Rashford, De Gea Get High Praise From Manager In Win Over Brentford

Manchester United is back to their winning ways in the English Premier League after pulling off a strong 1-0 victory over Brentford, and manager Erik ten Hag was quick to break down what went well for his wards this time around.

"We played very good football, especially [in the] first half. The second half was more of a battle. It is not easy against this very good Brentford team to play well. There was passion and desire and we got it over the line," ten Hag told BBC Match of the Day.

Brentford did make the Red Devils work hard for the lone goal of the match as they played stout defense all-around to start the game, denying them from taking easy attempts inside the box.

However, Manchester United would find the breakthrough thanks to a lofted ball from Antony that eventually found its way to the educated feet of Marcus Rashford, by way of Marcel Sabitzer, who fired it into the roof of the net at the 28-minute mark.

The Bees would look to capitalize off a mistake from the home team in the second half as an outlet pass intended for Jadon Sancho was picked off, allowing on-loan winger Kevin Schade to make an unopposed run.

Going one-on-one with David de Gea at the 67th minute, Schade did not have enough space to challenge the Spanish keeper as his attempt was easily sent away.

As the problem of Brentford's strong defense was gradually solved, they had a golden opportunity to add another goal to the tally, but Fred's attempt went over the goal and right into the Stretford End crowd.

Ten Hag had high praise for both Rashford and De Gea, crediting the former's high activity and effort for their success on offense and the latter's consistency in-goal on the defensive end.

"Of course, this is a massive win [in] the Premier League, especially over Brentford. In 16 games they have only lost one. It is always difficult to play against them and to beat them but we did so I am proud of my team today," ten Hag stated.

The win puts Manchester United back into the top four of the Premier League as they hope to secure a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League.

While a domestic league title is out of the question for the storied Premier League club, they need every point from here on out as they are in tough competition with the other top-four hopefuls.

Newcastle United, who dominated Manchester United on Sunday, April 2, currently holds the No. 3 spot despite having the same amount of points (53) because of the goal difference.

The Tottenham Hotspurs (50 points) and Brighton & Hove Albion (46 points) are both hot on their heels as they are fifth and sixth respectively in the Premier League.

The Red Devils' next fixture sees them take on Everton this Saturday, April 8 before facing Spanish La Liga club Sevilla FC in the first leg of their quarterfinals matchup in the UEFA Europa League on April 14.