Manchester United went behind against Brentford in controversial fashion after Matthijs de Ligt was forced off the pitch.
The Red Devils picked up a much-needed 2-1 win over Brentford after an inspired second-half comeback at Old Trafford.
Alejandro Garnacho was the star of the show as he scored his fifth goal of the season before Rasmus Hojlund put Manchester United into the lead with a calm chipped finish.
However, pressure ramped up on Erik ten Hag in the first half when his side trailed to Ethan Pinnock’s opener.
The Brentford centre-back headed the visitors into the lead from a corner, but only after Matthijs de Ligt was forced to the sidelines for a second time to clean up blood from a head injury.
Matthijs de Ligt furious on Old Trafford touchline
De Ligt suffered his injury after leaning down to try and head the ball, only to connect with Kevin Schade’s knee.
It cut his head open and De Ligt won the respect of fans by continuing to battle on despite his injury. He was forced to the sidelines on multiple occasions to clean the blood from his face, including in the dying minutes of the first half.
Brentford had just been awarded a corner but De Ligt was instructed by referee Sam Barrott to go to the touchline for treatment.
With United down to 10 men – and missing one of their tallest defenders – Brentford capitalised and scored the opener.
As quoted by The Mirror, Ten Hag admitted after the game that his side were “angry” with the decision: “We were very angry at half-time because we were controlling the game. I can’t understand why Matthijs was sent off. It was dry blood so he was already treated for the injury.”
Fans spotted De Ligt’s furious reaction after he was forced to watch from the sidelines as Brentford scored.
Mike Dean reacts to Matthijs de Ligt incident
Thankfully United were able to come from behind and secure all three points, but the decision to send De Ligt to the sidelines easily could have had major implications if Brentford went on to win.
Former Premier League referee Mike Dean was quickly asked about his opinion on the incident.
Via Sky Sports [3:53pm, Saturday 19th October], Dean said: “There is no fault whatsoever from the match officials. Once he is bleeding, he cannot stay on the pitch.
“He tried his hardest to wipe the blood on his shirt because his shirt was red and he thought he was going to get away with it. It was all over his face.
“The referee has got no choice but to send him off to get treated, and lo and behold, they go and score. You can’t blame the ref, you blame their medical team for not stopping the bleeding.”
It was a hugely frustrating decision, but questions have to be asked of the medical team why De Ligt had to make several trips to the sidelines to stop the bleeding. If it had been sorted straight after the incident then United may have picked up another clean sheet.
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