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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Kyle Newbould

Erik ten Hag's Luke Shaw concern evident in Manchester United moments missed vs Brentford

Manchester United returned to winning ways on Wednesday evening with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at home to Brentford.

Marcus Rashford scored the only goal of the game on 27 minutes, firing home from close range after Marcel Sabitzer knocked down Antony's chipped ball into the box. United had much the better of the first-half, with Scott McTominay blazing a decent chance over, the only concern being Luke Shaw's substitution with what looked like an injury.

Brentford grew into the game after the break but rarely threatened, their only shot on target coming when substitute Kevin Schade raced through on goal before seeing his dinked effort smothered by David de Gea. Three points saw the Reds reestablish their place in the top-four, behind Newcastle on goal difference after they beat West Ham.

LIVE: United vs Brentford latest from Old Trafford

Here are five things United fans may have missed from the win.

De Gea gets an early shout

Brentford goalkeeper David Raya is known for his quality in possession but the Spaniard took it to the extreme inside 10 minutes, stepping into the United half while on the ball. His eventual long ball was claimed by De Gea, with some rather speculative calls around Old Trafford for him to shoot.

A goal from his own penalty area would have sent some message to Ten Hag, who has made no secret of his concerns with De Gea's quality on the ball - not least as it would have been against a goalkeeper in Raya who United have been linked with in recent weeks.

Brentford's sneaky meeting

As has happened across the Premier League over the last couple of days, the game at Old Trafford was paused shortly after sunset to allow those observing Ramadan to break their fast. Brentford's Bryan Mbuemo took the chance to get a couple of energy gels down him, but it was Frank looking to take advantage of the pause in play.

The Bees boss called over all of his players for a quick tactical meeting while others took on some water, something which is not actually meant to happen during these breaks. A lot of United's players remained on the pitch and Ten Hag was quick to alert the referee of Frank's sneaky meeting.

Ten Hag's Shaw concern

Injury to Shaw will be of huge concern for Ten Hag and United, with the 27-year-old's experience pivotal in this most crucial of run-ins. Fresh from penning a four-year deal earlier this week, the left-back looked to be holding his hamstring before gingerly leaving the pitch for Tyrell Malacia.

A quick chat with his boss, hand over mouth as has become the norm in modern football, and Shaw was straight off down the tunnel with a pat on the head from the Dutchman and a concerned look as he headed to the dressing room.

Martinez getting physical

In the reverse fixture, Lisandro Martinez came in for plenty of criticism - some fair, some not - for failing to cope with Brentford's physicality. Well, the Argentinian clearly had that in his mind this evening and went toe-to-toe with Ivan Toney all over the pitch.

The Brentford striker picked up a loose ball in his own third following a United set-piece, but barely had the chance to look up before being clattered with a fair but strong Martinez sliding challenge. The Bees forward was far from happy, remonstrating with the assistant referee as Martinez jogged back into position content with a job well done.

McTominay loves a block

Fresh from netting four goals in two games for Scotland during the international break, McTominay enjoyed a more defensive role this evening as he did against Newcastle on Sunday. The 26-year-old was in front of everything Brentford threw at him in a battling performance.

As Frank's side started to push on in search of an equaliser, substitute Shandon Baptiste fired off an effort from just outside the box, but was quickly thwarted by a flying McTominay who jumped up and celebrated with Sabitzer as if he'd just scored - a great moment for Reds fans to see and exactly what they'd want from their midfielder.

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