"A lifesaver" - Anthony Elanga lavishes praise on Manchester United star for his role in 3-1 Brentford win

Manchester United youngster Anthony Elanga has praised Red Devils goalkeeper David de Gea for his display against Brentford. De Gea was called into action multiple times and responded with some fantastic saves to keep his side level in the first half.

Ralf Rangnick's team picked up pace in the second half to sting the Bees thrice and pick up a 3-1 win at the Brentford Community Stadium.

Elanga, who opened the scoring for Manchester United on the night, praised de Gea for his excellent performance. He said after the match:

"David [de Gea] is a lifesaver, he's helped us a lot of times."

De Gea made seven saves against Brentford but ultimately couldn't keep a cleansheet. Ivan Toney bundled the ball home from close range in a crowded box to give Thomas Frank's side a lifeline in the 84th minute. However, the Red Devils held on to get their fourth Premier League win of the Rangnick era.

Earlier, second-half goals from Elanga, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford put Manchester United 3-0 up after 77 minutes. While they were slow to get going in the first half, the Red Devils were clinical in the second.

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Manchester United's formation change yields immediate results in Brentford win

One of the headlines going into the match was Rangnick's indications about a change in formation. Having begun his reign by adopting a 4-2-2-2 shape, the German tactician chose to go with a 4-3-3 formation against Brentford.

The idea of playing with three forwards upfront gave the Red Devils some much-needed width and also helped them utilize the riches they have in attack. Bruno Fernandes, who began in a midfield three alongside Fred and Scott McTominay, flourished as well, laying out two assists.

The formation also allowed Rangnick's side to be clinical on the counter-attack, which was evident in the goals scored by Greenwood and Rashford. It will be interesting to see if they continue to deploy the same formation in the future with minor personnel changes.

With the win over Brentford, Manchester United in seventh place are just two points adrift of West Ham United, who are fourth in the Premier League. The Red Devils face David Moyes' Hammers on Saturday (22 January) and a win in that game could take them into the top four.