Manchester United took a tidy Premier League win at Old Trafford, beating Brentford 2-1 in Round 34. Casemiro’s early header set the tone in front of 73,773 fans, with Benjamin Šeško doubling the lead before the break. Mathias Jensen pulled one back late on, but United saw it out under referee Chris Kavanagh.

A flying start at Old Trafford

United were ahead after 11 minutes. Bruno Fernandes kept the attack alive and found Harry Maguire, who headed across goal for Casemiro to nod in from close range. It was sharp, simple and exactly the start the home crowd wanted.

Šeško made it 2-0 on 43 minutes. The move began with Amad Diallo clearing his lines, Fernandes carried the ball and slid a pass into Šeško, who finished clinically with his right foot. United went in two up, having converted two of their three big chances.

Brentford’s late push

Keith Andrews’ side grew after the interval and their subs changed the picture. Reiss Nelson came on and provided a neat assist for Jensen, who finished from inside the box in the 87th minute. Dango Ouattara had earlier struck the woodwork and Brentford’s second‑half xG topped United’s, but the equaliser never came.

There was late admin for the notebook: Joshua Zirkzee saw yellow for time wasting at 90+2, while Nathan Collins was booked for dissent at 90+6. United managed five minutes of added time without major alarms.

The stat sheet

Brentford edged possession 55% and total shots 12 to 11, but United led for shots on target 6 to 4. Big chances finished 3 to 2 in United’s favor, with the hosts scoring two of them. The xG read 1.27 for United and 1.43 for Brentford.

United’s work without the ball told the story. They won 65% of all duels, completed 30 tackles to Brentford’s 8 and made 48 clearances. Set pieces were busy too, with corners at 7 to 8 and free kicks 9 to 6.

Sofascore Ratings: who stood out

Casemiro posted a standout Sofascore Rating of 9.4. He scored the opener, won 16 duels, made 11 tackles, completed 42 of 49 passes and cleared his lines nine times. Maguire earned 8.1 with an assist, nine clearances, four aerials won and two shots on target. Fernandes delivered a Sofascore Rating of 7.8 with six key passes and one assist, while Kobbie Mainoo matched 7.8 thanks to 4/4 tackles and steady ball progression.

For Brentford, Jensen scored and led the visitors with a 7.9. Mikkel Damsgaard hit 7.1 and created a big chance, while Yehor Yarmoliuk posted 7.0 in midfield. In goal, Senne Lammens made five saves and two high claims for a 7.4, with Caoimhin Kelleher at 6.9 after three saves.