Ruben Amorim under pressure as Brentford stun Man United

LONDON – Ruben Amorim called for his players to “do better” after his troubled Manchester United side crashed to a 3-1 Premier League defeat at Brentford on Sept 27, as Bruno Fernandes’ penalty miss piled pressure on the beleaguered Portuguese manager.

The Red Devils paid the price for another error-strewn display, as Igor Thiago netted twice in the opening 20 minutes to punish shambolic defending.

Benjamin Sesko reduced the deficit with his first goal for United before half-time.

But United captain Fernandes squandered a golden opportunity to rescue a draw when his tame penalty was saved by Caoimhin Kelleher late in the second half, before Mathias Jensen wrapped up the points in stoppage time.

“Of course we want to win. We didn’t control the game. We played the game of Brentford. First balls, second balls, set pieces. All the crucial moments were against us. Tough to lose again, but we need to think about the next one,” said Amorim.

“The first goal was a long ball. We worked on that in the week, and on set pieces. We knew the long balls (were coming) and one touch they had the opportunity. We need to do better.

“We didn’t play our game. We only had control for some moments. We need to play our games, not the opponents, but they were stronger on that.”

Amorim had arrived in west London hoping to finally win successive league matches as United boss following

last weekend’s victory over Chelsea

. Instead, he left fearing the sack after the latest low moment.

United have lost three of their six Premier League games this season, winning just twice, and are languishing in 13th place.

A humiliating

League Cup loss at fourth-tier Grimsby

in August had fuelled speculation over Amorim’s future, with the boss admitting he had thought about quitting and often hated his players.

The 40-year-old was under fire again after a miserable

3-0 loss at Manchester City

, before last weekend’s 2-1 win over Chelsea gave him a little breathing space.

Losing to a Brentford team beaten three times in their first five games under inexperienced new boss Keith Andrews was a fresh indignity for Amorim, who will face renewed questions about his ability to revive United.

United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe reportedly gave his backing to Amorim during a recent meeting at the club’s training ground. Ratcliffe’s support is likely to waver after this result, which leaves Amorim in dire need for a win over promoted Sunderland at Old Trafford next weekend before a daunting trip to champions Liverpool.

Matheus Cunha returned to the United team, as the Brazilian started along with Sesko and former Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo in attack for the first time since the trio’s summer moves.

Sesko scored his first goal for United in the 26th minute, slamming home after his first two efforts were blocked in a goalmouth scramble. But the visitors never really built any momentum after the break.

United’s recent trips to Brentford have proved painful experiences, with a 4-0 defeat three years ago and a 4-3 loss in May.

Their latest visit to west London was no exception as United’s flaws were quickly exposed.

On the pressure of his job after another defeat, Amorim added: “It is always the same to lose at this club, it hurts a lot. We need to think about the next one.”

Premier League champions Liverpool dropped points for the first time this season when they lost 2-1 at Crystal Palace.

The visitors were on the back foot early on when Palace took the lead in the ninth minute through a set-piece when the ball fell to Ismaila Sarr who smashed it home. Liverpool would have conceded more if not for goalkeeper Alisson Becker, while Jean-Philippe Mateta nearly made it 2-0 when he hit the post.

Although the Reds equalised through Federico Chiesa in the 87th minute, fellow substitute Eddie Nketiah provided late drama when he scored the winner in the 97th minute, with Selhurst Park celebrating the goal twice after the video assistant referee confirmed he was not offside.

“The boys are in really good form and think we can win every game and today we showed that,” Nketiah told the BBC.

City thrashed Burnley 5-1 at the Etihad Stadium thanks to two own goals, a Matheus Nunes strike and a late brace from Erling Haaland.

Ten-man Chelsea were beaten 3-1 at home by Brighton & Hove Albion, who scored twice in stoppage time. AFP, REUTERS