Manchester United came away with all three points against Brentford in a fiercely contested encounter. Goals from Anthony Elanga, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford put an end to United’s recent poor form. Brentford striker Ivan Toney got himself on the scoresheet late one, but this was merely a consolation. So lets take a look a five things we learnt from this Premier League encounter.

1. Rangnick’s faith in Elanga rewarded

Since interim manager Ralph Rangnick has come in, Anthony Elanga has frequently been included in United’s match day squads. It is understood that Elanga has made a strong impression on German boss with some impressive performances in training. With many players underperforming, the academy player has been put into the first team and has made two Premier League starts. A promising performance against Aston Villa, left Rangnick with no other choice but to start the youngster yet again.

Against Brentford, Elanga was very direct and aggressive. Although his ideas didn’t always come off, he continued to run at the Brentford defence, who had no answer to his pace and power. The dynamic winger was particularly effective at pressing and forcing the opposition into mistakes. He had no issues linking up with the rest of the Red Devils attack and constantly made runs in behind. The 19-year-old always gave the midfield an option to play the ball in-behind and this created additional space for Cristiano Ronaldo and Mason Greenwood.

In the second half, Elanga’s influence on the game grew. Fred found the youngster with a delightful through ball and Elanga found the back of the net in emphatic fashion. A superb first touch allowed Elanga to head home over the out of position Lossl. The teenager showed great composure to give United the lead in this tough fixture. It is likely Elanga will also start against West Ham at the weekend.

2. Formation change successful against Brentford

After some awful performances and results, Rangnick has ditched his preferred 4-2-2-2 formation in favour of a 4-3-3 system. The formation operates in a similar way to Pep Guardiola’s 4-3-3, with two number eights and one sitting number six. There are some flaws in Rangnick’s 4-3-3 and this is mainly due the lack of a world-class holding midfielder. It appears Scott McTominay will play this holding role for the rest of the season, with the Reds unlikely to bring in a midfielder in January.

Despite some defensive vulnerabilities, the 4-3-3 was very effective in the final third. Bruno Fernandes was particularly effective in this game, in which he had the attacking freedom to roam in half spaces. Fernandes could also drop into deeper pockets as he wasn’t pinned down to the number ten position. The other number eight, Fred, was equally as effective. The Brazilian midfielder looked a lot better in this more offensive position and even got himself an assist.

This formation was perfect for this game against The Bees. United’s wingers made the Brentford fullbacks drop much deeper, which gave space to fullbacks Alex Telles and Diogo Dalot. The front three for United had little defensive responsibilities and this set up counter-attacking possibilities. The Reds scored from two of these counter-attacks. Ronaldo, Fernandes and Greenwood combined expertly to double United’s lead. Fernandes was involved again and got his second assist of the night by setting up Marcus Rashford. United were simply devastating on the break. After the first goal, the Red Devils grew in confidence and really began to control the game. This control was partially down to the formation change, which gave United more creativity in the final third.

3. Man of the match performance from Dalot against Brentford

There were many standout performances against Brentford but Diogo Dalot was the pick of the bunch. Dalot has come under intense criticism in recent years with many suggesting that he wasn’t good enough. He was sent out on loan and at time is seemed like his days in Red were coming to an end. However, since Solskjaer’s departure Dalot has been Manchester United’s first team right back. The Portguese defender is known more for his attacking ability, however he was exceptional at both sides of the pitch against Brentford.

During the first half, United came under intense pressure. De Gea made numerous saves to keep United in the game. Although, United were under significant pressure there was a sense of composure from Dalot at all times. In this first half, the 22-year-old didn’t contribute offensively but was impressive at the back. The Portugal international won his aerial battles and took no risks at all. He won possession back on multiple occasions and gave the Reds some much-needed width.

At halftime, Rangnick must have told Dalot to get further forward. Throughout the second half, Dalot was at time operating as winger with Greenwood playing as more of a inside forward. Dalot’s first notable attacking contribution, was his inviting cross towards Ronaldo, which led to a corner. Minutes later and United had their opener. Although Dalot wasn’t primarily involved he was impressive in the build-up, as he kept the ball moving at a fast tempo. There was a flurry of attacks from Brentford in the closing stages of the game. But Dalot was at his defensive best and dealt with every situation with ease. Aaron Wan-Bissaka has a lot of work to do to get in the team ahead of Dalot.

4. McFred impress against Brentford

McTominay and Fred have had intense criticism come their way throughout this campaign. However, the pair have been much better in recent games and were very impressive in this encounter. McTominay, playing in a deeper role, broke up play effectively. He was impressive in the air and was lively in and out of possession. On numerous occasions he ran with the ball from deep and created dangerous counter-attacks. Evidently, this can be seen in United’s third goal where the Scottish midfielder broke away from three Brentford players with ease. Although, United are likely to recruit a defensive midfielder in the summer, McTominay’s performances warrant a stay at the club.

Fred was also at his playmaking best. He kept the ball moving and rarely gave the ball away. At time he took the safe option, but he delivered a defence splitting pass in the build-up to United’s opener. In this attacking number eight position, Fred made runs, which stretched the Brentford backline. He was also extremely successful in winning the ball back for United and played a significant role in the Reds high press.

When Paul Pogba returns it is likely one of these two midfielders drop out of the team. However considering their current form, Rangnick will have a tough decision to make.

5. Rashford back on the scoresheet

Marcus Rashford has been far from his best since his return from injury. The forward has been passive and has found it difficult to find form and stay in the team. Despite this, Rashford came off the bench and got a goal, which will boost his confidence significantly. Fernandes found the Englishman in acres of space on the right-hand side, who found the back of the net expertly. It was a typical Rashford goal.

Hopefully this gets Rashford back to his clinical best. His versatilely will be key for the Reds, who must consistently pick up points if they want to secure a top-four place. At the weekend, it is likely Rangnick will stick with the same team. However, the 24-year-old must be ready to make an impact off the bench in this tough fixture against West Ham.

The pace and directness of Rashford could be utilised late on against a tiring West Ham defence. The Englishman has a good record against the Hammers and therefore Rangnick may consider this and start him for this fixture.