Manchester United edge past Brentford to close in on Champions League qualification

[p]There was nearly a late contender for the goal of the season inside the first two minutes, when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mainoo-kobbie/nBy3DbC3/"]Kobbie Mainoo[/a] weaved and slalomed through a sea of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brentford/xYe7DwID/"]Brentford[/a] bodies before finding [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/traore-amad/I5Rhq1WL/"]Amad Diallo[/a] with the goal seemingly at his mercy.[/p][p]It deserved a finish, but the Ivorian international was denied by a smart block on the line by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-den-berg-sepp/6X0pS3GR/"]Sepp van den Berg[/a]. [/p][p]Shortly afterwards, it was [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kelleher-caoimhin/4S8JqWN0/"]Caoimhin Kelleher[/a]’s turn for heroics, with goal-line technology confirming that he had clawed away [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maguire-harry/xG8v3YRA/"]Harry Maguire[/a]’s header in the nick of time. [/p][p]But it was an ominous start for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/andrews-keith/OjJhW3k1/"]Keith Andrews[/a]’ side.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/casemiro/Ukeq3c0b/"]Casemiro[/a] provided the breakthrough in the 11th minute, Maguire turning provider on this occasion as he nodded a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandes-bruno/GYvAMDm2/"]Bruno Fernandes[/a] cross back across the box into the path of the Brazilian, who headed in his ninth PL goal of the season, further improving on what was already his best-ever goal-scoring campaign.[/b][/p][p]Another in-form scorer, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rodriguez-thiago/MmJb4MzQ/"]Igor Thiago[/a], had the chance to supply a rapid response, but somehow missed his kick at the far post under pressure from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/shaw-luke/88iLXV0O/"]Luke Shaw[/a]. [/p][p]Thiago had two more big chances before the half was over, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lammens-senne/UFssg7X4/"]Senne Lammens[/a] also had to be very sharp to prevent an [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/heaven-ayden/rs7PiPFt/"]Ayden Heaven[/a] own goal. [/p][p][b]But in an open contest, only the offside flag denied Amad at the other end, before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sesko-benjamin/QDozP4IN/"]Benjamin Sesko[/a] finally found the hosts’ second on the brink of half-time, courtesy of the latest Fernandes assist, curling past Kelleher after sitting a defender down.[/b][/p][image alt="Momentum" id="a40cfee5-e4d6-4284-96c0-79ae86624f45" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="34d5495e-eaf8-4f13-9d9e-124d1865720e" original-width="1920" original-height="1080" /][p]The Portugal star continued to pull the strings in the second half, knowing that one more assist would move him level with the single-season PL record held by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/henry-thierry/S4aJ3ciG/"]Thierry Henry[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-bruyne-kevin/MsPs6OI5/"]Kevin De Bruyne[/a].[/p][p]But it was the London outfit knocking hardest on the door, with Thiago miscueing yet another chance, relying on the offside flag to spare his blushes. [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ouattara-dango/GvqREHp3/"]Dango Ouattara[/a] could then only find the woodwork from point-blank range, before Maguire bravely got in the way of his acrobatic attempted rebound. [/p][p][b]The contest appeared to be drifting, but [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jensen-mathias/Aijf2AQ6/"]Mathias Jensen[/a] made a game of things when he arrowed a great strike into the corner from the edge of the box in the 87th minute for a career-high fifth goal against the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]Red Devils[/a].[/b][/p][p]That set up a nervy finish for the hosts, but they held on for a valuable win.[/p][p]United have now scored in 22 straight PL games, and face the tantalising prospect of potentially securing UCL qualification with a win against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a] at Old Trafford next weekend, if results elsewhere do not confirm it sooner. [/p][p]Brentford’s winless run stretches back to February, although they remain just two points adrift of sixth, with a first-ever European qualification still on the cards.[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandes-bruno/GYvAMDm2/"]Bruno Fernandes[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]Manchester United[/a])[/b][/p][image alt="Key match stats" id="db97d67c-272d-4a43-b1fc-31f02c046679" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="1eaef789-4f96-4ebf-8179-fa6d79aa8631" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/brentford-xYe7DwID/manchester-utd-ppjDR086/?mid=tQzy4f9T"]Catch up on the match here[/a][/b].[/p]