Manchester United suffered a 4 -0 thumping at the hands of Brentford in Erik ten Hag’s second game of his maiden campaign in England.
As in the opening defeat against Brighton, the Red Devils produced another embarrassing display, highlighted by numerous mistakes at the back that the Bees were all too happy to capitalize on.
So poor was the display that this was the first time the club had conceded an astonishing 4 goals in the first half away from home.
One of the main culprits of the day was United’s no. 1 David de Gea.
The Spaniard was complicit in the first goal, letting a relatively tame effort squirm past him into the bottom corner. Minutes letter he gave Christian Eriksen a hospital pass in an attempt to play out from the back. The Dane was quickly harried out of possession before Jansen sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.
Since the start of last season, the 31-year-old has made 2 errors leading to goals in the Premier League with only Tim Krul and Ben Forster making more. Both Krul and Forster were relegated!
David de Gea has made 2 errors leading to goals in the Premier League since the start of last season. Only Tim Krul (4) & Ben Foster (3) have more.
😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/nqEoo8gxba
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) August 13, 2022
The Red Devils had 67% possession compared to Brentford’s 33%.
Remarkably, Ten Hag’s side had 15 shots at goal, 4 of which were on target to the Bees’ 13 shots, registering 7 on target, including the all-important 4 goals.
The Reds completed nearly twice the number of passes Thomas Frank’s men made in the 4-0 thrashing. United had 521 passes, with an accuracy of 84%. The London club had 255 passes, with a 66% success rate.
The 20-time English champions currently sit bottom of the league table after two games, conceding six and only scoring one – not the start the new manager would have hoped for.
Englishman Marcus Rashford looked like United’s main threat in the second half.
The winger completed an incredible 100% of dribbles he attempted. He also won 9 out of 13 of his ground duels.
The 24-year-old was solid in his defensive work, making 5 tackles. Offensively, he registered 2 key passes and had 2 shots at goal.
Rashford’s game by numbers vs. Brentford:
100% dribbles completed
9/13 ground duels won
5 dribbles
5 tackles
4 crosses
2 shots
2 key passesShowed something else in the 2nd half. 😑😑😑 pic.twitter.com/uWN0DMTik5
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) August 13, 2022
As it stands, it looks like there will be no respite for supporters. The next opponent is Liverpool at Old Trafford. Not many will be optimistic or fancy United’s prospects.
