Manchester United moved within touching distance of qualifying for the Champions League as Casemiro and Benjamin Sesko sealed a 2-1 win against Brentford on Monday.
Casemiro put United ahead in the early stages at Old Trafford, and Sesko doubled their lead before the interval.
Mathias Jensen’s late strike couldn’t stop United from cementing their grip on third place in the Premier League.
They are 11 points clear of sixth-placed Brighton, with the top five guaranteed to reach next season’s Champions League.
Michael Carrick’s side need just two points from their last four matches to ensure their return to Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2023-24.
On Sunday, United host bitter rivals Liverpool, who sit three points behind them in fourth, in a clash that will go a long way to deciding who finishes third.
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Interim boss Carrick, who replaced the sacked Ruben Amorim in January, is still waiting to discover if he will land the United job on a permanent basis.
The former United midfielder has made a strong case by steadying the ship after Amorim’s turbulent reign.
Leading United into the Champions League would be another persuasive argument as co-owner Jim Ratcliffe considers his options.
A 1-0 win at Chelsea in their previous match had reinvigorated United’s top-five charge after a home defeat against Leeds and a draw at Bournemouth.
Brentford last won at Old Trafford in 1937, and they paid the price for a slow start on their latest fruitless visit.
Kobbie Mainoo scythed through the Brentford defence with a superb run in the second minute, but Amad Diallo wasted the chance with a close-range shot that was cleared off the line by Sepp van den Berg.
Harry Maguire was inches away from marking his return from suspension with a goal when the United defender’s towering header was clawed off the line by Brentford keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
United’s pressure was rewarded in the 11th minute as Casemiro finished off a well-worked corner routine.
