McTominay: 'Man Utd never give up'

Scoring a double in injury time to help Man Utd beat Brentford 2-1 in round 8 of the Premier League, midfielder Scott McTominay affirmed that his team never backs down in the face of difficulties.

"We looked at the game and thought it was a really tough game," McTominay said after the win at Old Trafford. "It's not easy against any team in the Premier League, especially the well-organised ones. But you have to wait for your opportunities and pick your moments. And the mentality of Man Utd is never to give up."

McTominay (left) celebrates scoring the winning goal for Man Utd in the seventh minute of injury time of the second half. Photo: Reuters — McTominay (left) celebrates scoring the winning goal for Man Utd in the seventh minute of injury time of the second half. Photo: *Reuters*

A personal error from Casemiro allowed Mathias Jensen to open the scoring for Brentford in the 26th minute, and the visitors kept that one-goal lead until the end of normal time, before McTominay shone with a double to help the home team snatch all three points. In the third minute of added time, the Scottish midfielder controlled the opponent's poor clearance and finished neatly into the near corner to equalize the score.

The climax came in the seventh minute of injury time, from a free kick, Harry Maguire headed the ball to McTominay who headed it close to the goal, sealing a 2-1 victory and setting Old Trafford on fire. Maguire and McTominay - the two players who brought victory to Man Utd - were once left out of Ten Hag's plans, close to joining West Ham in the summer of 2023 but still wanted to stay to compete for a position.

McTominay became the first player to score a brace after the 90th minute in the Premier League since Tottenham came from behind to win 3-2 thanks to Steven Bergwijn's braces in the fifth and seventh minutes of injury time. McTominay has scored his last ten Premier League goals for Man Utd at Old Trafford - the longest home scoring streak in the competition behind Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's 11 between March 1999 and April 2000.

McTominay counts his stoppage-time double as one of his favourite moments of his career. "I can't put into words how it felt to score the second goal," said the 26-year-old. "It's important for everyone to stick together and that's what this club is about, we do it for the fans. I do it for the fans too, I'm a Man Utd fan so I want the team to do well."

McTominay joined Man Utd's youth team in 2002 and was promoted to the first team in 2017, scoring 21 goals in 215 appearances in all competitions. When asked about the pressure of playing for Man Utd, the 26-year-old replied: "The fans expect us to play well, score goals and get good results, but we have to ignore those things. We have to know we can do better, and not be naive and think we are doing very well when we are not. It is time to move on and this win can be a catalyst for Man Utd to move forward."

Meanwhile, Brentford manager Thomas Frank said: "Football is bitter in moments like this. We did a lot of things well, pushed forward when we could, counter-attacked, defended well and deserved to win. I don't think Man Utd created many chances before scoring. I know Man Utd had more possession, but at least a draw would have been a fairer result."

Hong Duy

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