While Manchester United’s 2-1 victory over Brentford marked their first win in over a month and came amidst speculation surrounding Erik ten Hag’s future, the manager insisted it held no more significance than any other result. Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund scored as United bounced back after conceding, moving up to 11th in the Premier League standings.
The win at Old Trafford followed Ten Hag’s statement the day before, where he referred to the rumors about his job as media “fairytales and lies.” When asked if this could be a turning point in the season, Ten Hag replied, “No, it is just a win. The pressure is always there. We have to win every game. Every game we win is important. This team, you see the togetherness, a fighting spirit. Today we had some determination to score goals, and that’s what we need. Today we scored two brilliant goals, and we are very pleased with it.”
United entered the match tied with Crystal Palace for the fewest goals scored this season (five), a statistic Ten Hag attributed to the team’s poor start. “This team has the capacity to score very good goals,” he said. “Today, the two goals we scored were high quality, and when you score and win, you add confidence. At the start of the season, we had some good performances but didn’t score enough, then everyone is negative. This result can help us, but it is only one win, and we must build on it.”
Ten Hag also praised Marcus Rashford, who has faced criticism from fans but delivered a stellar performance, including a precise cross that found Garnacho at the back post for United’s first goal. “I really enjoyed how he played; you see what he’s capable of,” Ten Hag stated. “We want this every game, really intense and then a brilliant cross. It starts with fighting spirit. When we all bring this, we have a team that can play for trophies.”
