United ship 4 at the Gtech Community Stadium for the second time in three seasons as Thomas Frank's Bees get another memorable win over MUFC.

The Red Devils were coming into this one on the back of one hell of a win in Bilbao but similarly to that epic 5-4 over Lyon, this game was followed by a disappointing defeat in the Premier League.

Ruben's Reds couldn't be more in contrast with themselves as in Europe, we are unbeatable whereas in England, we cannot win.

Two wins in last 13 for Amorim in the PL.

Make it make sense.

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We all knew there was to be rotation with the starting lineup as the United boss made eight changes to the team that were triumphant on Thursday. Only Dorgu, Ugarte and Garnacho keeping their spots in the side.

Despite how the game ended, it was United who took the early lead as the man we all still see as a Chelsea player Mason Mount made it 1-0. Maybe due to the blue kit he thought he was still playing for the Blues and fired home his 2nd goal for the club. His first happened to come against Brentford last season.

The home side then started to dominant and were in United's final third more often than not. This resulted in a somewhat fortunate equalizer but thanks to our poor defending, Brentford put the ball in the back of the net after a long throw-in caused us problems. Shaw, who was the stand-in captain, with the unlucky own goal.

Just 6 minutes later and the turnaround was complete. Kevin Schade with the goal from a cross at the back post. United were incensed that the referee didn't stop the game after De Ligt went down injured just before that header.

Another silly goal for MUFC to concede all the same and in the end, it resulted in a double whammy as the Dutch defender had to be taken off. Winger Harry Maguire was brought on for him.

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Once they took the lead however, Brentford didn't look back as they further extended that lead after Schade with his second and Yoane Wissa added his name on the score sheet to make it 4-1 and seal the win.

However, it wasn't as plain sailing from there for the Bees as 2 late goals, one a firecracker by Garnacho and another by the returning Amad made the finish a little more nervy than Thomas Frank would've liked.

They managed to hold out in the end and increase their hopes of playing European football next season which would be a first for the club.

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These defeats are becoming a little too consistent in domestic action. I know that the league is a bust but it is still unacceptable to be losing as many games as we are. This is now the 16th loss of the season. 16th.

‍11 of those defeats have come under Ruben Amorim.

He has been saying that the focus is on the Europa League which is understandable but this doesn't mean that the league should taken as pre-season.

While there was a lot of rotation, this was an opportunity for those on the pitch to show to the manager that maybe they should be considered for Thursday. After all, he did say there was a chance for those playing on Sunday to be able to play on Thursday but it depended on how they performed. I doubt that he would've changed his plans for his selection for that all important second leg after seeing what he saw today.

I don't think there's much difference to the tactics from Amorim either when it comes to the league and EL. His tactics are the same but it's the players who simply cannot do it in domestic action for a reason that he himself cannot explain.

That injury to De Ligt will have also been a dagger to the gut as he has been one of our best players this season and so important to that defense. With him, we are a much better defensive unit making us all feel more confident that we can keep teams out.

The update was positive though, as the defender walked out the stadium rather than needing any support such as crutches. Whether he will recover in time for Thursday is another matter.

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Ratings

Bayindir - 5.5

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Fredricson - 6

De Ligt - 6

Shaw - 5

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Dorgu - 6

Ugarte - 6.5

Mainoo - 5.5

Amass - 6

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Mount - 6

Garnacho - 6.5 MOTM

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Chido Obi - 6

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Maguire - 6

Lindelof - 6

Eriksen - 6

Yoro - 6

Amad - 6.5

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Ruben Amorim - 6.5

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Final Thoughts

I honestly don't care about the league at this point. I don't want to repeat what I've said for previous matchdays but the position we finish in is embarrassing regardless of that number. It's completely unacceptable but as we have other priorities, what's happening in the league is of little import at the moment.

We HAVE to win the Europa. There is no other way.

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Brentford beat Man Utd 4-3 to condemn Red Devils to 16th loss in the Premier League | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)