Mata’s delicious no-assist pass: The perfect adios to Man Utd’s Disney era

It felt like the end of an era at Old Trafford.

The football was swift and incisive, a throwback to the years of Sir Alex Ferguson. And at the heart of it was Juan Mata, playing with freedom as he bid farewell to the Manchester United crowd.

This was a night for the team’s ageing players. Brentford, having very nearly avoided relegation, were perhaps not as stubborn opponents as they might have been.

That allowed Mata to roam into space, to pick passes and link up with Cristiano Ronaldo.

United, for the first time in weeks, were given the time to play at a more laboured pace, not pressed into submission as they were against Liverpool and Chelsea.

It was, then, an enjoyable night for Mata, still a gifted technician even if he has often been left in the dust by the sheer athleticism of the Premier League in recent years.

The Spaniard was involved in some of the game’s most fluid passages of play, notably the move that led to Ronaldo’s disallowed goal.

Mata played an intelligent, volleyed one-two with Bruno Fernandes and was set away down the left flank. He spotted Ronaldo in the middle, picking him out with an accurate first-time ball.

United’s top scorer beat David Raya with a low finish into the bottom left corner and the Old Trafford crowd were jubliant.

There was a nostalgic cadence to the cries of “Siuuuuu!” This was the goal of an era already passing, the final remnant of a period soon to be left behind for good.

And then it was disallowed. Ronaldo, after a VAR check, had strayed just offside, and United were brought back down to earth.

Perhaps this led to some reflection. Amid the sentimentality, there was an understanding, a realisation that the time had come to move on.

Still, Mata’s last cameo was a memorable