Brentford head coach Keith Andrews said his side must become more ruthless in front of goal after their 2-1 defeat at Manchester United.
Keith Andrews said Brentford must take the “next step” and become more clinical in front of goal after their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Bees were beaten by goals from Casemiro and Benjamin Sesko, with Mathias Jensen’s late strike only reducing the deficit after Brentford had already let key opportunities slip. Igor Thiago had two major first-half chances, while Brentford created enough attacking moments to feel they should have taken more from the game.
Speaking after the match, Andrews pointed to the contrast between the two sides in front of goal as the defining factor.
“I think that’s the story of the game really,” he said. “I think you’ve got one team that were pretty clinical in the opportunities that they got.”
Brentford grew into the game after a difficult opening and Andrews was pleased with how his side responded after falling behind from a set-piece.
“United obviously started better than we did, dangerous from corner kicks and got themselves in the lead from that,” he said. “After that we calmed down a little bit, started to take control of the ball a little bit better, secure possession and got to grips with the game, the occasion, the opposition a little bit better.”
Despite that improvement, Brentford were unable to convert promising situations into goals. Andrews made clear that while Thiago’s missed chances stood out, the issue was bigger than one player.
“For us, the next step I suppose is being able to come here and perform like that, control large parts of the game, create some really good opportunities, but unfortunately we weren’t able to,” he said.
“That’s not just Thiago, that’s numerous players. We need to be killers in those situations and put the opportunities away or make the right decision.”
Andrews also admitted Brentford were too open at times, particularly around transitions, with United’s second goal arriving after Brentford had committed too many bodies forward.
“I love the way we attack and we go for teams,” he said. “I always want us to play in an attacking way.
“But on two or three occasions we got a little bit carried away. We were getting too many bodies ahead of the ball and obviously with the players United have they can hurt you on transition. They’re pretty deadly on that.”
Even so, the Brentford boss felt the overall display showed how far his side has come, particularly in the way they approached a difficult away fixture.
“The fact that we’ve come here, we’ve performed in the way we have with such bravery and personality and that we’re going to go back really disappointed that we haven’t got something from the game, I think says everything about where we’re looking to get to.”
For Andrews, the frustration was clear, but so was the message: performances alone are no longer enough. Brentford now need the finishing edge to match them.