Kevin Schade scored twice as Brentford boosted their European hopes after surviving a nervy finish to hold out for a 4-3 victory over Manchester United.
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Yoane Wissa was also on target as Thomas Frank’s side recorded their third straight win, though they were given a late fright at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Mason Mount’s early goal - his first in 13 months - was cancelled out by a Luke Shaw own goal, while Schade’s header completed the turnaround before half-time.
The German nodded in his second after the break, while Wissa’s tap-in made it 4-1. Alejandro Garnacho's stunning long-range effort and a goal from substitute Amad, on his return from injury, gave Man Utd hope, but it was too late for the visitors.
Sunday's win takes Brentford up to ninth in the Premier League table – six higher than Ruben Amorim’s side, who remain 15th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
38 | +12 | 65 |
| 8 |
Brighton
BHA
|
38 | +7 | 61 |
| 9 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | +12 | 56 |
| 10 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | +9 | 56 |
| 11 |
Fulham
FUL
|
38 | 0 | 54 |
How the match unfolded
Man Utd handed a full debut to Danish striker Chido Obi, aged 17 years and 156 days old, as he became their youngest-ever player to start a Premier League match.
United's starting XI, with an average age of just 22 years and 270 days, was also the third-youngest side named for a Premier League match, behind Middlesbrough's team at Fulham in May 2006 (20 years and 181 days) and Arsenal's side at Portsmouth in May 2009 (22 years and 237 days).
Amorim's side took the lead after 14 minutes when Garnacho exchanged passes with Kobbie Mainoo, before his low cross was turned in by Mount.
However, Brentford drew level on 27 minutes as United failed to deal with Michael Kayode's long throw, and Mikkel Damsgaard's attempt to help the ball towards goal was deflected in by Shaw.
The hosts then completed the turnaround six minutes later. With Matthijs de Ligt down injured, Schade nodded in Christian Norgaard's deep cross at the far post.
Schade struck again to give Brentford breathing space in the 70th minute, reacting quickly to head home after Bryan Mbeumo’s attempted shot ricocheted kindly into his path.
In scoring Schade's second goal - and his 10th in the Premier League this season - Brentford became only the third club in Europe's top five leagues to have three players who have netted 10+ league goals in the 2024/25 campaign, after Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Things got even better for the Bees four minutes later as Kayode got in behind the United defence, before squaring for Wissa to tap into an empty net.
Garnacho reduced the deficit when he flashed a fierce 20-yard effort into the top corner, beyond a flat-footed Mark Flekken, before Amad cut in from the right-hand side and curled the ball past the Brentford goalkeeper.
Bees bounce back for third straight win
A resurgent Brentford were aiming to continue their momentum after a four-match unbeaten league run, while also having ended their eight-game winless streak on home soil against Brighton & Hove Albion last time out.
Despite sounding an early warning with Schade firing over from Yehor Yarmoliuk’s deep cross, the Bees fell behind to Man Utd's swift counter that was finished by Mount.
Nevertheless, they responded well and quickly flipped the contest in their favour, and it took smart saves from Altay Bayindir to prevent them further extending their lead before the break.
Wissa could not quite apply the finishing touch from a set-piece just before the hour mark, but Schade made no mistake as he notched his 10th Premier League goal of the season.
Wissa did eventually get in on the act, though what looked set to be a comfortable victory turned into a hard-earned one. Flekken was helpless for Garnacho’s superb strike, but will know he perhaps should have done better with Amad’s attempt.
Nevertheless, the three points are the most important thing for Brentford, who will want to continue their strong finish to the season away at relegated Ipswich Town next weekend.
Red Devils run ragged
Man Utd's focus is undoubtedly elsewhere, with their UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao coming up on Thursday. Nevertheless, the Red Devils would have been eager to end their five-match winless Premier League streak.
Not since December 2015 had they gone six without victory in the top flight, and the visitors had an early scare when Shaw almost headed into his own net after just three minutes.
However, United were unbeaten after scoring first in the Premier League this season, so the omens looked promising when Mount netted his first goal since March 2024 which, incidentally, also came against Brentford.
But it proved a false dawn for Amorim’s side, who lost De Ligt to injury during the first half - the defender replaced by Harry Maguire after only 35 minutes - and soon found themselves behind as they struggled to deal with set-pieces and balls into the box.
Garnacho gave them hope inside the final 10 minutes, and an improbable comeback seemed a little more likely when Amad’s shot squeezed through Flekken’s grasp in stoppage time.
Ultimately, though, it was too little, too late, and attention now returns to Europe with the hope of converting a healthy 3-0 advantage into securing a place in the Europa League final.
Club reports
Brentford report | Man Utd report
What the managers said
Thomas Frank: "I think we definitely have momentum. The last 13 we've had a really good run of games, there's a flow of playing well. We need to keep that up. The next one is the most important game and that's Ipswich away. It's already a good season, let's see if it can be a good or incredible season."
Rubem Amorim: "I liked (performance of) the young kids. I liked how we controlled the game without many occasions to score. In first 30 mins we struggle with set-pieces but we already knew we didn't have the height to fight that. In second half we are near the draw and we suffer two goals like we did in beginning when we suffer one and let it go. We fight but in the end we lose but good things for the future.
"I don't know so I'm really concerned [about De Ligt's injury] - not about Thursday. We took off Luke Shaw at half-time to protect and have players for Thursday, but I'm more concerned whether it is a small or big injury and thinking about next season."
Remaining PL fixtures
Key facts
Since Amorim took charge on 11 November 2024, only the now-relegated sides of Ipswich Town and Leicester City (both three), and Southampton (one) have won fewer Premier League games than Man Utd's total of six.
Brentford have won three successive Premier League matches for the first time since October/November 2023.
Man Utd lost a Premier League match in which they led for the first time this season, meaning all 20 clubs have now done so in the 2024/25 competition. It’s only the third time in a single Premier League campaign that every side lost at least one game in which they were ahead, after 2015/16 and 2020/21.
The Bees have won 15 Premier League matches this season, their joint-most in a campaign in the competition, along with 2022/23.