilience all through the game. The disappointment is that when you are winning you should bring it over the line.
Man United had a lucky escape when Brentford’s Ivan Toney hit the goalpost with his shot
Brentford manager Thomas Frank has struggled to get positive results in recent weeks
Man United fans had high hopes for Erik ten Hag’s side after their dramatic FA Cup victory
‘When you don’t play well you still have to win – we did it almost. That is my big disappointment that we didn’t bring it over the line.
‘We didn’t play well but there was spirit, there was fight, but not enough. It was enough to get the goal, 1-0, and before that we had a big chance for Rasmus Hojlund.
‘We have many senior players we should all stand up and we also take responsibility for this.
‘There are still many games to go but the points will be more expensive by the end. It could be a good point by the end.’
Maybe, but there was nothing good about how it was achieved. The components of their problems? Diogo Dalot’s marking was repeatedly exposed as a vulnerability, Toney was a mismatch for Raphael Varane at set-pieces and Mads Roerslev dominated the space behind Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Thomas Frank was well aware of how the latter dovetailed with the other two frailties and bled that route dry – so many attacks from Roerslev’s right flank caused United difficulties.
In isolation that was bad enough, but playing to Ten Hag’s concerns about a lack of fight, it was troubling in the first half to see how regularly Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho felt it reasonable to walk back from failed attacks. Their lack of urgency typified how little protection was afforded to the backline.
Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo hit the crossbar with a fierce volley after a route one move
Toney thought he had scored with a close range volley, but it was struck off for an offside call
Ajer scored the equaliser when the Bees came in the box once more, as Toney turned provider
Left exposed, Brentford threatened a riot that never came, which in its way set up the gut punch of Mount’s late goal. Frank was a sorry sight when that went in and only mildly relieved when Ajer took the draw. He knew two points got away.
‘There should have been only one winner in the game, that could only be us,’ said Frank.
‘Then you go 1-0 down in the 96th minute and you think football is brutal. I almost lost faith in the football god but he gave a bit back. What a performance. We completely dominated the game and there could only be one winner.’
United’s troubles were exacerbated by injuries to both Varane and Victor Lindelof. ‘Too early to know (if they are of greater concern)’, said Ten Hag. He will hope all his luck was not expended in this draw.
