MUTV pundits reckon Ten Hag has one ‘tremendous’ Red to thank after he ‘stepped up’ in must-win Bees clash

On Saturday afternoon, Manchester United put an end to a dismal five-game winless streak in all competitions.

Erik ten Hag has Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund to thank for potentially keeping him in a job for for foreseeable future, as the two youngsters etched their names onto the scoresheet to complete a much-needed comeback against Brentford on home soil.

Ethan Pinnock opened the scoring in injury time of the first half with a goal which sparked controversy given that United were down to 10 men at the time. Matthijs de Ligt had been instructed to come off the pitch to have his head injury treated as it was heavily bleeding, therefore giving the Bees the chance to take their corner kick with one less defender to worry about in the area.

When Pinnock then headed home to break the deadlock, De Ligt and assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy reacted furiously to the match officials, the latter earning himself a yellow card for his antics.

Garnacho and Hojlund inspire Reds’ triumphant comeback

Yet, Garnacho drew the Reds level only two minutes after the interval, latching on to the end of an outstanding cross from Marcus Rashford and firing the ball past Mark Flekken. Hojlund then sealed all three points when getting off the mark for the 2024/2025 Premier League campaign in the 62nd minute, opening his account in style with a chipped finish over the Dutch shot-stopper.

It was the Argentine who reaped the plaudits following the full-time whistle, though. He had been one of United’s most dangerous threats on the attack throughout the 90-minute affair, and he’ll be hoping Ten Hag took note so that he can retain his place over livewire counterpart Amad Diallo for the forthcoming fixtures.

When reacting to Garnacho’s showing, MUTV pundits were quick to give him his flowers, with former Red Wes Brown telling the panel: “He was very good today. When he gets the ball in certain positions, he has got one thing on his mind: attack the defender and get a shot or a cross. Tremendous.

“There is a lot of pressure on the team. He is definitely one who stepped up. He has learned to do his defensive work very well. He has a lot of energy, and he is willing to run and do it.”

Danny Webber added: “Garnacho was relentless in the way he went forward.”