Erik Ten Hag admitted Brentford's late equaliser is likely to prove costly in Manchester United’s already dwindling bid for a place in the Champions League.
United did little to turn down the noise surrounding manager Ten Hag’s future after an ultimately dramatic but largely uninspiring 1-1 draw in west London.
They looked to have turned a lifeless display into an unlikely three points after Mason Mount climbed off the bench to fire them ahead six minutes into stoppage time.
But Brentford equalised less than three minutes later through Kristoffer Ajer to snatch a point which was the least they deserved.
"We didn’t deserve to win but if you are winning you have to take this. Normally we are good in those circumstances," said Ten Hag.
"In terms of aggressiveness Brentford were better but when you are winning the game you should bring it over the line.
"When you don’t play well you still have to win and we did it, almost. We didn’t play well but there was spirit and fight but not enough.
"There are still many games to go. Of course the points could be more expensive by the end. It should have been three points. By the end we will know. It could be an important point.
"Don’t lower the performance from Brentford, I’ve seen them against Man City, against Liverpool. But we should have done this better.
"I’m not happy with the performance, there is no misunderstanding. We should be consistent in the way we take a game and perform."
United goalkeeper Andre Onana made five saves as Brentford had 31 attempts on goal and hit the woodwork four times.
He said: "I feel sad because we are Manchester United, so it doesn't matter who you play. Everywhere we go, we have to win.
"We gave away this game in the end. We did a fantastic job defending, it was not our best game but the most important thing was to win. So, yeah, it’s difficult."
"The most important thing is the victory of the team. It’s good when you contribute and you have a victory. Of course, we didn’t lose this game but the way we conceded that goal is bad for all of us because we are in this together. We blocked shots and made saves together.
"As a leader and experienced player, we have to take responsibility and always stay positive because it’s the biggest club in the country.
"We have to continue working hard and be humble. I know we will stick together because we did it in the last month. I hope we end in the top four."
Ten Hag had shrugged off speculation over his job this week before returning to the scene of his catastrophic second match in charge, when they conceded four goals in the opening 35 minutes.
On the evidence of this underwhelming performance, they have hardly made any progress since that chastening afternoon in August 2022.
In fact, Brentford had enough chances to stage a repeat performance of their 4-0 romp but for the wayward finishing which has made their season a significantly tougher one than the last.
They had 31 attempts at goal and incredibly hit the woodwork four times.
It really did not look like being their night when, deep into nine minutes of stoppage time, Casemiro set up Mount to convert at the far post.
But Brentford were not to be denied and, when Ivan Toney sent the ball across goal in the 99th minute, centre-half Ajer was on hand to secure a fully merited point.
Thomas Frank, whose side are now five points clear of the relegation zone, said: "I know we beat Man United 4-0 last year but I think we played better today.
"The way we dominated the game throughout, in terms of shots and dangerous situations, was very, very impressive.
"The way we dominated – 31 shots – how we are not winning that game I do not know.
"I almost lost faith in the football god when they scored, brutal. But the ability to come back from that is incredible."
If Frank's side continue to play like this, will have nothing to worry about.
"I know we’ve lost too many games but the performances have been better than the points we have got, there’s no doubt about that," said Frank.
"There are reasons, there are mistakes and there are margins. That’s football, unfortunately, sometimes.
"But it’s been coming and there’s been a lot of good performances and with all these setbacks and the struggles this team has been through, we just need to keep going."
