Man United must make their great escape against Brentford a turning point

A couple of hours after Scott McTominay had almost taken the leaky roof off Old Trafford, Erik ten Hag stood outside the exit chatting to fans and signing autographs on an unseasonably warm autumn evening.

There was still a buzz about the place and Ten Hag wore the easy smile of a manager who had just caught a big break. Gone was the fixed frown of recent weeks. He was heading off into the international fortnight on a huge and much-needed high.

This felt like a monumental win for Manchester United: up there with some of their greatest escapes in Fergie Time after McTominay struck in the 93rd and 97th minutes to snatch victory from Brentford. It was officially United’s latest ever Premier League comeback.

The booing brought on by back-to-back home defeats by Crystal Palace and Galatasaray last week was replaced by a wave of euphoria and relief that swept around the stands at Old Trafford. Even the usually reserved Ten Hag danced on the touchline and punched the air when McTominay’s winning header crept in off the post. Afterwards the talk was of turning points and resets after a dismal start to the season.

It begged the question of Ten Hag: just how does he make this a turning point? How do his players bottle this up and uncork it at bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United in two weeks’ time? Because this season of one step forward and one step back cannot continue. Ten Hag’s answer told us all we need to know about where he thinks the problem lies — not so much in United’s heads as in their hearts.

‘In football it is eat or get eaten,’ he said. ‘Too many times in the first half of this season we got eaten by opponents who are more hungry. This can’t be.

‘Scott is fighting for this badge. He will give his life and that has to be