FIVE ASIDES Premier League: United 1, Brentford 0
How many changes should you make to a losing team? After the shambles at St James’ Park, most United fans might have gone for three, drafting in Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred and Antony Martial. Erik ten Hag opted to make only one change, but it was a big one – as big as the man who became the fall guy. Out went Wout Weghorst and in came a whole new ballgame: dancing feet, dizzying passes, flowing moves, a whirl of rondos. I was there, and it was so much fun to watch. Brentford are fleet-footed themselves, but United’s left-hand side, led by Luke Shaw, ran triangles round them. United were unrecognisable from the top-three side that never got going at Newcastle, never mind the rabble that got battered at Brentford back in August.
For a man who seems so straightforward, Ten Hag can be quite mischievous. His party trick is to stick with the same players while deploying them in quirky ways. The opposing manager, studying the United team sheet an hour before kick-off, murmurs “Same old same old”. Then the game begins and there’s yet another new combination in the pivot – Scott McTominay pretending to be Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes being Christian Eriksen – while a deep midfielder turns up as a sort of centre-forward. With Weghorst benched and Martial still not fit enough to start, any old armchair manager would have had Marcus Rashford leading the line, but only Ten Hag would have made him job-share with Marcel Sabitzer.
It was a blind date that went with a swing from the minute their eyes met. Sabitzer was bright, sharp and free from the defensive responsibilities that can weigh him down. Rashford, after his mini-slump, was revitalised: in the first half he didn’t put a foot wrong, reaching the holy grail of 100% pass success. When United strikers swap places, it’s usually a lateral process – Rashford trots over from the left wing to the right in the middle of the first half, before going back again five minutes later. This was different: a rare case of longitudinal thinking. Rashford kept dropping back into the No 10 slot, with Sabitzer running ahead of him. It might have been a waste of Rashford’s pace, but it worked because Brentford’s back three, usually so organised, didn’t know where to put themselves, because Fernandes was good at conducting the orchestra, and because Rashford and Sabitzer were singing the same tune.
Together this odd couple conjured up the winning goal. First they combined in a flowing move that won a corner. Jadon Sancho’s ball in was easily headed away, but then Sabitzer saw Antony shaping to chip, darted into a pocket of space in the middle of the box, and aimed a sideways cushioned header at the feet of Rashford, who hit a sweet half-volley. It was as if Newcastle had never happened. It was also a glimmer of hope, suggesting that Antony may finally have worked out what wingers are supposed to do. Next thing we know, he’ll go past his full-back.
Ten Hag’s United have never lost to the same opponents twice. Brentford join Man City, Aston Villa and Real Sociedad on United’s list of conquerors who have then been conquered in a rematch. With Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle it went the other way – United managing a win (even a trophy), then messing up the next meeting. Brighton are the only other club to have beaten United, who will soon have two bites at the cherry of revenge – one in the FA Cup semi-final, the other in the league. Neither game will be easy, but the evidence says that Ten Hag will find a way to win one of them.
Tim de Lisle is the editor of United Writing and a sportswriter for The Guardian. If you’re on Twitter, do follow him and United Writing. And if you received this piece by email, please feel free to forward it to any fellow supporters.