Bruno Fernandes saw his penalty saved as Manchester United slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Brentford, piling pressure back on manager Ruben Amorim and halting any hopes of building momentum after their win over Chelsea.
The turning point came midway through the second half when United trailed 2-1. Fernandes endured a lengthy four-minute delay before stepping up for a spot-kick, as VAR reviewed whether Nathan Collins should be dismissed for pulling down Bryan Mbeumo.
Referee Craig Pawson stuck with his initial decision to show only a yellow card, ruling Collins had not attempted to play the ball.
When Fernandes finally struck, Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher guessed right to keep the penalty out.
The miss proved costly. Brentford had raced into a two-goal lead inside the opening 20 minutes courtesy of Igor Thiago’s quickfire double.
Although Benjamin Sesko pulled one back with his maiden United goal just six minutes later, Amorim’s men never looked fully convinced of turning the tide.
In stoppage time, Mathias Jensen capped a superb Brentford display with a classy third to seal United’s fate.
It was their third straight failure at the Gtech Community Stadium and extended their winless away run in the league to eight matches.
For Fernandes, it was his second penalty miss of the season, underlining a night of frustration.
For United, it marked another setback that leaves them in the bottom half of the table, while Brentford leapfrogged them with a richly deserved victory.
