Manchester United sacked one manager – their greatest manager – during the international break when they ended Sir Alex Ferguson‘s ambassadorial role with the club and banned him from the home dressing room at the ground where a stand is named after him.

At half-time of their match with Brentford at Old Trafford, with Erik ten Hag‘s side trailing by a goal and looking as if they were about to sink even lower in the bottom half of the table, you could have got decent odds of them firing two bosses in a week.

Ferguson pointedly chose not to take up a seat in the directors’ box at United and was, instead, a visitor at Celtic Park to watch his resurgent former club, Aberdeen, take on the Scottish champions.

In his absence, United produced the kind of first half performance that had left them marooned in 13th place at the start of the match. It would have been 14th if West Ham hadn’t been so heavily beaten in the early game at Tottenham Hotspur.

They were second best to Thomas Frank‘s Brentford for much of that half and to borrow from the lexicon of Ten Hag, it would have been a fairy story, and a lie, to say anything other than that the visitors looked like a team far better coached and far better organised than their hosts.

Manchester United enjoyed a much-needed return to winning ways fuelled by Alejandro Garnacho’s sublime volley

The Red Devils had been winless in five matches and were facing a third consecutive home league loss

Ethan Pinnock scored from a corner after Matthijs de Ligt was again forced off with his bloodied head

But Ten Hag deserves plenty of credit for what happened next. Instead of crumbling, United were a team transformed in the second half. They overwhelmed Brentford for much of it and both Alejandro Garnacho, who scored a sublime equaliser in the 2-1 win, and Marcus Rashford were outstanding.

Manchester United 2-1 Brentford: MATCH FACTS

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Onana; Diogo Dalot, de Ligt, Evans (Lindelöf), Martínez; Eriksen, Casemiro (Ugarte); Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho (Mazraoui); Højlund (Zirkzee)

Subs not used: Bayındır, Fletcher, Diallo, Wheatley, Antony

Booked: Evans, Diogo Dalot

Goals: Garnacho, Højlund

Manager: Erik ten Hag

Brentford (4-2-3-1): Flekken; van den Berg (Roerslev), Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Nørgaard, Janelt (Yarmoliuk); Damsgaard, Mbeumo, Lewis-Potter (Wissa); Schade (Fábio Carvalho)

Subs not used: Konak, Mee, Meghoma, Trevitt, Valdimarsson

Goals: Pinnock

Booked: Ajer, Nørgaard

Manager: Thomas Frank

Rasmus Hojlund scored a brilliant winner, the final whistle was met with a huge roar of relief from the Old Trafford crowd and suddenly, the prospect of facing a salivating Jose Mourinho in Istanbul on Thursday when United meet his Fenerbahce side in the Europa League does not hold quite so many fears.

United were keenly aware of Brentford’s remarkable recent record of scoring early in games – after 22 seconds at Manchester City, 23 seconds at Tottenham Hotspur, 38 seconds at home to West Ham United and 75 seconds against Wolves – but they nearly succumbed to another early strike.

United took the kick off but that did not stop Brentford launching the first proper attack of the game in the third minute after Diogo Dalot had lunged in on the right. That allowed Vitaly Janelt to get free and curl in a cross. Kevin Schade tried to apply the finishing touch but Jonny Evans did just enough to put him off and he failed to make contact.

Brentford played much the better football in the opening 20 minutes. They looked confident, well-drilled and coherent – everything that United are not – but Ten Hag’s side nearly equalised midway through the half.

Mark Flekken dropped a header from Lisandro Martinez and it bounced off the back of Rasmus Hojlund. Flekken clawed it away before it rolled over the line and a few minutes later, he dived to his right to push out a fierce drive from Garnacho.

Brentford still created the better chances. Bryan Mbuemo, who had scored more goals this season than the entire United team at the start of the game, span away from Martinez as if he wasn’t there and laid the ball off to Christian Norgaard.

Norgaard turned and unleashed a left-foot drive that brought a fine, diving save out of Andre Onana.

United looked reinvigorated and went ahead when Bruno Fernandes’ inspired flick put Hojlund behind to coolly clip over Mark Flekken

The result might ease the pressure slightly on Erik Ten Hag after a tough few weeks

United came more and more into the game. Christian Eriksen ran on to a one-two with Hojlund and, with the goal at his mercy, somehow lifted his shot over the bar. Soon after, Garnacho blazed wide when a brilliant crossfield pass from Bruno Fernandes freed him down the left.

Matthijs de Ligt had received lengthy treatment earlier in the half after he had tried to head the ball and connected with Mbuemo’s knee instead. Setting aside whether he should have been allowed to continue at all, the treatment did not seem particularly effective.

De Ligt was still bleeding heavily from the head wound as the half slipped into added time caused by his injury and the referee, Sam Barrott, quite reasonably, sent him to the touchline to have the wound seen to yet again.

Brentford were waiting to take a corner. It was curled in with pace and accuracy into the heart of the six-yard box where Ethan Pinnock rose imperiously to meet it and headed it emphatically past Onana.

United were incensed. Presumably by their own incompetence. If they had not been able to treat De Ligt’s wound satisfactorily, he should not have been on the pitch. Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ten Hag’s assistant, was booked for the vehemence of his protests.

Maybe he should have expended more energy on ensuring United defended the corner better but then it is always easier to blame someone else. United under Ten Hag have become experts in doing that.

To United’s credit, they roared into the second half like men possessed. They equalised 90 seconds after the interval.

Rashford delivered a superb cross to the back post where Garnacho met it with an exquisite volley that gave Flekken no chance. It was United’s first goal in the league since September 14th.

An under-fire Marcus Rashford put in a brilliant cross in the 47th minute for Garnacho’s goal

Brentford almost struck their latest early blow just 145 seconds in, but Kevin Schade failed to connect with a tantalising cross

Bryan Mbeumo struck off target before United’s injury-disrupted defence dealt with another blow in De Ligt’s injury

Bruno Fernandes was heavily involved and his smart touch led to United taking the lead in the 62nd minute

United threw everything at Brentford now. Flekken saved brilliantly low down to his left to tip away a low drive from Garnacho and Rashford tormented the visiting defence down both flanks.

United deserved the lead they took in the 62nd minute. It was a wonderful goal, too. Eriksen, who had become more influential, played a ball into the feet of Fernandes and Fernandes produced a lovely flick to put Hojlund in on goal. Hojlund lifted it expertly over Flekken and into the net.

Substitute Joshua Zirkzee fluffed a chance to put the game out of reach late on but United hung on for the win. It cemented the story of their last seven days: they sacked a manager this week, just not the one everyone expected.