{"id":457502,"date":"2026-04-28T07:31:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T07:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/457502\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T07:31:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T07:31:15","slug":"manchester-united-hold-on-to-beat-brentford-and-close-in-on-champions-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/457502\/","title":{"rendered":"Manchester United hold on to beat Brentford and close in on Champions League"},"content":{"rendered":"

MANCHESTER UNITED MOVED within touching distance of Champions League qualification as captain Bruno Fernandes edged closer to the Premier League assist record in Monday\u2019s 2-1 victory against Brentford.<\/p>\n

Michael Carrick\u2019s Red Devils increased their stranglehold on third with a hard-fought Old Trafford triumph against Keith Andrews\u2019 Bees, giving them an 11-point lead over sixth-placed Brighton with just four matches to play.<\/p>\n

Fernandes has been integral to United\u2019s rise and impeding return to Europe, with the skipper setting up a 19th goal of the campaign as Benjamin Sesko scored after Casemiro continued his memorable farewell tour with a headed opener.<\/p>\n

\"manchester-uk-27th-apr-2026-benjamin-sesko-of-manchester-united-celebrates-his-goal-to-make-it-2-0-during-the-premier-league-match-manchester-united-vs-brentford-at-old-trafford-manchester-unite\"
\n Benjamin Sesko made it 2-0. Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n

Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n

The Portuguese playmaker is now just one shy of the record 20-assist tally in a single season shared by Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry.<\/p>\n

Fernandes\u2019 latest contribution helped settle nerves after unusually wasteful Igor Thiago threatened to level in an entertaining first half that saw United boast the clinical edge lacked by the visitors.<\/p>\n

Brentford pushed as Dango Ouattara hit a post before Mathias Jensen\u2019s long-range sparked a nervy conclusion, but Carrick\u2019s side held out for a win that keeps them on course for Champions League football.<\/p>\n

United dug deep on a night they had started with the kind of sharpness lacking in the home defeat to Leeds a fortnight ago.<\/p>\n

Kobbie Mainoo showed incredible balance, footwork and awareness inside the opening minutes to wriggle free and pass to Amad Diallo, whose shot Sepp van den Berg blocked on the line.<\/p>\n

Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher clawed away a thumping Harry Maguire header from a Fernandes cross, and the United pair soon played a vital role in the opener.<\/p>\n

The captain\u2019s deep 11th-minute corner was headed back across goal by returning defender Maguire to the back post, where Casemiro showed strength and no little endeavour to nod home.<\/p>\n

\"brentfords-yehor-yarmolyuk-left-and-manchester-uniteds-bruno-fernandes-fight-for-the-ball-during-the-premier-league-soccer-match-between-manchester-united-and-brentford-in-manchester-england-mon\"
\n Brentford’s Yehor Yarmolyuk and Man United’s Bruno Fernandes fight for the ball. Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n

Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n

The popular Brazil international is leaving at the end of his contract this summer and kissed the team badge as fans implored him to stay another year.<\/p>\n

But the mood changed as Brentford upped the ante having fallen behind for the first time since February, with Senne Lammens denying Michael Kayode with a strong hand before Thiago threatened.<\/p>\n

The Brazil striker fluffed his lines as Lammens and Ayden Heaven just about stopped a calamitous equaliser, before the latter excellently prevented him from getting a shot away.<\/p>\n

Lammens\u2019 fine reactions soon prevented the United teenager from undoing that good work with an unfortunate own goal having bundled on a cross with his arm.<\/p>\n

But the Bees lacked a sting in the tail and the hosts capitalised, with Amad strike ruled out for offside before the 43rd minute brought a second goal.<\/p>\n

A powerful Amad challenge started a counter-attack as Fernandes took the ball over the halfway line and beyond, keeping his cool before passing for Sesko to score having shown similar composure.<\/p>\n

Maguire was denied by Kelleher when the second half got under way as United attempted to stifle Brentford having moved to a back three at the break.<\/p>\n

Ouattara looked most likely to prise open the hosts\u2019 backline, including meeting a flicked-on corner with header onto the post before play was halted for a high boot as he attempted an acrobatic follow up.<\/p>\n

Man of the match Casemiro whizzed a low long-range effort narrowly wide before Brentford scored one of their own.<\/p>\n

Boss Andrews punched the air as Jensen capitalised on tired defending, cutting away and scoring a piledriver with three minutes to go.<\/p>\n

Mikkel Damsgaard headed a wonderful chance straight at Lammens as the clock wound down on a United victory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MANCHESTER UNITED MOVED within touching distance of Champions League qualification as captain Bruno Fernandes edged closer to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":457503,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[7234,18,19,17,20,795,195864,4335,132],"class_list":{"0":"post-457502","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-brentford","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-manchester-united","13":"tag-premier-league","14":"tag-race-for-europe","15":"tag-soccer","16":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116481169213293921","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=457502"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457502\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/457503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=457502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=457502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=457502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}