Man Utd flop who had a “nightmare” was even worse than Shaw vs Brentford

It was yet another devastating result for Manchester United. The Red Devils slumped to another defeat, this time losing 3-1 away from home to Brentford. Ruben Amorim’s side have now lost three games in the top flight this season, winning just two and drawing the other.

That is merely a continuation of the dismal form shown under their Portuguese manager. United have only won 12 games under Amorim in not far off one year, and are yet to win back-to-back games in the Premier League.

Their trip to the Gtech Community was a chance to do just that. However, two first-half goals from Igor Thiago in the first half, and a late strike from Vitaly Janelt were enough to seal the three points for the Bees.

The only real positive for United was the fact that Benjamin Sesko bagged his first goal for the club. It was a strike that showed lots of fight, scrapping for a ball in the penalty box before finally firing a shot into the back of the net.

It was another disappointing day at the office for Amorim’s side. No one really covered themselves in glory. One player who struggled was defender Luke Shaw.

Shaw’s performance vs. Brentford

One of the Red Devils’ most experienced players, Shaw, once again started as the left centre-back in Amoirm’s infamous back three system. He has certainly had better performances in a United shirt.

The England international, who is normally excellent on the ball, was surprisingly poor in possession in West London. Out of possession, he struggled against the physicality of Brentford’s forwards, including goalscorer Thiago.

In terms of his numbers from the lunchtime kickoff, the 30-year-old had 71 touches, losing the ball 17 times. He only won one duel from four attempted, and made one error, which led to a Brentford shot, per Sofascore.

Goal journalist Richard Martin seemingly agreed that the experienced defender did not put in his best performance against the West Londoners. He gave him a 5/10 for his efforts and highlighted his struggles with the ball at his feet, describing him as “sloppy in possession.”

It was certainly not Shaw’s best day at the office, although he was not United’s worst player at the Gtech Community Stadium.

The United player who worse than Shaw

Shaw was certainly not the only player in a United shirt who struggled against the Bees. Harry Maguire was at fault for the first goal, and goalkeeper Altay Bayindir could have done better for the second strike.

However, Bruno Fernandes put in a surprisingly poor performance. The United captain had his afternoon summed up by Statman Dave, who called the situation a “nightmare.” Indeed, he struggled to get involved creatively and, crucially, missed a penalty.

That effort from 12 yards was certainly not his finest moment of the season. The second penalty he’s missed in West London this season, Fernandes struck his effort low to the goalkeeper’s left, which Caoimhin Kelleher easily managed to tip away.

It was a moment that summed up Fernandes’ afternoon. The Portugal international, once again operating deeper in a pivot, struggled to create a chance, playing just one key pass, and losing the ball 18 times.

Indeed, Martin seemed to agree that the United captain had a day to forget at the Gtech Community Stadium. He gave Fernandes a match rating of 4/10 and, unfortunately, did not have anything positive to discuss from his performance.

United’s number eight certainly was not involved enough creatively, either. Perhaps that is more on Amoirm rather than the reflection of a poor showing. Fernandes would surely be able to create more chances if he were playing further forward, rather than in a pivot. With that being said, perhaps you’d have expected him to create more with United chasing the game.

It was definitely a day to forget for Fernandes. Normally, such a consistent penalty taker, he missed from the spot to make it 2-2 and give United a fighting chance of getting a positive result.