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By CHRIS WHEELER, NORTHERN SPORTS WRITER Published: 06: 57 AEST, 28 April 2026 | Updated: 08: 43 AEST, 28 April 2026 52 View comments Casemiro high-fived a fan behind the Manchester United goal and then did the same with several team-mates who came over to congratulate him on another crucial block. Somewhere, you just knew Roy Keane was screaming obscenities at the television. We were in the dying minutes at Old Trafford and United weren’t home and dry yet. But they were so close, and they knew it. When Chris Kavanagh blew the final whistle on a right ding-dong with Brentford, Michael Carrick and his players will have had the same feeling about Champions League qualification. Another two points will do it for sure, but this felt like the night when United booked their spot for next season. Victory ended Brentford’s chances of catching up. Only Brighton and Bournemouth can stop United now, but it would take a collapse of Devon Loch proportions, to borrow one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s favourite analogies. Casemiro headed United in front with his ninth goal of the season and was immense as they held onto their lead. Casemiro opens the scoring with a smart header at the back post to beat Caoimhin Kelleher Twice towards the end, he used his experience to win free kicks in his own penalty box as Carrick’s side came under a late bombardment, and fought to keep Brentford out – even though Keane wouldn’t have appreciated the premature celebrations. As the Brazilian left the pitch, the Stretford End serenaded him with a chorus of ‘One more year, one more year, Casemiro’. He won’t get one, of course. There will be two more appearances at Old Trafford before United say farewell to a player who is still in peak form at 34, but his £375, 000-a-week salary is too rich for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s blood. If Ratcliffe isn’t prepared to make an exception for Casemiro, then he will surely have little choice with Bruno Fernandes. The United captain was the one player to surpass his team-mate here. Senne Lammens and Kobbie Mainoo were excellent too, but Fernandes continues to press his claims to the Player of the Year award, propelled by an incredible assist record this season. He could have had a few more last night, but the one for Benjamin Sesko to score United’s second was Fernandes’ 19th of the season, just one behind the record held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. It will be another busy summer in the transfer market for United, but no piece of business will be as important as tying the Portugal star down to a new contract. Benjamin Sesko now has 10 goals for United in his debut Premier League season Fernandes has one year left on his current deal – and the club can extend it for another 12 months after that – but they are expected to open talks shortly with a player who so nearly left for Saudi Arabia last summer. For all the individual highlights, this wasn’t a particularly convincing performance from United. They rode their luck at times against a spirited Brentford side who refused to go down without a fight and will justifiably still have aspirations of playing in Europe. Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Lammens 7. 5; Dalot 5. 5, Maguire 7, Heaven 6, Shaw 6 (Yoro 73); Casemiro 7, Mainoo 7. 5; Amad 6 (Mazraoui 46, 6), Fernandes 8, Mbeumo 5. 5 (Mount 74); Sesko 6. 5 Goals: Casemiro (11), Sesko (43) Booked: Shaw Head coach: Michael Carrick 8 Brentford (4-2-3-1): Kelleher 6. 5; Kayode 6, Van den Berg 5, Collins 5. 5, Lewis-Potter 7; Yarmoliuk 5. 5, Jensen 6. 5; Ouattara 6, Damsgaard 6, Schade 5 (Nelson 72); Igor Thiago 4 Goal: Jensen (87) Booked: Van den Berg, Ouatarra, Igor Thiago Head coach: Keith Andrews 6 Referee: Chris Kavanagh 6 But Champions League qualification was always the target, and Carrick looks to have delivered it. Will it be enough to land him the head coach’s job full-time? It appears to be his to lose now. He will want to finish strongly and hold onto third place to reinforce his claims. Let’s not forget that United were sixth and in the Champions League mix when they sacked Ruben Amorim in January, so optics are everything. They led in the 11th minute after Fernandes twice released Bryan Mbeumo with fantastic through-balls to win a corner. On the first occasion, Fernandes delivered onto the head of Harry Maguire whose effort was two thirds of the way over the line when goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher brilliantly clawed it out again. When Fernandes crossed from the same corner of the pitch again, however, Maguire guided a header to the back post. Casemiro was waiting to rise above Dango Ouattara and nod the ball under the crossbar with Kelleher helpless to keep it out again. The worrying thing for United is that should have been the moment to take control of the game. Instead, it sparked Brentford into life as the two sides traded blows for the rest of the half. How Igor Thiago didn’t end it with a hat-trick, only he knows. Keane Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard and Mathias Jensen all presented the Brazilian with chances in front of goal, but he failed to convert due to the combined efforts of Lammens, Luke Shaw and Ayden Heaven. Bruno Fernandes now has 19 league assists this season after providing for Sesko's goal When Damsgaard picked out another Thiago run and Heaven inadvertently forced Lammens into a superb save shortly before half-time, the shake of the head and smile from Brentford’s No 9 said it all. This simply wasn’t his night. Fernandes, on the other hand, was in his element. One great pass picked out Amad Diallo who headed straight at Kelleher, and another led to the Ivorian firing in off the far post from an offside position. When Diallo made a fantastic interception tackle on Kevin Schade in the 43rd minute to stop another Brentford attack in its tracks and set United on the counter, Fernandes had options right and left in Mbeumo and Sesko. He chose the latter with perfect timing and Sesko cut inside Nathan Collins before burying his shot. Ouatarra headed against the post before Jensen finally beat Lammens with a marvellous effort from 20 yards in the 87th minute. But victory – and with it a Champions League place no doubt – belonged to United.
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