Cristiano Ronaldo refused to hide his distress after Manchester United’s heartbreaking defeat to Brentford on Saturday, throwing his arms in the air as he walked off the pitch and completely ignoring Erik ten Hag. United were in desperate need of a better performance after their disappointing defeat to Brighton last week.
Ten Hag made just one change from this side with Ronaldo coming on to start in place of Scott McTominay in a change of form for United. But United looked underprepared and overwhelmed from the first minute as Brentford were relentless in their pressure up the pitch.
David de Gea was guilty of two howlers to give Brentford a 2-0 lead and United looked to collapse after that. Ben Mee and Bryan Mbeumo added two more goals before the 36th minute with United’s players looking shell-shocked.
The damage was already done by then with United making moves in the second half. Ronaldo cut a somber figure for most of the game as he tried to find some form of consolation for United.
The Portuguese superstar had a handful of half-chances but never really troubled David Raya. As the final whistle blew, United players were seen hanging their heads as they walked off the pitch with Ten Hag by their side of the dugout.
Ronaldo was one of the first players to come down the tunnel and was seen gesturing towards the United bench. He appeared to be showing his frustration with a number of United managers coming over to shake his hand.