MAN UNITED SUFFER BRENTFORD BLOW
Red Devils’ Champions League hopes suffer after conceding late equaliser
London, England - Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw at lowly Brentford after Kristoffer Ajer’s 99th-minute equaliser in their Premier League clash on Saturday, denting the visitors’ hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Substitute Mason Mount thought he had given United an undeserved and dramatic victory when he slotted home in the 96th minute after Brentford had dominated the game.
But Ajer smashed home Ivan Toney’s cut-back from close range three minutes later to deny United the win.
“There are still many games to go,” United’s disappointed boss Erik ten Hag told reporters when asked if his side could still qualify for Europe’s elite club competition.
Ten Hag accepted United were second-best throughout at Brentford but was left to rue his players’ inability to “bring it over the line” after taking a last-gasp lead.
“We didn’t deserve to win but if you are winning you have to take this,” the Dutchman said.
The draw leaves Brentford in
15th place, five points above the relegation zone, but they deserved so much more.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur won to boost their Champions League qualifying hopes on a day which saw a scoring spree of 29 goals, topping any Premier League
matchday this season.
Moussa Diaby and Ezri Konsa netted in Villa’s 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers to keep their side in fourth place with 59 points from 30 matches, three points ahead of Spurs.
Tottenham came from behind to beat visitors Luton Town 2-1
and remain in fifth place, which could be enough for Champions League football next season, with a game in hand over Villa.
Villa’s win against their Midlands rivals was no classic, but the first victory for manager Unai Emery over Wolves at the seventh attempt ended a two-game winless run in the league.
“We wanted to focus on our game and that is what we did. We got the three points and I got a goal myself, so happy days,” Konsa said. “It’s a massive win, with Tottenham’s result earlier, we knew we had to win.”
Son Heung-min’s 86th minute strike earned Spurs all three points against Luton to keep the pressure on Villa.
Luton dropped back below Forest into the relegation zone as they were stung by South Korean Son’s late winner.
Tahith Chong gave the visitors a surprise early lead at Spurs but Issa Kabore’s own goal in the 51st levelled it up.
Tottenham captain Son then started and finished a flowing late move to bag his 160th goal for the club.
At the bottom, battling Forest, whose four-point penalty during the international break had dropped them to 18th in the table, fell behind at home to Crystal Palace.
But Chris Wood rescued a point which lifted Forest to 17th place, level on 22 points with Luton after 30 games but with a superior goal difference.
Newcastle’s win over West Ham United was more dramatic as they trailed 3-1 with 77 minutes on the clock but two goals from Harvey Barnes gave them a 4-3 victory.
Newcastle are eighth but now only a point behind seventhplaced West Ham with a game in hand.