The personal highlight in Man United's victory over Brentford was Benjamin Sesko's goal after an assist from Bruno Fernandes. For Sesko, this is his 10th goal in the Premier League this season, a good sign after a deadlock in the beginning of the season. As for Bruno personally, the Portuguese midfielder has equaled Mesut Ozil's one-season assist record (19).
Thus, with just one more assist, the captain of the "Red Devils" will reach the milestone of 20 assists in a season, equaling the record of Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. Man United have 4 more matches and the opportunity to reach the milestone, even surpass it, for Bruno Fernandes is not small.
In the first half alone, the confrontation with Brentford, Bruno Fernandes had 4 opening balls for teammates, of which Sesko successfully took advantage of 1 time. No matter which position Man United finishes in this season, the class of the 31-year-old midfielder is undeniable. He deserves to be nominated for the best player of the season by PFA and FWA.
The recent performance against Brentford not only bears the imprint of Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro also needs to be mentioned. The Brazilian midfielder has had 9 goals since the beginning of the season after scoring the opening goal. Among them, he has 8 headed goals, equaling Dwight Yorke's record (1999-2000 season). Thus, just needing 1 more goal from aerial duels, Casemiro will break the Premier League record.
Bruno Fernandes' corner kick on the right wing was crossed deep into the far post for Harry Maguire, who headed back the ball to the starting position, creating an opportunity for Casemiro to finish into goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher's net.
With Maguire and Sesko, Man United have more major threats in the penalty area. This is their 20th goal from set pieces this season, only behind Arsenal.
Two months ago, Casemiro said goodbye after this season ended. Witnessing that performance of Real Madrid legend, tens of thousands of fans at Old Trafford unanimously shouted wanting the board of directors to keep this midfielder. Casemiro could not help but be moved and shed tears when witnessing that moment.
Before Michael Carrick led Man United, the team is 1 point behind Brentford. Up to now, the gap between the two teams is 13 points and The Bees have dropped to 9th place. Man United are 11 points ahead of Brighton in 6th place (not qualifying for the Champions League) and the league has 4 rounds left. This means that The Red Devils only need to win 2 more points to be 100% sure of returning to the most prestigious European playground next season.
Man United's performance against Brentford was good in terms of results but in terms of overall play there were still many points to be adjusted. After the opening goal, they lost the game and only the excellence of goalkeeper Senne Lammens could maintain the gap. Although Sesko scored the second goal before halftime, the away team still created enough danger to show that they still had a chance to win.
To cope with this, Michael Carrick made the earliest substitution decision in 13 matches leading Man United. The English coach replaced Amad Diallo with Noussair Mazraoui in the second half. Surprisingly, Man United then switched to the familiar 3-4-3 formation of Ruben Amorim.
Man United finished with a 2-1 victory. Although there were many other matches that were not too convincing, Carrick still maintained his effectiveness. 6/9 past victories all had a 1-goal difference, not too pleasing to the eye but still enough to win 3 points.
Man United has maintained the No. 1 position in the rankings in terms of points since Carrick returned to the coaching bench. According to Fabrizio Romano, on April 28, some information has begun to appear about the English strategist having a conversation with Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The content of the exchange is expected to discuss the club's upcoming direction and Carrick's future after this season.
