Even in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, Manchester United have kept one part of the identity intact, an ability to score dramatic late winning goals.
From Amad’s sensational FA Cup winner against Liverpool, to Harry Maguire’s winning goal against Lyon, even Alexis Sanchez’s winner vs Newcastle in 2018, Manchester United have retained a flair for a dramatic finish.
One of many countless comebacks United fans have enjoyed came on October 7, 2023 with Scott McTominay pulling it off almost single-handedly.
Erik ten Hag thanks Scott McTominay after scoring winner
Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images
Scott McTominay inspired Man Utd comeback vs Brentford
Brentford are one of the upstart, well-run teams who have caused Manchester United problems in recent seasons.
Erik ten Hag’s second ever game in charge was a 4-0 away loss in 2022, but at the start of the 2023/24 season, he oversaw a 2-1 comeback win.
It was a victory United barely deserved, having fallen 1-0 down in the first half, the team looked to be heading towards a depressing home defeat.
McTominay was thrown on in the 87th minute with Manchester United chasing an equaliser. The substitute went one better.
Adding an extra punch to United’s attack, McTominay scored a 93rd minute equaliser from close range, before heading in a 97th minute winner, securing a dramatic 2-1 win.
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For a club with a rich history of comebacks, this was a ludicrously unlikely way for United to turn a losing situation into a winning one.
Speaking after the game, Ten Hag told United’s website: “He is Manchester United in everything and in his heart. So he’s playing for the badge. He gives his life.
“And when you’re coming on and you give this to the team, it tells a lot.”
Asked if McTominay had a future at the club, he responded: “Yes, of course. That’s why he’s here.”
Manchester United sold McTominay, and Ten Hag was fired
Erik ten Hag started Scott McTominay in the 2024 FA Cup Final win over Manchester City. A year earlier he was a substitute in the defeat.
But in the summer of 2024, Ten Hag and Ineos decided to cash in on McTominay, to fund a move for Manuel Ugarte.
There was a split reaction to the decision, with former player Nemanja Matic blasting the move as a ‘mistake’ and warning McTominay would be ‘difficult to replace’.
Ten Hag had perfectly explained this, talking up the way McTominay fought for the badge with his life.
But with PSR providing a tempting cash boost for the sale of an academy graduate, United could not resist the decision to sell.
McTominay has been a huge success at Napoli, while Ten Hag was fired within two months, just over one year exactly since the midfielder’s super-show against Brentford.
He could have done with McTominay’s late goals bailing him out, to at least prolong his tenure a little longer.