It doesn’t matter what they did two weeks ago, this is still the modern Manchester United, and they are still dismal. A 1-1 draw hardly tells the story of the game. Brentford had 31 shots, four of which hit the woodwork. They didn’t score until the ninth minute of injury time, by which point they were mystifyingly behind, but really by then they should have won almost as comfortably as they did in this fixture last season.
The problem for United under Ten Hag has been that, while there have been good performances and results, they have rarely been followed by anything approaching a consistent run. Quite what the win over Liverpool in the FA Cup was, other than thrilling, is unclear. There were long spells when United were second-best in that game but they had the spirit and resilience to hang in and find a win. It’s far too early to know whether history will remember that as a turning point or a last flailing of a fading beast, at least before a change of manager.
