Manchester United are back in the top four after a narrow 1-0 win over Brentford at Old Trafford, with Erik ten Hag’s men moving three points clear of Tottenham Hotspur as a result.
United could pull away further as they have a game in hand on the London club but Ten Hag will be pleased to have put an end to a three-game winless run in the Premier League.
Brentford were in terrific form going into the game and it was always going to be a tight affair but Marcus Rashford’s first-half strike proved to be enough to secure all three points.
The 25-year-old has now scored 28 goals in all competitions this season – the joint-most of any player in one single season since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Speaking after helping his side get back on the winning track, Rashford provided his verdict on the game and underlined the importance of finishing inside the top four.
“We are in that period of the season where every game is important and every game counts so we are pleased to win and hopefully we can get back to where we were a few weeks ago,” Rashford is quoted as saying by the BBC.
“The important thing is always to win the next game. Everyone is clear that we are not going to play our best every week but there is never a time to drop our standards and we have to keep trying to push each other every week.
“We were a bit more patient out of possession, we waited for the right conditions to press rather than pressing every ball. We were calm and kept communicating to try and stop the supplies to their forward men.”
Quizzed further on United’s targets, Rashford made it clear that the Reds were targetting a top-four finish.
“That’s the aim,” he added. “We want to get as many points as we possibly can and we will try and win every game. We just have to keep playing well and give our best, keep recovering well and move on to the next fixture.”
United will be looking to build on this result and make it back-to-back victories in the Premier League this weekend when Sean Dyche’s Everton make the trip to Old Trafford.
Casemiro, who has missed the last three games, will serve the final game of his four-match suspension and Christian Eriksen could be named on the bench as he steps up his recovery.
