'We used it as fuel' - Erik ten Hag claims 'injustice' of Matthijs de Ligt incident sparked 'angry' Man Utd in comeback win against Brentford

Ten Hag and his fellow United coaches were incandescent with rage when Ethan Pinnock gave the Bees the lead at the end of the first half while the Dutch defender was ordered off the pitch after having blood on his head following an earlier clash with Kevin Schade.

United rallied in the second half and goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund earned them just their third Premier League win of the season. The manager said there was a direct correlation between the manner in which they conceded the goal and the way they responded after the break.

"We felt some injustice and used it is as fuel," Ten Hag told a press conference. "I didn’t understand why he was sent off. I went over to Matthijs and he said: 'It is dry blood and I have to come off, I don’t know why.' A huge moment because Brentford are very good at corners and you miss one of your best headers. We were angry at half time. It was not perfect but we controlled the game. We didn’t concede chances, we created some and then you feel injustice when you concede."

Ten Hag said he never considered taking De Ligt off after checking the defender, whose head collided with Schade's knee, was okay. The manager explained: "He was okay, that is what he told me. I asked him when he came off, was there a problem. No, he was 100 percent there."

The win ever so slightly eases the pressure on Ten Hag after United made their worst ever start to a Premier League season. But he dismissed the idea it could be a turning point and insisted "it was just a win". United have little time to celebrate the victory as they face Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday in a rematch with former manager Jose Mourinho.