The Phillies shut out the Braves, who own the best offense in baseball, 3-0 to win game one of the NL Division Series in Atlanta. It was the first time the Braves have been shut out at home this season.

Lefty Ranger Suarez started for Philly and struck out four over 3 2/3 innings. Five relievers held the Braves scoreless for 4 2/3 innings before former Brave Craig Kimbrel closed it out in the ninth.

When asked what explained Saturday night's offensive performance, Braves manager Brian Snitker said, "I think it was more their pitching than our hitting."

Snitker looked ahead to their potential challenge for the rest of the series, "I think they did a great job of addressing their bullpen issues from last year, and they've got multiple weapons that they can go to."

With an off day between games one and two in Atlanta, a deep bullpen can be even more impactful.

The Phillies continue their postseason edge over the Braves, after beating Atlanta 3-1 in the NLDS last season despite finishing 14 games behind the Braves in the regular season in 2022 and again in 2023.

"This team, to a man, has this innate toughness to them," Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said. "They're really resilient, and they just keep fighting. So it's a great combination of talent and makeup that we have on this club."

Controversy sparked in the eighth inning when Braves catcher Sean Murphy was called for catcher's interference, which led to the final Phillies run scoring. The call was upheld after replay, which led to a delay as Braves fans threw drinks all over the outfield at Truist Park. After the game, Murphy told reporters of the catcher's interference that, "I didn't feel it, but I heard it," which lined up with his decision to not argue the call on the field.

Spencer Strider turned in a quality start for Atlanta, going seven innings allowing one earned run, two walks, and eight strikeouts. The earned run was a homer to right field by Bryce Harper on an inside slider. The Phillies also went five-for-six on stolen bases after averaging less than one stolen base per game in the regular season.

It was a well-rounded effort that Harper noticed.

"I thought we ran the bases well," he said. "I thought we played really good defense and just timely hitting and really good pitching."

The Braves led baseball in runs scored with 947, the most since the Yankees in 2007. FanGraphs "Offense" stat, which combines all baserunning and hitting, adjusted for park and era, has the Braves 2023 offense as the best since the 1931 Yankees, which featured Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.

Phillies aces Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola are slated to start games two and three, respectively. The Braves will start Max Fried in game two and haven't announced a game three starter yet. Game two is Monday in Atlanta while game three will be Wednesday in Philadelphia.

LOS ANGELES -- The ball sailed into the air and Clayton Kershaw rested his hands on his knees, head down, legs slightly bent, back toward home plate, a painful, all-too-familiar sight in this place, at this time of year. Gabriel Moreno, a young catcher, had belted the three-run homer that gave the Arizona Diamondbacks a five-run lead before Kershaw recorded the first out in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday night, delivering the decisive blow within the first 10 minutes.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, their starting rotation in flux heading into October, have never needed Kershaw more. But they've never been more uncertain about what he can provide for them. Their playoff opener provided an ominous sign: Six runs allowed, one out recorded and quite possibly the worst postseason start in baseball history.

"Disappointing," Kershaw said after an 11-2 loss. "Embarrassing. You just feel like you let everybody down. The guys, a whole organization, that looked to you to pitch well in Game 1. It's just embarrassing, really. So I just feel like I let everybody down. It's a tough way to start the postseason. Obviously, we still have a chance at this thing, but that wasn't the way it should've started for me."

The final two months of the regular season saw Kershaw pitch brilliantly through a tender left shoulder. His fastball was a tick or two slower, his outings came after an additional day or two of rest, but he pitched to a 2.23 ERA in an eight-start stretch and was kept to only about five innings at a time in an effort to keep his arm fresh for the games that mattered most.

Game 1 began with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noting that "this is as good as he's felt physically in the last couple months." It ended with Kershaw becoming the first-ever playoff pitcher in major league history to allow five hits and five runs before recording an out. With Kershaw failing to finish the first inning for the first time in 454 career starts. With Kershaw and his famously checkered postseason track record joining only three others in allowing six-plus runs while recording one out or fewer in postseason history.

Dodgers catcher Will Smith said Kershaw's stuff "looked like the normal stuff that it's been all year." Roberts said there was nothing physically wrong, a point Kershaw echoed.

"I feel fine," Kershaw said when asked if he feels healthy enough to help the team moving forward. "I feel fine. I just didn't make enough good pitches, obviously, tonight. There's nothing health-related here; just bad pitching."

Kershaw's second pitch, a 73-mph curveball slightly low, was lined 116 mph to center field and bounced off the heel of James Outman's glove, a double that probably should have been ruled an error. Outman, a rookie, said the ball sped up on him but also that his "nerves kind of got the best of me."

Corbin Carroll and Tommy Pham followed with back-to-back singles, Christian Walker added a double, and then Moreno, whose status was uncertain after he was hit in the head by a backswing during Arizona's last game on Wednesday, blasted a 419-foot home run to left-center field, leaving a still-arriving Dodger Stadium crowd in stunned silence.

Three batters later, after a one-out walk and another double, Kershaw exited, making way for rookie right-hander Emmet Sheehan.

"Usually Clayton does a great job of controlling, managing damage," Roberts said. "And tonight unfortunately we didn't do that."

The outing increased Kershaw's postseason ERA from 4.22 to 4.49 in 194 innings. It's two runs higher than his sterling regular-season ERA of 2.48 and stands as the highest among the 31 pitchers throughout major league history with more than 100 innings in the playoffs.

The differential has proven to be a major stain on Kershaw's reputation, but it is also complicated, burdened by several outings in which he pitched on short rest or was used in relief or was kept in longer than normal. This time, it jumped significantly at a time when Kershaw -- 35 years old, with nearly 3,000 innings under his belt and an assortment of injuries in his track record -- is not fully healthy.

"I don't think anybody in the baseball world was expecting that," said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, part of an offense that did little against an aggressive Merrill Kelly. "But next time Clayton Kershaw's on the mound, we'll be just as confident again. Hopefully we can get him back on that mound."

Kershaw's next start, Roberts said, is still lined up for Game 4 from Chase Field in Phoenix on Thursday, an outing that will take place unless the Dodgers are swept.

Kershaw is the only man still standing from the Dodgers' initial rotation. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin underwent season-ending surgeries; Julio Urias is on administrative leave after allegations of domestic violence; Noah Syndergaard struggled mightily before being traded away; and Walker Buehler didn't make it back from his second Tommy John surgery in time to help.

The Dodgers' postseason pitching plan consists of a lot of rookies and a lot of relievers and a lot of unconventionality. But if they hope to make another deep run, and avoid the early-round disappointments that have plagued them in recent years, they need Kershaw to tap back into some of what has made him great.

They need him to recover dramatically for Game 4.

"I'll be ready," Kershaw said. "Yeah, I'll be ready."

Four wins. 19 out of 20 points. Victors of Pool C. Wales' facts and figures in the 2023 World Cup could not be much more impressive.

It highlights how dominant Gatland's team have been. Wales' World Cup form has proved a far cry from the misery of last season's Six Nations, when they only avoided the wooden spoon by beating Italy in Rome.

Wales will now face Argentina or Japan in Marseille next Saturday with the two sides facing each other in a Pool D runners-up decider in Nantes on Sunday.

There were doubts whether Wales even would progress from a pool that also included Australia, Fiji and Georgia. Given their struggles of earlier in the year, few could have expected this remarkable revival.

The Gatland effect

When Gatland replaced Wayne Pivac and returned for a second stint as Wales head coach in December 2022 - his first was laden with Six Nations titles, Grand Slams and World Cup consistency - he took charge at a time when results had dropped through the floor and confidence plummeted.

The Six Nations played out against a back-drop of financial concerns in Welsh professional rugby and contractual worries for players, with strike action only averted just days before Wales met England in Cardiff.

But after an uninterrupted World Cup preparation period that started in late May, Gatland has moulded a squad that is in contention for a third semi-final appearance during the last four global tournaments, underlining his status among the game's finest coaches of any era.

Gatland has now led Wales to four successive quarter-finals and boasts a remarkable pool record of 14 wins in 16 games.

The only two defeats came against South Africa in 2011 in Wellington, when a James Hook penalty kick was controversially not awarded, and Australia at Twickenham four years later.

Wales have won their last eight pool matches after finishing unbeaten and winning the pool in both 2019 and 2023.

"We won a pool in 2019 so to repeat that from where we were is a lot of credit to the players and the work they've put in with the coaches and support staff," said Gatland.

"I think we can be pretty proud of what we've done as a nation in the last four World Cups.

"We've won 14 out of 16 games in our pool. The very first one was against South Africa when we lost by a point. We still dispute whether that kick by James Hook was over.

"Then we lost a tight one against Australia in 2015. We probably should have put that game away."

Not enough credit

There have been constant themes in Gatland's public and private messaging from even before the tournament started.

It has been doubling down on predictions Wales would "surprise people" and do "something special" in this tournament and emphasising how hard the players have worked in pre-season camps in Switzerland and Turkey.

The most obvious recurring message has been the statement Wales did not feel they were given enough credit for the opening 32-26 win over Fiji and the 28-8 victory over Portugal with a much-changed side.

Players and coaches have lined up to repeat this message with it being mentioned in most press conferences, so obviously a popular opinion that has been shared around the squad.

"As a group of players, we should be proud of what we've achieved," said Gatland.

"A big part of that is when we've been together as a group, the preparation time and the hard work has helped us in preparation for World Cups.

"We knew last week we were in the quarter-finals. That probably made today a bit of a challenge because, even though we've had the training, there wasn't that edge that there was for Fiji or Australia.

"But it was enough to get the job done. Sometimes that's where you see the progress of teams.

"We can go away knowing it was a little bit ugly at times and we were under pressure, but we got the job done."

Counting the cost

Victory against Georgia came at a cost though. Wales had been doing so well on the fitness front before the Georgia game with very few injuries as only Henry Thomas and Tommy Reffell initially missed pool matches because of minor knocks.

That was before the injury nightmare of Nantes. Number eight Taulupe Faletau was ruled out of the tournament with a broken arm after starting his fourth successive World Cup game, while fly-half Gareth Anscombe is an injury doubt for the rest of the World Cup after suffering a groin injury in the warm-up.

Full-back Liam Williams also left the stadium on crutches after suffering a knee injury and is a doubt for the quarter-finals next weekend.

"I think I spoke about before the game about having a full bill of health with 33 hopefully fully fit," said Gatland.

"We lose Gareth in the warm-up and then Faletau which is disappointing. But we're probably in a better position than we have been in the past.

"That's a key for us, trying to keep the players as fit as we can and not pick up too many injuries. It's the same for every team.

"We've seen a lot of teams pick up injuries. Fingers crossed we don't pick up too many more."

Gatland has managed to rotate the squad with everybody in the 33-man party having been involved, while only Thomas, Corey Domochaowski, Elliot Dee, Christ Tshiunza and Taine Basham did not start any of the pool matches.

Gatland has managed to establish a settled side after starting the same team in the victories against Fiji and Australia, while also making 12 changes against Portugal.

Wing Louis Rees-Zammit has scored five tries after starting all four games, while flanker Jac Morgan has been a revelation in his co-captaincy role he holds with Dewi Lake.

Morgan has been one of the stars of the World Cup pool stages having played every minute of the first three matches before being given a rest for the Georgia game.

Reffell stepped into the number seven role in Nantes and produced a player-of-the-match performance and will be a candidate to try and fill Faletau's absence in a rejigged back row.

Japan or Argentina?

Wales' World Cup record against potential quarter-finalists Argentina and Japan is strong - played five, won five.

While Wales got the job done early in terms of progressing from their group, a race for runners-up spot in Pool D will come down to an eliminator between Argentina and Japan on Sunday.

The Pumas have proved underwhelming so far, losing comprehensively to 14-man England, before edging out Samoa and then providing only glimpses of form when they eased past minnows Chile.

Japan have set up an intriguing encounter in Nantes for the right to face Gatland's team at Stade Velodrome next weekend.

"Tomorrow's game will be a close game," said Gatland.

"Argentina and Japan have different styles. We'll watch that game tomorrow. We go back to Paris this evening. The boys have a day off tomorrow, some recovery, then we head to Marseille on Monday."

Owen Farrell has broken Jonny Wilkinson's record to become England's all-time leading points scorer.

The England captain could have claimed the record earlier in the game but missed a conversion attempt following Ollie Chessum's opening try in Lille.

Farrell booted a second penalty and a conversion to take his tally to 1,186.

He also became the first man in World Cup history to be timed out as he took longer than the allotted 60 seconds on the 'shot clock' to kick a third penalty.

Wilkinson won 91 caps for England from 1998 to 2011, while Farrell was playing in his 109th Test after making his debut in 2012.

The 32-year-old Saracens back succeeded Dylan Hartley as England captain under Eddie Jones in 2019.

He retained his role as skipper under Jones' successor Steve Borthwick but had to miss England's opening two games of this World Cup after being suspended for a dangerous tackle during the warm-up win over Wales in August.

Farrell returned to the side in the win over Chile, stepping in at fly-half before moving to inside centre for the game with Samoa.

Taking British and Irish Lions points into account, Wilkinson remains ahead of Farrell on the all-time international points list for now, but the gap is closing.

New Zealand's Dan Carter leads the way on 1,598 points with Wilkinson, who won six caps for the Lions, second with a haul of 1,246.

Farrell, also capped six times by the Lions, now trails Wilkinson by 26 points.

Andy's son who carved his own legacy

Farrell may have been widely recognised as the son of dual-code England international Andy when he first emerged on the scene, but he has gone on to create his own legacy.

His tenacious defence, careful game management, accurate boot and leadership have led to a glittering professional career for club and country.

The first of his three nominations for the World Rugby Player of the Year award came in 2012 after an impressive debut season at international level.

He has won three Six Nations titles, including the Grand Slam in 2016, and captained his country in the 2019 World Cup final after a starring role in their thrilling semi-final victory over defending champions New Zealand.

Apart from four loan appearances for Bedford Blues, Farrell has spent his entire club career with English heavyweights Saracens.

He has been influential in their domestic and European dominance with six Premiership titles and three Champions Cup victories.

Having already achieved so much, he is at an age where he could stretch England's point-scoring record much further and still have several successful years at the highest level.

A sluggish England outlasted a bruising, brilliant Samoa performance to head to the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with a full house of Pool D wins.

However, his team's credentials as possible contenders for the title will have been badly dented as they were pushed all the way by a team whose only previous tournament win came against Chile.

The underdogs led 17-8 early in the second half and could have been further clear, having seen a third try ruled out for the faintest of knock-ons.

Samoa could yet have snatched a sucker-punch victory as they swept upfield only to spill forward five metres short in the penultimate play of the game.

England finished the game with a 100% record from their first four games, while their captain Owen Farrell surpassed Jonny Wilkinson as the leading Test points scorer for his country.

But there was more concern than confidence to take from the game with more Pacific Island opposition, in the shape of Fiji, looming in next weekend's quarter-finals.

England fast need to find an antidote to a game of off-loads, invention and commitment that very nearly caused the biggest upset of France 2023 so far.

Samoa twist script to push England all the way

Samoa had promised to 'gift' Manu Tuilagi, a son of their shores, with some homegrown physicality in their first meeting of his 56-cap England career.

Instead Tuilagi helped himself to the highest number of attacking metres of any players in the first quarter.

He ploughed into midfield contact off England's first piece of possession, cantered clear to put a galloping Ollie Chessum into the corner for the first try and punched over the gainline with regularity.

With Farrell kicking his record-breaking penalty to put England 8-0 up, all seemed to be going as planned for coach Steve Borthwick.

Then Samoa twisted the script. If they had not delivered their gifts for Tuilagi, a second pre-match vow - to play in an "unapologetically Samoan" way - was realised in some style.

A series of quicksilver phases was capped with Steven Luatua and Tumua Manu's deft hands putting Nigel Ah Wong into the corner.

Five minutes later he was over again, gathering and dotting down former All Black Lima Sopoaga's raking crossfield kick just before the dead-ball line.

That one-two punch could easily have been followed up with a potential knockout blow as Duncan Paia'Aua pounced on Alex Mitchell's botched box kick and dived in.

With the conversion already taken referee Andrew Brace, guided by the television match official, belatedly detected a marginal knock-on in the preceding melee to rule out the score. England, on the ropes, were reprieved and made it back to their half-time stool only six points adrift.

The break did nothing to change the momentum, though.

With the local fans singing Allez Les Bleus in support of Samoa, they pummelled away at England.

George Ford was forced into a desperate corner-flagging cover tackle to deny Paia'Aua as he bore down on the line, before Sopoaga knocked over a penalty to put his side 17-8 up and more than a converted score clear.

England chopped and changed in search of a combination that would unlock the Samoan defence.

Marcus Smith came on at full-back with Freddie Steward shifted out to the wing. Ollie Lawrence replaced Tuilagi. Ford was jettisoned.

They came close. Chessum was stopped millimetres short. Marchant was pulled back from under the posts for a forward pass. In a farcical moment, Farrell was timed out by the shot clock as he lined up a straightforward penalty at 17-11 down.

Samoa, spirited and aggressive, were sniffing a first victory over England and one that would arguably outdo their shock wins over Wales in 1991 and 1999.

But, in sight of that landmark, they faltered, falling asleep at the set-piece to allow an alert Care to scamper in and spare England's blushes.

'There are some huge learnings' - what they said

England head coach Steve Borthwick: "My first thoughts are what a performance for Samoa, I thought they were absolutely incredible. They put us under enormous pressure, that is a huge credit to them.

"For us it was scrappy, we made a lot of errors and there were periods where we didn't play within our system. That put us under an awful lot of pressure. There are some huge learnings and it was a tough test for next week."

England captain Owen Farrell: "It was scrappy. It didn't feel like the best from us but all credit has to go to Samoa, the way they came out and fired shots at us was tough to deal with at times.

"We didn't deal with it discipline wise, we didn't deal with it with mistakes at times. I'm glad we found a way back in. I'm glad when we weren't at our best we found a way to win."

England: Steward; Marchant, Tuilagi, Farrell (capt), May; Ford, Mitchell; Genge, George, Cole, Itoje, Chessum, Lawes, Curry, Earl.

Replacements: Dan, Marler, Sinckler, Martin, Vunipola, Care, Smith, Lawrence.

Samoa: Paia'aua; Ah Wong, Manu, Toala, Fomai; Sopoaga, Taumateine; Jordan Lay, Malolo, Alaalatoa, Slade, Alainu'u'ese, McFarland, Lee, Luatua.

Replacements: Lam, James Lay, Alo-Emile, Fa'aso'o, Motuga, Matavao, Lealiifano, Fai'ilagi.

Minnesota Wild forward Ryan Hartman signed a three-year, $12 million contract extension Saturday that runs through the 2026-27 season.

Hartman, 29, is entering his fifth season with the Wild. In 2022-23, he tallied 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 59 games. He had 90 penalty minutes, a plus-7 rating and six game-winning goals.

In 506 games with the Chicago Blackhawks (2014-18), Nashville Predators (2018-19), Philadelphia Flyers (2019) and Wild, he has 233 points (107 goals, 126 assists), a plus-55 rating and 505 penalty minutes.

Hartman was the No. 30 overall selection in the 2013 NHL draft.

The Wild open the season Thursday at home against the Florida Panthers.

Vinicius Junior praised Jude Bellingham as "incredible" and said the midfielder "was born to play for Real Madrid" after the England international scored twice in the club's 4-0 LaLiga win over Osasuna on Saturday.

Bellingham opened the scoring in the ninth minute at the Bernabeu, before adding a second early in the second half to make it 10 goals in 10 appearances for Real Madrid so far.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Vinicius added a third goal, and Joselu a fourth, as Madrid returned to the top of the LaLiga table.

"[Bellingham] was born to play for Real Madrid, to mark an era at the biggest club in the world," Vinicius told Real Madrid TV. "Let's hope [our connection] lasts for many years, that we play here together for a long time.

"I'm delighted to play with Jude, one of the best players right now, at his age. We're all happy and the fans are enjoying it."

Bellingham's 10 goals in 10 games equals the start that Cristiano Ronaldo -- who went on to become Real Madrid's all-time leading goalscorer -- had on his arrival at the club.

"Bellingham is giving us a lot of possibilities up front," coach Carlo Ancelotti said in his postmatch news conference.

"He's involved in the play, and not having a fixed position gives him an advantage. It's been a surprising start to the season. Nobody expected this level in terms of goals."

Real Madrid have now bounced back from their 3-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the derby on September 24, with three consecutive wins in LaLiga.

"[Bellingham] plays on the outside, on the inside, he drops deep, he's very dynamic," Ancelotti added. "We're lucky to have signed a spectacular player. Whether he's the best [in the world] or not doesn't matter. We signed him and we're happy about that."

Ancelotti dismissed questions over whether the England star will feel pressure to maintain this volume of goalscoring.

"[Bellingham] is very calm, he understands the moment," Ancelotti said. "He's aware that he isn't a centre-forward, he's an attacking midfielder, it isn't his responsibility to score goals. When the moment comes, he'll contribute to the team in other ways."

Chelsea secured back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time since March after coming from behind to thrash Burnley 4-1 on Saturday.

Looking to end a run of four successive home defeats on their return to the top flight this season, promoted Burnley raced into a 15th-minute lead, Wilson Odobert scoring his first goal in English football to stun the visitors.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Chelsea offered little in response until Ameen Al Dakhil put the ball in his own net in the most unfortunate circumstances three minutes before the break to get Mauricio Pochettino's team back level.

Having failed to win in their last 19 matches when conceding the opening goal in the Premier League, a run dating back to October 2022, Chelsea completed the turnaround early in the second half. 

Cole Palmer converted from the spot after Raheem Sterling had been fouled in the penalty area to score his first goal for the London club.

A fine Sterling goal and a fourth from substitute Nicolas Jackson put the game beyond the hosts, lifting Chelsea to ninth in the standings, with Burnley remaining in the relegation zone with only one win this season. 

"I was telling you in some games, we are building something," Pochettino said after the win. "We are a young group, we have some experienced players, it's a matter of time.

"We were performing very well. I think the team was good, the performance was fantastic and we go to the international break with a different feeling."

Burnley had won just one of their 16 Premier League matches against Chelsea, a 3-2 away win in 2017 when the Blues were reigning champions, but given the huge overhaul of both squads ahead of this season, that will not have been at the forefront of either sides' minds.

Both teams began like units who had not quite got used to each other yet, with Palmer's long-range effort that sailed well over the only real effort at goal in the opening exchanges.

Sterling whistled one fizzing strike past the post before Odobert collected a pass from Lyle Foster and fired through the legs of Chelsea full back Marc Cucurella into the bottom corner. the 18-year-old became Burnley's youngest Premier League goalscorer with the strike.

Chelsea had plenty of possession for the remainder of the opening period but looked like they were going to be frustrated as the interval approached, only for Al Dakhil to divert Sterling's cross over home goalkeeper James Trafford.

Sterling was again at the centre of things five minutes into the second half, drawing a foul from Vitinho to allow Palmer the chance to open his account for Chelsea, which he emphatically fired home.

A third always looked like and Conor Gallagher played Sterling through for the England international to arrow home his third of the season.

Jackson's well-taken fourth, set up by Palmer, ensured the Chelsea fans head back to the capital with big smiles on their faces after seeing their team score four or more goals for the first time in 71 matches in all competitions.

"It goes to show what this league is about," Burnley coach Vincent Kompany said. "You are playing well for one half and it's not enough.

"Everyone has to level up. I'd like a magic wand but it's a lot of work in training and getting the basics right. In spells we've done it really well but it's just spells."

Erik ten Hag hit out at his Manchester United players after the dramatic 2-1 win over Brentford telling his squad "if you can't handle the pressure, don't play here."

United needed two stoppage time goals from substitute Scott McTominay to avoid a third successive defeat at Old Trafford.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Afterwards, Ten Hag said his team had been "eaten" by Brentford in the first half and urged his players to be more "determined."

"When you can't handle the pressure, don't play here," said Ten Hag.

"Those players, they are so experienced. These are such high quality players so they have to take responsibility.

"In football it is eat or get eaten. Too many times in the first half of this season we got eaten by opponents who are more hungry. This can't be. It has to go away. Every player has to deliver that in every second he is on the pitch.

"That is the demand, the standard, when you do that we have seen last season you get a determined team. We were not always determined on every occasion in games, and you get hammered for it. This has to change."

Victory over Brentford ensures that United head into the international break on the back of a positive result after consecutive defeats to Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.

They resume in two weeks' time with a trip to Sheffield United and Ten Hag has urged his team to use McTominay's late goals as a trigger to turnaround what has been a disappointing start to the season.

"We didn't allow them one shot and we had some opportunities and then the same story again, we conceded a goal on a decisive moment, totally the wrong decision," said Ten Hag.

"We started and we were not in formation, an easy giveaway and it sums up our season. Such easy giveaways, you get punished in top football. We have too good players to act like this. It has to be a turning point but also a restart because we have to get into higher levels.

"The spirit is good, the belief is good and the team is together. We have shown that, we have shown strong character. It can be a turning point but it is up to us."

Meanwhile, Brentford boss Thomas Frank described the defeat as "brutal" after his team came within minutes of a first win at Old Trafford since 1937.

"I think we did so many things right, coming here to Old Trafford, almost perfect first half, pressed high, good on the counter and a well deserved lead," he said.

"Football is brutal in moments like this. At least a draw was probably a fairer reflection."

MANCHESTER, England -- Scott McTominay found an answer for Manchester United against Brentford on Saturday, but the questions are mounting for manager Erik ten Hag.

McTominay came on after 87 minutes with United 1-0 down and scored in the 93rd and 97th minutes to secure a 2-1 win and blow the roof off Old Trafford. Ten Hag punched the air and McTominay sank to his knees as United gave fans one of their famous late flourishes and the stadium descended into bedlam.

Ten Hag, no doubt, will delight in watching the final minutes when he comes to analyse the game in his Carrington office next week, but the other 90 might make him wince.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

This was like the 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace a week ago, except Palace managed to survive United's late pressure and this time Brentford collapsed. Quite why Bryan Mbeumo decided to intentionally handle the ball with the score at 1-1 and give Bruno Fernandes the chance to throw a long free kick into the box for McTominay's last-gasp winner is anyone's guess.

Ten Hag won't be complaining. Judging by this performance, he needs all the help he can get. Just minutes before the miraculous turnaround, the Brentford fans had been singing, "You're getting sacked in the morning."

"It has to be a turning point but also a restart because we have to get into higher levels," Ten Hag said after the match. "The spirit is good, the belief is good and the team is together. We have shown that, we have shown strong character. It can be a turning point but it is up to us.

"We had some opportunities and then the same story again, we conceded a goal on a decisive moment, totally the wrong decision. Two or three players. We started and we were not in formation, an easy giveaway and it sums up our season. Such easy giveaways, you get punished in top football. We have too good players to act like this."

For the sixth time in 11 games this season, United conceded the first goal thanks to defending so bad it was like something from an elaborate comedy sketch.

First, Casemiro needlessly gave the ball away in midfield and then missed his tackle to win it back. Victor Lindelöf, who looked uncomfortable as a makeshift left-back alongside a centre-back pair of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans, scuffed his clearance in the penalty. When Mathias Jensen's weak shot finally arrived, it squeezed under André Onana's right hand.

It got so bad that midway through the first half, Onana stopped trying to play out from the back and instead started pumping long balls up to Rasmus Højlund. The Denmark striker, strong and aggressive at centre-forward, was the only United player to emerge from the first half with any credit and at half-time Ten Hag decided he'd seen enough of Casemiro and brought on Christian Eriksen in his place.

"These games give fuel to the dressing room," Ten Hag said. "They know how far they have to go to get results. It can't be easy going. In football it is eat or get eaten. Too many times in the first half of this season we got eaten by opponents who are more hungry. This can't be. It has to go away. Every player has to deliver that in every second he is on the pitch. That is the demand, the standard. When you do that, we have seen last season you get a determined team. We were not always determined on every occasion in games, and you get hammered for it. This has to change."

Casemiro looks a shadow of the player who was so influential last season, but he's not alone in his struggle to find some form. For the third game in a row, Marcus Rashford was substituted early.

Just like during the defeat to Palace, the England striker was sacrificed midway through the second half despite United desperately needing a goal. This time, he was replaced after 63 minutes having had just one meaningful effort, when Thomas Strakosha -- making his Premier League debut in goal -- got down low to save at his near post.

Rashford was United's best attacking player last season, scoring 30 goals in all competitions, but it's reaching the point where there's little argument to keep him in the team at the expense of Alejandro Garnacho.

There will be more questions, too, about Onana's place after the Cameroon goalkeeper conceded another goal he should have saved. After contributing to Casemiro's red card against Galatasaray with a horrible pass into midfield, he was at fault for the Brentford goal that got the visitors so close to their first win at Old Trafford since 1937.

It looked at first glance that Jensen's shot had curled into the corner, but the replays showed that Onana had tried to bat the ball away with his right hand and got it horribly wrong. He redeemed himself slightly with two good saves late on, but Turkey international Altay Bayindir -- signed from Fenerbahce over the summer -- would be forgiven for sitting on the bench wondering what has to happen for him to get a chance.

McTominay, who has only started two games this season, has done everything he can to make sure he gets an opportunity when United resume after the international break with a trip to Sheffield United. Ten Hag, meanwhile, has two weeks to ponder whether the dramatic finale against Brentford is a sign of better days to come or brief respite from the lingering storm.