The Red Devils could have been hammered again by the Bees but almost won the game through their forgotten man before conceding in the 98th minute
Remember Mason Mount? Manchester United fans would have been forgiven for forgetting he played for them but the forgotten midfielder had a fairytale return to the limelight when he scored his first goal for the Red Devils in the 95th minute away at Brentford.
The Bees had played United off the park while hitting the woodwork four times and Thomas Frank could only shake his head at the injustice of it all. But his side finally got what they deserved when Kristoffer Ajer levelled in the 98th minute and United could have no real complaints.
Had it not been for some heroic saves from Andre Onana and some diabolical shooting from their hosts, this could have been another 4-0 hammering in west London. United had some positive early flashes but quickly lost grip of the game and Brentford dominated the first half, with Ivan Toney striking the post and Zanka hitting the bar amid a flurry of 14 shots.
United's only effort of note before Mount's goal was from Rasmus Hojlund which produced a stunning save from Mark Flekken. Onana upstaged him though moments later with a fine double save to thwart Yegor Yarmolyuk and Keane Lewis-Potter, before Yoane Wissa hit the post and Bryan Mbeumo struck the crossbar.
Mount produced a cool finish from inside the area to give United an illogical and undeserved lead but Ajer brought them back down to earth, surely ending their Champions League hopes in the process. They trail fourth-placed Aston Villa by 11 points and fifth-placed Tottenham by eight.
GOAL rates United's players from the Gtech Community Stadium…
GettyGoalkeeper & Defence
Andre Onana (7/10):
Made an outrageous double save in the second half, continuing his surge in form.
Diogo Dalot 6/10):
Anticipated the danger well and not far from scoring from outside the area.
Victor Lindelof (6/10):
Struggled to keep Toney quiet but made a few last-ditch tackles. Injured his hamstring in the second half.
Raphael Varane (6/10):
Made lots of blocks and interceptions before succumbing to an ankle knock late in the first half.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (6/10):
Another solid performance in the unusual position of left-back.
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Kobbie Mainoo (5/10):
Looked tired after his big week with England and suffering an illness days before the game.
Scott McTominay (5/10):
Barely made an impact and was one of the reasons United had no grip on the midfield.
Bruno Fernandes (5/10):
Another underwhelming performance.
GettyAttack
Alejandro Garnacho (4/10):
A big disappointment, creating hardly any danger. Could hardly complain when he was withdrawn.
Rasmus Hojlund (5/10):
Lacking sharpness and couldn't combine with his fellow attackers. Had one good chance but was denied by a fine save from Flekken.
Marcus Rashford (4/10):
Barely got involved save for a bright opening 10 minutes.
GettySubs & Manager
Harry Maguire (5/10):
A little shaky when he replaced Varane.
Lisandro Martinez (4/10):
Made a welcome return after seven weeks out but looked rusty and gifted Toney a chance with a dismal backwards pass.
Antony (6/10):
Inches away from scoring with his trademark move cutting in from the right.
Casemiro (6/10):
Set up Mount's goal and gave United more physicality in midfield but looked tired despite only playing 10 minutes plus added time.
Mason Mount (7/10):
Scored a fine first goal for the club to give him hope of salvaging a season ruined by injuries.
Manager (5/10):
Not the performance he wanted after beating Liverpool, especially with him losing two centre-backs. His substitutes did well but this was another chaotic performance.