Lonnick explained why United replaced Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half of the win over Brentford
In United's 3-1 win over Brentford in the Premier League, Cristiano Ronaldo was substituted in the 71st minute and the Portuguese were upset and frustrated on the bench due to the failure to score in the game.
Goals from Ilanga, Greenwood and Marcus Rashford gave United a 3-1 win over Brentford in the 17th round of the Premier League. Ivan Tony pulled a goal back.
The Red Devils' first-half performance was not convincing, and it was greatly improved in the second half to secure the first league win of 2022.
Lonnick answered questions about Ronaldo being replaced by Rashford at Brentford Community Stadium, when the team took a 2-0 lead.
Lonnick: "It's normal - the striker wants to score, he's recovered from a minor injury, it's important to remember that we still have a game to play. ”
"Again, after what happened at Villa Park, we have to stay ahead of this game and it's important that we're back at the back five and while we didn't keep the ball out, it was important to make sure nothing else happened.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Lonnick added: "The only reaction I got was, 'Why me?' Why are you replacing me? For the benefit of the team and the club, I have to make a decision. We did the same thing when Villa took a 2-0 lead and didn't want to make the same mistakes again. ”
'I know Cristiano is ambitious, but maybe when he becomes a coach in the future, he will make the same decision after 75 minutes.
"I didn't expect him to hug me after being replaced. I know what the players think and I have to make that decision. I had no problem with Cristiano. He had just recovered from injury and hadn't played for a week and a half. We have players like Marcus Rashford and Martial on the bench, so why not use them? I would make the same decision again. ”
"I've been here for 6 weeks and I've never had any problems with Cristiano. Before the match against Villa, we discussed his injury and decided not to let him play. ”
"He can play again today and I decided to have him start. The most important thing is that we want to win the game, which is the first place. ”
Ilanga continued his performances, helping United rediscover their magic. Bruno Fernandez's influence in the game is growing. He really should have scored a goal in stoppage time to end a wonderful personal performance.
This is the third time Fernandez has provided multiple assists in a Premier League match – no Red Devils player has done more in the game since his debut in February 2020.
However, when he left the pitch, he still lamented his goal conceded, which was his standard. That's the attitude United need if they're going to secure a Champions League spot – it has to be minimal.
This winner's mentality can be seen in Ronaldo's reaction to being replaced, but he must admit that for the benefit of the team, he needs to suppress his disappointment.
After all, the first half looks unlikely to achieve such a big victory.
Speaking about the poor performance in the first half, Lonnick said: "It wasn't a strong conversation, but obviously we have to change some things,"
"Every aspect of the first half was not good. In the second half, we made a change, attacked in a higher position, made the right decision on the counter-attack, we scored goals, and that was the biggest difference. ”
"Ilanga performed well in the second half, putting a lot of effort into the confrontation before scoring the first goal. But I'm happy for all of our young players tonight – three young England goalscorers. ”