We round up the key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from Manchester United v Brentford in our Scout Notes summary.
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RONALDO SCORES AGAIN
In a much-improved attacking display, Man Utd ran out comfortable 3-0 winners over Brentford thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes (£11.6m), Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.2m) and Raphael Varane (£5.5m).
In their final home match of 2021/22, United were at times electric going forward, a far cry from the passive performances witnessed so often throughout the season.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, had the ball in the net during the first-half, but after consulting the VAR, referee Chris Kavanagh ruled it out for offside. However, he later dispatched the penalty he had won, which means he has now scored 18 Premier League goals this season.
Juan Mata’s (£4.7m) performance was equally impressive, with the team clearly benefitting from his creativity and movement in the final-third.
“We deserved to win, it was a decisive victory. We could have scored two or three more goals. Defensively we still had one or two gaps but not as many as in some other games.
You could see that the players had come together, that they liked playing with each other. We had three creative central midfield players on the pitch and that helped us on the ball.
I was very happy that Bruno scored and he had a better performance than in the last couple of games. That was an important issue for the development of the game tonight.” – Ralf Rangnick
FERNANDES’ NEW ROLE
Bruno Fernandes shifted to a wider, fluid role on the left against Brentford, with Mata deployed in his usual number 10 position.
And it didn’t take long for the Portuguese to return as he netted his team’s opener, his first Premier League goal since Gameweek 26.
Arriving in the box to convert a volley from Anthony Elanga’s (£4.8m) excellent cutback, the goal signalled the start of an open game, with Fernandes going on to register more shots (four) than any other player on the pitch.
It’s unlikely the new role sticks, however, with Mata almost certainly making his Old Trafford farewell appearance, with his contract running out at the end of the season.
Above: Bruno Fernandes’ touch heatmap v Brentford in Gameweek 35
“It is a long time since I scored! Obviously, I am happy but those numbers don’t count for me. I want to get numbers with trophies and not with goals.” – Bruno Fernandes
Following tonight’s victory, United are now five points off the top four with two games to play, with a Europa League spot realistically the best they can hope for.
BRENTFORD UNDERWHELM
After keeping a clean sheet in two of their first three Premier League away fixtures, Brentford have now conceded in each of their last 15 matches on the road.
In fact, no side is on a longer run without an away clean sheet in the competition than the Bees.
Notably, Everton are due to take on Thomas Frank’s side at Goodison Park in the first part of their Gameweek 37 double-header, with interest in Richarlison (£7.5m), Demarai Gray (£5.4m) and Anthony Gordon (£4.6m) understandably picking up in the community.
Brentford, meanwhile, have already reached the magical 40-point mark, although survival is not yet mathematically secure.
“We played a Manchester United team who played well today, so congratulations to them. I think we started well for the first five minutes but then Manchester United were on top.
Second half I saw much more my team I want to see play. We were back in the game but made a stupid penalty. It took a little bit out of everything and then we conceded on a set piece. Better second half. We were in the game (at 1-0). We had opportunities and we were equally in the game, which was good.
Eriksen is again a very important player for us. The key is he performs consistently at a high level. It is no secret we would like to do everything we can to keep him.
I don’t think it was a 3-0 defeat in terms of chances. I think it was a fair loss. We have had a very good season in many ways. We win or learn and today we learned a lot.” – Thomas Frank
Manchester United XI: de Gea, Dalot, Lindelof, Varane, Telles, McTominay, Matic (Fred 71), Elanga (Cavani 75), Mata (Jones 75), Fernandes, Ronaldo
Brentford XI: Raya, Ajer, Jansson, Bech, Roerslev, Janelt (Dasilva 71), Norgaard (Jensen 71), Eriksen, Henry, Mbeumo (Wissa 76), Toney
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