Bees 4 Man U 0. Yes, Bees 4 Man U 0 and I could have been there!
OK, let’s get this over with asap as it is causing me great pain typing it. I was offered a hospitality ticket for the game but I turned it down!!! There was a national rail strike and the weather would have been 34 deg C if I had driven the 105 miles there. Sometimes we make bad decisions in life and this was one of them.
I did watch the whole match live on Sky (and since then have seen the highlights twice and also watched it on Match of the Day twice). On one of the hottest days ever in the UK, we started the game the same as last season i.e. sitting back but this time when we did get the ball we we wanted to attack. Then in the 10th minute Dasilva hit a very weak right-footed shot all along the ground from outside the penalty area. The Man U keeper de Gea dived full length low to his left near the post and I expected him to either gather the ball (as it was such a weak shot) or perhaps push it around the post for a corner. Then a split second later the ball was in the back of the net as it slipped through his grasp. We were ahead after a schoolboy error. Then another goalkeeping error 8 minutes later as Man U were attempting to play it out from the back. de Gea kicked it to Eriksen on the edge of their penalty area but he was being pressed by Jensen who won the ball and cooly slotted it home to make it 2-0. We continued to attack and won a corner in the 30th minute. This was a deep one and Toney headed it back across the gaol and Mee was there to nod it in and we were 3-0 up. We left the best goal to last. Man U had a few minutes of pressure around our box and in the 35th minute Jensen thwarted one attack with a nice piece of skill. He was not far from our own goal line and hit a beautiful long pass over the half way line towards the left touchline. Toney sprinted from inside our own half and then looked up and hit a fantastic first time pass into the centre where Mbeumo was going full pelt with their last defender to get the ball. Mbeumo held him off and with an exquisite finish made it 4-0. A brilliant break away goal and 4 goals up after only 35 minutes! The second half had some chances from both teams and we ran out 4-0 winners. Our best home result ... EVER (and I could have been there). We played very well and Man U were pretty awful. We have a much tougher game next Saturday, away to local rivals Fulham.
