Frank Onyeka made a crucial contribution from the bench in Brentford’s impressive 2-1 victory over Manchester United.
The Bees took an early lead in the 8th minute through Igor Thiago, and the Brazilian striker doubled the hosts’ advantage just 12 minutes later, leaving Manchester United with a difficult mountain to climb.
Despite a response from Benjamin Sesko, who halved the deficit in the 26th minute, United had a golden opportunity to equalize when Nathan Collins was penalized for pulling down Bryan Mbeumo in the box.
Bruno Fernandes stepped up but saw his penalty attempt brilliantly saved by Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who dived to deny the United captain, pushing the ball wide of the post.
Onyeka featured for 17 minutes, played his part in securing the win, contributing five accurate passes and completing two successful dribbles, providing energy and support in midfield.
Brentford head coach Keith Andrews spoke to BBC Match of the Day after the match and reflected on the dramatic nature of the game:
“It was deserved. It was quite dramatic at times—penalties, VAR, the usual. But if you scrutinize the game, we were very good and we caused a lot of problems.
“You are always going to get a reaction, but we stuck to it. The substitutes did brilliantly. It was a deserved win.”
Andrews also praised match-winner Thiago for his resilience and quality:
“He is a top human being. He had to suffer last year because of being injured for a significant amount of time. I know what type of person he is and his qualities as a footballer.
“We are building new relationships now. You can see that with the front three, they will get better and better.
“It was a different front-line last year, but this is one that has a lot of potential and a lot of ability. I’m really excited about it.”
Brentford’s next game will be against United’s neighbors, Manchester City , with Onyeka looking to make an impact.
