One more victory will do for Manchester United. If Michael Carrick’s men can earn one more win in their remaining four matches in 2025-26, then they will earn Champions League qualification for next season.
Our apologies, dear reader, for repeating the same point twice with our introduction, but these are times when creative repetition can be superior to any attempt at subtlety or originality. Take United’s display against Brentford on Monday night. United emerged 2-1 winners because they relied on the tried and tested match-winning methods they’ve developed across the campaign.
A set-piece goal directed towards the back post and finished by Casemiro? Check.
Nervy bits of defending, requiring Senne Lammens to make important saves? Check.
A counter-attack goal for Benjamin Sesko? Featuring an assist from Bruno Fernandes? Check and check.
The 73,773 present at Old Trafford enjoyed a Greatest Hits of United 2025-26, with Carrick even going so far as to change to a 3-5-2 in the second half, reminding us all of the wing-back era under Ruben Amorim. Everything United have been good and bad at this season was on show on Monday night, but as the season approaches its May 24 conclusion, it has become more evident that this squad has grown more capable.
This team has more than enough good actions in any given game to make up for their (still) occasional missteps. They have positive momentum, and it has brought them to the verge of Champions League qualification.
Manchester United have ways of scoring goals they rely on (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
“I thought we started fantastically in the game, looked really dangerous, probably could have had an extra goal or two,” said Carrick in his post-match press conference. “And then they came into it a little bit, so half-time was a good position for us to be in. We tweaked a couple of things at half-time and probably had a little more control. The game wasn’t as open, which at that stage is exactly what we kind of wanted really.”
Carrick’s version of United has a particular way of playing, and it is yielding results at the most important stage of the league season. United have nine wins in 13 matches under his stewardship; more than any other team across the same period.
This is a team that looks to progress the ball through quick passes through the centre of the pitch before seeking out Fernandes to apply a moment of quality. This is also a team that is vulnerable to direct attacks in the same area of the field.
Brentford attempted to go blow-for-blow with United. It created a game where one unsuccessful attacking transition often led to another, more successful transitional moment for the opposing side.
United emerged triumphant as they made the most of their attacking opportunities, where their opponents could not. When Brentford attempted to block the centre, Fernandes drifted wide to create attacking overloads. When Keith Andrews ordered his players to pay attention to Fernandes’ influence on the wings, the United captain began to punish them from set pieces.
The most obvious way Carrick’s side have competed from these will not be repeatable next season, if only because Casemiro will be departing in the summer. The 34-year-old is in the midst of a wonderful farewell tour at the club and delivered another man-of-the-match performance on Monday.
There are games where calling Casemiro a defensive midfielder can feel like a disservice, as his play can be all-encompassing. Casemiro improves the players around him while still carving out time to throw opponents off-balance. He scores goals (nine in the Premier League this season, eight of which have been headers), makes tackles and serves as an important pressure valve for United on both sides of the ball.
Deep in second-half stoppage time, he won two fouls to slow down Brentford’s momentum and keep the score at 2-1. Nathan Collins was so incensed at the supposed playacting that he picked up a booking in the 96th minute for dissent. Defending properly is a skill, and Casemiro goes about his duties in a way that makes things enjoyable for an eager audience.
The Brazil international will be hard to replace, and Carrick — or whoever becomes the United manager next season — will have to reconfigure the side’s out-of-possession approach when he leaves. Indeed, Casemiro’s aerial prowess is so good that it turns every United corner into a pick-your-poison conundrum for the opposition. Opponents know Fernandes is likely to aim his set pieces towards the back post where Casemiro and Harry Maguire lie in wait. One of them is likely to get first contact with the ball: how do you stop the resulting chaos?
“I think now all the teams are respecting that Casemiro is a massive threat as well,” Maguire said to Sky Sports after the game. “So they have to take a lot of eyes on him. They have to put a good defender on him, rather than putting two on myself at the moment.”
Casemiro scores a set-piece goal for Man Utd on Monday night (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Casemiro’s goal prompted those in the Stretford End to sing “One more year Casemiro”. Carrick used his post-match press conference to make it clear there would be no U-turn on his contract. Only four matches remain in his United career. The challenge for players and coaching staff around him will be to take advantage of learning opportunities in the meantime.
Success breeds expectation. As Carrick’s men get close to Champions League qualification, the discussion about what summer transfers need to be made, and who should be in the head coach position increase in intensity.
It is one thing to qualify for the Champions League; it is another to perform well in the competition. United will need to sharpen their approach when playing out of possession, as well as how they break down teams that look to defend deep and frustrate. This has been a brilliant individual season for Fernandes, but it would be unfair to ask him to supply another 19 Premier League assists next season.
United will play 40 matches by the end of 2025-26 after their FA Cup and Carabao Cup exits. They will play a minimum of 48 next season, and will have to hope, prepare and build for a situation where they will play 60 matches, season-on-season, for the foreseeable future. Players, coaching staff, and recruitment teams will have to work hard over the summer to guard against the sort of tactical regression that made the 2023-24 and 2021-22 campaigns so disappointing.
One more victory will do for this team. To borrow a line from Amorim, the good times are coming for United — but maintaining them will require some thought.
