Manchester United grabbed a much-needed victory on Saturday as Erik ten Hag’s side came from behind to beat Brentford 2-1.
Erik ten Hag needed a victory after returning from the international break.
Manchester United fans would have been fearing the worst though as Brentford took the lead through Ethan Pinnock’s header.
United simply had to respond after the break and Alejandro Garnacho levelled it up, firing home Marcus Rashford’s superb cross.
Rasmus Hojlund then completed the turnaround, dinking the ball over Mark Flekken from a Bruno Fernandes flick to win the game 2-1.
Thomas Frank on Christian Eriksen
This wasn’t vintage United but we saw some fight as well as quality in the second half to turn the game on its head.
United simply could not afford to lose this game and one proven player stepped up to help get the job done.
Christian Eriksen racked up four key passes in a creative performance, driving United forward in the final third.
Eriksen played the pass into Fernandes for Hojlund’s goal and he has now been praised by Brentford boss Thomas Frank.
Frank, who has been linked with the United job, knows all about Eriksen, not only as a fellow Dane but also as his former boss having brought Eriksen to Brentford in 2022.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Frank praised United for an improved second-half performance and drew attention to Eriksen’s display.
Frank praised Eriksen for ‘running the show’ in midfield, suggesting that he was ‘definitely’ one of the key United players who stepped up.
“Of course I give them credit, there’s always two teams on the pitch,” said Frank.
“I think we can do better, we have to play two good halves. If you want to win here you have to have two good halves. So the second half was disappointing. Credit to Manchester United, some of their players stepped up. I think Eriksen was running the show, definitely!” he added.
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Eriksen stepping up amid contract uncertainty
Eriksen may have been called a ‘fool’ by Roy Keane but his performances have been strong of late.
United needed a calming presence in midfield and whilst Eriksen maybe isn’t so athletically gifted at this stage in his career, the quality on the ball is still strong.
Now inside the final year of his contract, Eriksen may be playing his final season as a United player and interest is already mounting.
Reports just a few days ago suggested that MLS clubs are rivalling Ajax in the race to sign Eriksen.
We would still expect to see Eriksen move on in 2025 but he is certainly staking a claim for another deal at Old Trafford having impressed of late.
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