Manchester United played out a 1-1 draw against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
United were dominated and were very poor across the 90 minutes including additional time. The Red Devils thought they had completed an incredible smash-and-grab when substitute Mason Mount found the back of the net in the 96th minute.
However, United were hit back just three minutes later when Thomas Frank’s men scored at the death.
Pitiful defending from United allowed Ivan Toney to produce a cut-back which found Kristoffer Ajer unmarked inside the box. The Brentford star made no mistake from close range as he restored parity and ensured the spoils were shared.
United had 53% possession to Brentford’s 47% share of the ball.
The 20-time English champions managed just five shots from the 11 total cracks at goal. In comparison, their opponents registered 31 shots. Five of these required Andre Onana to swing into action.
United put together 445 passes with a success rate of 80%.
The Bees strung 378 passes with a completion rate of 69%.
One of United’s poorest performers at the Gtech Community Stadium was Scott McTominay, who ghosted almost entirely in midfield.
He started in a midfield trio also consisting of Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes.
This term, McTominay has been criticised for his little input in the middle of the park despite his heroics going forward and in front of goal.
While he can chip in with the odd goal every now and then, it has been suggested that McTominay’s presence in the team is overall a net detriment to United as he offers little both on and off the ball.
At times, McTominay fading left Mainoo exposed, outnumbered and with large tracts of space to defend.
The Scotland international surprisingly played every minute of action against Brentford. He had 52 touches of the ball to his name.
He successfully delivered 23 of the 33 passes he attempted to find his teammates with, managing a pass accuracy of 70%.
The 27-year-old failed to deliver even one key pass or cross.
McTominay tried to ping two long balls. He found his intended target on just one occasion. The single shot McTominay registered was off-target and hardly threatened Flekken’s goal.
The United star embarked on one dribble but didn’t complete it.
He delved into four ground duels and came out on top once. He was also required to contest nine aerial challenges. He won five of these.
McTominay lost possession 14 times. He made five clearances. The player blocked one shot and made as many tackles. He was also dribbled past once.
(Stats obtained from Sofascore)
Going forward, it’s imperative United either find a way to accommodate McTominay and mask his weaknesses or completely relegate him from being a guaranteed starter.
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