Manchester United beat Brentford 2-1

Manchester United beat Brentford 2-1 at Old Trafford on Monday, moving to the brink of a Champions League return. (premierleague.com) (channelnewsasia.com) Casemiro opened the scoring in the 11th minute and Benjamin Sesko made it 2-0 in the 43rd. Mathias Jensen's 87th-minute strike gave Brentford a late chance, but United held on. (premierleague.com) (manutd.com) The opener came from a Bruno Fernandes corner that Harry Maguire headed back across goal for Casemiro to finish. Fernandes then set up Sesko, taking the captain to 19 Premier League assists this season. (manutd.com) (premierleague.com) That leaves Fernandes one assist short of the Premier League single-season record of 20, shared by Thierry Henry in 2002-03 and Kevin De Bruyne in 2019-20. The league said he reached 19 after 34 matches. (premierleague.com) The result kept United in third place. Reuters reported the win took Michael Carrick's side to the brink of Champions League football for the first time since the 2023-24 season. (thestar.com.my) (channelnewsasia.com) United's own match report said two more points will mathematically secure a top-five finish. ESPN reported they were 11 points clear of sixth-placed Brighton with four matches left. (manutd.com) (espn.com) Brentford created enough chances to make the finish uncomfortable. Sky Sports said United benefited from clinical first-half finishing and Brentford wastefulness before Jensen's late long-range goal turned the closing minutes tense. (skysports.com) The attendance was 73,773, according to the Premier League match page, and United's next league game is at home to Liverpool on May 3. Brentford host West Ham on May 2. (premierleague.com 1) (premierleague.com 2)