"Made them pay" – Garth Crooks names Brentford player who played key role in Manchester United 'destruction'

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Garth Crooks has lavished praise on Brentford midfielder Mathias Jensen for his eye-catching performance in his team's 4-0 win over Manchester United on August 13.

After a 2-1 loss to Brighton Hove & Albion last weekend at Old Trafford, the Red Devils made the trip to London for their second Premier League fixture of the 2022-23 season. However, Erik ten Hag's side were dismantled inside 35 minutes as the Bees scored four goals.

Josh Dasilva opened the scoring, thanks to a David de Gea error before Jensen doubled the lead with a well-placed shot from inside the box. Ben Mee piled on the pressure with a header at the half-hour mark before Bryan Mbuemo slotted in the fourth after a swift counter.

In his 'Team of the Week' column on BBC, Crooks pinpointed Jensen's performance at the Gtech Community Stadium. He wrote:

"I saw it but I could hardly believe it. The destruction of Manchester United against Brentford took less than 45 minutes. The complete destruction took just a few minutes longer. However, what I found concerning was United and their new manager Erik ten Hag hadn't got a clue what to do about it."

He continued:

"Jensen was outstanding, the Denmark international took total advantage of United's casual haphazard approach to this fixture and made them pay. His first goal was brilliantly taken and his overall contribution to the game was excellent. His ball to Ivan Toney, whose first-time pass set up Bryan Mbeumo to score, was just sensational."

Crooks also picked Brentford defender Pontus Jansson as one of the centre-backs in his team. Lauding the 31-year-old, he wrote:

"The Brentford captain never gave the Manchester United forward line a kick in his side's 4-0 win. Cristiano Ronaldo spent most of the first half watching David de Gea pick the ball out of the United net, while Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho seemed frightened to go anywhere near Jansson, just in case it might get a bit physical."

While Brentford will next travel to Fulham on August 20, Manchester United will lock horns with Liverpool at home on August 22.

Manchester United players involved in huge row before Brentford loss

According to the Manchester Evening News, the Manchester United players were involved in a dressing room row in the aftermath of the defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion. The report also added that the players were quarreling but the identities of those involved are unclear.

The cliques that proved to be the downfall of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick last season reportedly still exist within the squad. Furthermore, the presence of certain players who are at the club against their will is said to be affecting morale in the dressing room.