Crystal Palace 1 Brentford 1. Another point for The Bees and another last minute equaliser. Leeds United visit on Saturday and won’t fancy playing a team who play to the 90th minute and beyond.
This time around it was Yoanne Wissa who found the net for Brentford and shattered Crystal Palace hearts late on. Was it sufficient to earn him a starting berth for Leeds on Saturday ? Who was our star player? Who else made the top five in the season long quest to find the top Bees’ performer? Is anyone sweating on their place for the visit from Jesse Marsch’s XI ?
As ever at the juncture, the answers can be found in the post match debrief and player ratings. Which is now online, here….
Next up for Brentford, Crystal Palace. Two teams who received another reminder (would that one were needed) at the weekend, that it is goals rather than justice which wins football matches. For The Bees, a 1-1 draw at home to Everton was a game where despite a full on assault on the visitors’ goal (and woodwork) it took until the 85ths minute for Vitaly Janelt’s equaliser. Palace meanwhile stormed into a 2-0 lead up at City that, arguably, could well have seen the add a third to that tally but for the officials. Sadly for them, they were up against a team boasting Erling Haaland. His second half hat-trick, tucked away in under twenty minutes, saw Pep Guardiola’s team run out 4-2 victors. Elsewhere, Richard Keys has crawled back out from under his rock to remind the world what a twat he is. When Fulham have the moral high ground, this following his comments about table topping Arsenal, then you know not all is right with the world.
We can only start with the game at Selhurst Park this evening. For Brentford it is a chance to pick up where we left off against Everton. There are no easy matches in the Premier League, regardless of how they may look on paper or in a Qatari TV studio. The Toffees set up their stall to play in a certain way and despite our very best efforts, finding a way through was a mostly futile task. Credit, such as it is, to Everton. They had a gameplan, stuck to it and almost pulled off what would have been a morale-boosting win. Instead they found themselves pegged back to record a second point of the season. The Bees came close but, in the end, it wasn’t sufficient to take the win. On another day perhaps we might have. Instead, the two teams gave supporters the consummate lesson in taking chances when they present themselves.
No complaints.
Brentford came close but couldn’t capitalise on chances created
As for Crystal Palace, one has to feel for them. Whereas The Bees went to the Ethiad last season and tried to do what Everton did to us on Saturday, Palace took the opposite tack and went for it from the off. Watching back, it was as exciting a start to a game as one could expect. Even if the ending had a familiar inevitability about it. In Erling Haaland, Manchester City have only made themselves even stronger. You can’t put a price on such a potent finisher with the golden boot already looking as though it will have a new home. Six goals in his first four games is a blistering pace to set. Good luck to Nottingham Forest tomorrow night.
Still, that’s a problem we won’t have to worry about for al little while. Instead all the focus is on Selhurst Park. Vitaly Janelt and Keane Lewis-Potter both impressed from the bench against Everton. Much as they did the week previous at Fulham. Whilst both combined for the equaliser it was as much the energy and renewed vigour they brought to the finishing XI.
One can only assume they’ll both be in with a very realistic chance of starting this evening. Yoanne Wissa was very much off his game whilst, and this may be blasphemous, I thought Josh Dasilva struggled. He’s an absolute player and a half but Saturday just didn’t feel like his day. Perhaps a change around is coming. Pontus remains touch and go at the back having missed out at the weekend whilst we already know Mikkel Damsgaard isn’t ready for a start. Yet.
Last season’s 0-0 was deemed a hard fought point at the time for newly promoted Brentford. An impressive start continuing after ‘that’ table topping 2-0 defeat of Arsenal. This time around, I don’t expect the challenge to be any easier. Patrick Viera has seen his team face the toughest of openings with defeat to the Gunners part of a run that also included Liverpool away (1-1). Aston Villa were swept aside 3-1 with the impressive Wilfried Zaha grabbing a brace (albeit missing a penalty before putting away the rebound) aswell as Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe also grabbing the plaudits.
Last season’s 0-0 at the Palace was hard fought
Injury news suggests Zaha may well be a doubt for this evening. Here’s hoping, given his prolific scoring rate. He’s bagged five of their last six league goals at Selhurst Park aswell as finding the net in all four of 2022’s home wins. Keeping him quiet (preferably absent) and nullifying the impressive Eze would seem to be key the strategy should Brentford have any aspirations of adding to our points total. It is another ‘way’ sell out despite being available on a variety of other sources. Primarily BT Sports – a place where, thankfully, anybody unable to make it will at least be spared Richard Keys.
The former Sky Sports dinosaur is now working for (checks internet) beIN Sports of Qatar where, at least he is consistent with how out of touch he remains about the modern game. His weekend rant about Arsenal, having just recorded their fourth win on the bounce to make it 12 Premier League points out of 12 and top the table, even included the line about their coaching staff ‘celebrating like they’ve won the FA Cup’. Now where have we heard that before? The reason for his ire – the opposition. A proper ’teams like’ diatribe about Fulham.
Been there. Done that
Granted, I’ve no time for their sponge cakes, gin bars, clacker banging, foam-finger waving, Michael Jackson loving atmosphere but, you know, each to their own. On pitch, there’s nobody in the top flight that is just going to roll over and die every week. Nobody incapable of giving anyone else a real test. This isn’t a division where Derby County’s mergre 11 points and goal difference of -69 from 2007-08 is under any threat.
It is a league where anybody is able to beat anybody on their day. Just ask Manchester United. So to bang on about Arsenal over-celebrating a win that maintained their 100% start to the season was as insulting to them as it was to their opponents. And that’s a tough thing to have to write. Perhaps somebody better get down there and explain offside to him.
Maybe it was nothing more than desperate attention seeking. An attempt to sound relevant having been absent from the public eye for so long. Nothing more than an old man shouting at the wind. It’s a shame his patter wasn’t as smooth as his hands and instead he remains as out dated as ever. Still, that’s his problem.
Instead, for us it is all about Brentford and Crystal Palace. On whether Thomas will stick or twist with his staring XI? On another day, we may well have had a hat full against Everton. You can read the full post-match debrief here, btw. The important thing now is how we kick on and I can’t wait to find out….
The morning after the weekend before. An intriguing two days of Premier League football where, of course, for Brentford the only result that really counted was the 3-2 reverse at Fulham. A scoreline that does little to tell the story of a game that went back and forth until, eventually, there was 90th minute heartbreak after the Bees had thrown a second-half kitchen sink at our hosts. It was a defeat where any feel good factor from last weekend’s demolition of Manchester United was gone in 44 seconds although one in which, eventually, the result really could have gone either way. Elsewhere, Everton warmed up for Saturday’s trip to Lionel Road with their first point on the board whilst the Priti Patel saga had further ‘light’ shed on it. You’ve been warned so please feel free to leave now if that upsets you.
However, the real subject for discussion this morning has to be the game at Fulham. By all rights, Brentford should have been dead in the water and out of sight within the opening quarter. 2-0 down after Joao Palhinha had doubled their lead with twenty minutes on the clock whilst between their opening pair, Aleksander Mitrovic had also seen one chalked off by VAR. Truly, it was a woeful start from The Bees. Think Southampton away or Everton (FA cup) levels of bad. We would also accept: Burnley (a) or Norwich (h).
Brentford reeling. The team that had blown Manchester United off the park just a week earlier now being outclassed and outpaced. No movement and second to everything. Fans still showing wonderful support but wondering where anything would come from. Fulham one goal away from properly putting it to bed. Except, of course, they didn’t. As we’ve all seen now, The Bees clung on until 44 minutes when Christian Norgaard leathered a corner kick from Mathias Jensen straight past Bernd Leno on the volley. Our first and only real moment of attacking intent leaving the Fulham ‘keeper for dead. 2-1 at half time and, suddenly, the scoreboard offered a glimmer of hope.
It was an opportunity seized with both hands. Ivan Toney a man possessed as he found the back of the net three times. One, fair enough offside. One, on 55 minutes, as close and dubious as they come. It took a good two minutes of VAR deliberation and set squares before his trailing leg was eventually adjudged to be interfering with play. As he turned away from the Fulham goal. They’re the rules but, as we’ve seen so many times, they don’t half kill the game. It was a beautiful finish and deserved more.
Had we equalised then, who knows what might have been? Brentford with their tails up and driving forwards. As it is, things were levelled on 70. Ivan Toney, again. This time the goal allowed to stand – moreso as there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. 2-0 down and looking dead in the water now back to 2-2 and only one team in the driving seat. Fulham woke up. David Raya in nets absolutely wonderful. Save followed save as the game swung back and forth. Toney denied a late penalty after Mr Bankes deemed he’d thrown himself to ground when clean through in the box and bearing down on goal. As he does. Apparently.
A game that swung back and forth
In the end though, it wasn’t to be. Mitrovic doing a Jota. 90 minutes on the clock and he out jumped Bryan Mbeumo (don’t, just don’t) to steer home a ball that could, probably should, have been well cleared prior. Brentford not quite able to see it through. Fulham with all the points. What is their to say?
No complaints from here. We’d shot ourselves in the foot early doors but at least had sufficient about ourselves to launch a quite wonderful fight back. A game is won over 90 minutes, not 20, and whilst we couldn’t quite do the business this time the opening three games have shown there is enough about this team to suggest the season will be an exciting one.
For now, the other takeaways from the game perhaps revealing the real reason for defeat. A pre-match encounter with Harry Potter (Simon, not the boy wizard) brought about this shocking revelation that.. “I’m teetotal today.”
“I’m sorry? What?” Was the reply from TC with genuine incredulity. The human embodiment of Gunnersaurus, Brentford’s own Winston Churchill, universally known in TW8 for his bighearted exuberance and love of all things Brentford. Perhaps those vocal styling were stifled by a dry throat. Who knows?
Brentford’s own Harry Potter
Elsewhere, there was the bizarre sight, or should that be sound, of Freed From Desire being played moments before the teams walked out. Seriously? I mean, not complaining but talk about a way to stoke up the away fans. The only thing missing was a AA with Hey Jude. By all accounts, they’s also played YNWA when Liverpool visited last week. Go figure.
Right up until Norgaard's goal, the first half highlight for #BrentfordFC at Fulham was five mins before kick off and this comes over the tannoy…. pic.twitter.com/zRmOMcHEDS
Then there was the away end. Appreciate they are still finishing off their new stand on the river side (something that has taken even longer to build than La Sagrada Familia) but having a mixed zone of home and away fans in the bar areas behind the goal felt odd. That’s the polite term. Unsegregated football hasn’t been a thing for decades and whilst we’re all a friendly bunch in the main, it’s an emotional game. A trailblazing step in the right direction or an accident waiting to happen? There was no bother that I saw although I heard differently from others. Their next few home games see visits from Brighton and then Chelsea. Good luck.
For Brentford, Everton are next up. An 88th minute equaliser saw them pick up a first point of the season at home to Nottingham Forest. Only Wolves, Leicester City, West Ham and Manchester Untied below them in the table. It’s not been the best start, with injuries and departure compounding to their woes from last season. On paper, the perfect opposition for Brentford. In practice, they’re already in survival mode. A caged tiger of a team. Backed in to corner and fighting for their lives or, at the least, to prove all the pundits wrong. The awesome power of everyone’s favourite Brazilian, Allan, currently confined to the bench but surely set to be unleashed at Lionel Road.
Pele. Zico. Ronaldo. Socrates. Allan
Ok. Turn away now if you are going to get upset about more Priti Patel. Last time out we asked on these pages what had happened there? Put the questions out there to try and understand why our stadium had been turned into a political arena? Moreso, when the person in question holds views that are so diametrically opposed to those of the club. We eventually got a brief statement saying that she had been invited by the Premier League, journalists had gone off topic and it wasn’t our media team controlling events. It was as neutral an ‘answer’ as would have been expected.
Bees United were quicker out of the blocks, noting that, amongst other things whilst it hadn’t been us that invited her, the club “Should have anticipated that the media would ask about wider political issues such as government policy towards asylum seekers. Brentford’s stadium thus became the background for political views which are not universally shared by fans”.
Whatever the explanation. Whatever the outcome. One thing is clear that we all share different views. The vast majority of Brentford fans would seem to be extemely unhappy about what played out. I’m still of the belief that things could have been handled differently. That things should have been handled differently. That’s me.
We’ve not even had a formal piece on the real reason for her visit but, all things considered, that horse has long since bolted and perhaps it is best one we all box off.
Our club have always been amazingly proud of their values and the amazing work being done on that front. If any positive can be taken out of all this, it is that the reaction of so many supporters shows how much we all share these. That, for me, is the real story to take away from all of this. Now let’s never talk of it again.
Finally, if there was one thing worse than the final score at Fulham it was the disaster that befell yours truly after the game. With the club putting out a tweet before kick off about the wonderful change shirt being worn for this match, the thought process naturally gravitated towards the brown/orange. Which was duly worn. Rightly so, until walking back to the pub it snagged against a bit of metal on the side of a white van. Disaster. Nooooooo. Ruined.
Like punching a hole in the face of the Mona Lisa, a masterpiece has been ruined. Kitman Bob? The club shop? Anyone? Is there a spare out there? Does anyone have one of these Jaffa caked beauties lying around gathering dust? I’ll be at the Everton game and would be happy to broker a deal. Probably let’s play safe and say in an XL.
Brentford 4 Manchester United 0. About as devastating a performance as one could hope to witness – for those of us from London (who support the Bees rather than United). Goals from Dasilva, Jensen, Mee and Toney blowing our visitors away and leaving Ronaldo a broken man. Yet there was so much more to it than that. The trip to Fulham on Saturday now an even more tantalising prospect than it already was.
As ever at this juncture, we look to see who was the star man and who made up the rest of the top five in our attempt to see who will be the season long top performer for Brentford. Who keeps their place after the performance against Manchester United or can anyone force their way in to the starting XI for Fulham?
And as ever, the answers are here. Sadly, 16 into 5 just won’t go but at least we can try. Enjoy…
Brentford made it 6 wins out of the last 9 games. 19 points from the last 27. Saturday’s 3-0 defeat of Southampton giving further hope to those looking towards the top half of the table.
As ever at this point, time to look at who was the star man for Brentford? Who makes the top five? Who is leading the season long hunt for our game by game top performer? Who did enough against Southampton to retain their place for the trip to Everton on Sunday?
When does a blip become a trend? When does a bad run of results become more of a worry? The first of three games against teams below Brentford saw a 2-0 win for Newcastle United at Lionel Road. It was as abject a showing as we’ve seen all season (certainly in my bottom five ‘performances’ ) with the only two positives being the performance of David Raya and the entrance of Christian Eriksen into the field of play. If you want some further straw clutching at good news, then the ongoing holes in the Leeds United defence and use of VAR at Everton were further bonuses on an afternoon of slim pickings. It’s not time to enter panic mode but it IS time to now start getting points on the board. Failure to do so against Norwich City next week or Burnley in a fortnight and things could look very different.
What a moment
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe pretty much nailed it at full time. “If you can’t win, don’t lose”. Certainly that was our approach going in to that recent run of games against the clubs chasing Europe, for all our defensive heavy tactics ended up fruitless. This was different. This was the chance to turn the screw and aim for three points at home. To ride the wave of optimism engendered by the return of Ivan Toney to the squad. By Josh Dasilva starting once more. By the promise that we would see Christian Eriksen make a debut. The chance for Brentford to take a home game by the scruff of the neck. Instead, it was an opportunity that saw the Bees fall flat on their collective faces.
Referee Mike Dean didn’t help matters, that’s for sure. The red card shown to Josh Dasilva after just 11 minutes about the only thing he got right all afternoon and even that was a decision that had originally been given as a free kick to Brentford. Then VAR stepped in and, upon review, there can be few of us not wincing at a challenge which, whilst I am 100% sure was made with no ill intent, did not look pretty on the replay. The Bees down to ten men for the majority of the game and any early impetus gone in a flash.
Let’s not blame Mike Dean for our own failings, though. He didn’t help matters but Newcastle United wanted this 100 times more than we did. Their 26 shots (to our 6) and 63% possession (for an away team !!!) matched by their two first half goals. Indeed, were it not for David Raya who was absolutely dominant in goal for Brentford things could have ended up a heck of a lot worse. Joelinton magnificent with his head for the eventual opener. An absolute blinder with Ajer made to look invisible. Joe Willock finishing a rapier like counter attack just before half time after Jensen had delivered a Brentford corner so deep it needed its own scuba gear.
The players trooped off with ‘All Apologies’ playing out over the tannoy at half-time. Irony alive and well at Lionel Road where it was anything but a state of Nirvana.
It was a case of All Apologies to the Brentford fans at half time
On the plus side, if there can be one, it perhaps accelerated the entrance of Christian Eriksen. What a moment. What a reception. Universal applause and good will. Not just in the stadium but , no doubt, further afield. The moment we’d been building to finally where. A standing ovation and the player straight in to the action in place of Jensen. Within a minute he might had opened Newcastle up. His game then demonstrating the passing and movement we’re all so familiar with and which could prove invaluable in the coming weeks.
Sadly, it wasn’t quite enough but ten men are always going to struggle against opposition that stretched us further than the elastic on a pair of granddad’s pants. That were on their game and had their fans singing throughout. One song about Joelinton, to the tune of ‘She’s Electric’ on repeat after he’d bagged the opener. “He’s only got four fingers” ringing around Lionel Road again and again and again.
Albeit subsequent post match discussion suggesting the line might, actually, have been a reference to his price tag. That’s what £40million gets you, I suppose.
As for Brentford, hindsight is wonderful thing. The popular opinion being that Eriksen should have started from the off. Should have take the game to Newcastle and let them play catch up. Personally speaking, I’d have made the same call. Bring him on. We have an abundance of midfield options. Norgaard, Janelt and Dasilva in the middle with Roerslev at right wing back. Instead, we got the three of them plus Mathias Jensen (who should have been dropped after his cameo at Arsenal), no Roerslev or Canos and Ivan Toney on the bench. It survived just 11 minutes.
I guess if Ivan is not 90 minute fit the thinking was to have him, Josh and Christian Eriksen on together. Besides, as one terrace wag put it in the pub after the game, having played for Spurs Eriksen is used to coming on at 2-0 down. It didn’t work though. Not this time. Personally, I’d have started Ivan and brought him off if needed. Then use impact player Wissa up top with Bryan.
Being an armchair manager is easy. There’s no consequence to your decisions. No comeback or tirades of abuse for getting it wrong. None of us know what goes on behind the scenes. How fit players are. Why some start ahead of others. It’s not the team I’d have picked but it was still a team that should have been good enough to perform a hell of a lot better than they did. The ten men didn’t help, of course, but it just felt as though we barely got even half way close to sniffing the chance of having a look in.
It’s done. It’s dusted. It’s put to bed. The player review and ‘deeper dive’ is here. A bad day over. A bad day made even worse by then having to watch Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. In itself, always an awful experience and one made even worse by their proving how ‘live’ the show was by harping back to the result. There it was again. And again.
Instead, it’s time to focus on Norwich City. They looked desperate against Southampton on Friday night. Another team spending huge swathes of time on the backfoot and inviting pressure on themselves. Bringing the inevitable goals against with even Dean Smith replacing his usual “We deserved to win” with, “The better team won on the night, we can’t argue with that.” . Like Eddie Howe, a manager reading the game correctly, even if the result didn’t go as planned.
It will be crucial how Thomas and his team react to this performance when we go to Carrow Road next week. Otherwise, those last two games of the campaign (Everton away and Leeds United at home) might end up proving very significant. All that’s to come, of course. For now we need to focus on Norwich City and then Burnley.
Nobody said life at this level would be easy but I’m still loving it. Bring them on and see you there.
So much optimism from the young Bees before kick-off
Brentford host Wolverhampton Wanderers this Saturday afternoon. The fallout from the Manchester United game has been done, dusted and (along with the player / team performance summary) written about here. We’ve, likewise, looked forward to the visit from Wolves in yesterday’s column. To be quite honest, the plan had been for a lie in this morning before freezing my bits off in Gunnersbury Park whilst H spends 90 minutes at the weekly Community Sports Trust football training for years 3-6. That was the plan. But something has been niggling. Something kit related. Something utter, utter genius. Something to better even the brown and orange. Yeah. I hear you. Me too. “How is that even possible?” being the universal reaction to such a crazy statement.
Choc & Orange – much missed
We’ve written about the good people behind @BeesShirts on Twitter before. Their ongoing homage to the history of red and white stripes along with just about anything else we’ve ever worn before. For a shirt nerd like yours truly – who, to be honest, is only a whisker away from Kitman Bob issuing the restraining order once Luis Adriano is finished with it – this is a mandatory inclusion in the social media ‘Follow 400’ max. Honestly, you don’t need any more. It’s just noise and clutter. A therapeutic clear out every now and again to avoid tipping over the magic mark is truly refreshing.
You can thank Twitter guru Richie Firth for that one. Although, I note with dismay he has let his own standards slip and is now up to a terrifying 469. Albeit, the visit to his own page to see that current tally revealed a spot on analysis of Jamie Carragher’s sartorial stylings from last night’s coverage of Watford – Norwich.
As ever, we digress. In short – don’t follow more than 400. Do follow @Beesshirts. And if you took the later advice chances are you’d have seen the greatest concept design for Brentford shirt ever. Imagine running out against Manchester United in what they’ve come up with? Well you don’t even need to imagine, if you can make it to the end of this page.
What a concept. What a look. A design based upon that classic London Transport seat material. Bringing the ‘Bus Stop in Hounslow ‘ to life. Reinventing the much loved choc /orange for an unexpected comeback. If nothing else, imagine the global shirt sales form Trainspotters. From travel enthusiasts. As a revenue generator alone, a tie up with LT could see the coffers swelling.
But this is not really about money. This is about looking cool. Looking stylish. Being the trailblazers we so often are. About making Brentford stand out. About being different. About embracing what we have become so intrinsically associated with.
The aforementioned restraining order moved a step closer last night when Kitman Bob was asked for his thoughts on this. Clearly, we’ve stumbled across Matthew Benham’s latest masterplan. What other reason can you give for a reaction of “Hell no !!!!!”. Something I can only think is a coded message to keep quiet and not let the cat out of the bag.
Well, some things do need to be shouted about from the roof tops. Just imagine running out in this. Imagine the envious looks on Cristiano Ronaldo’s eyes if the Manchester United stropmonger had sulked off past players wearing this. Imagine owning something truly unique.
A 3-1 reverse for Brentford at home to Manchester United only tells one part of a evening in which the Bees did everything but score, visiting number 7(seven) Cristiano Ronaldo had a quite spectacular hissy fit and Bees fans were left genuinely frustrated not to have beaten the ‘biggest club in the world'(TM). As ever at this point, it’s time to look at who the best pf the Bees’ players were. Who is a nailed on start for the game with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday ? Has anyone broken into the season long top 5? Do you agree with the selections where there’s a few whose inclusion may cause some surprise? Have Matthias Jensen, Sergi Canos and Mads Bech (all of whom made the starting XI this time around ) done enough to hang on to their places for Wolves at the weekend?
The post match player review can be found here. Plus a few more thoughts on the overall Brentford performance. Sure, Manchester United won (no denying that) but, much like sitting through an episode of My Family, there was nothing particularly comfortable about it.
What can you say? Brentford went down 3-1 at home to Manchester United in the proverbial game of two halves. The first seeing us utterly dominant. United, apparently the ‘biggest club in world football’ made to look like a bunch of Sunday league part-timers. The only one to emerge with any credit being David De Gea in nets who twice denied Matthias Jensen when it seemed odds on the Danish midfielder would score. The fans were on their feet in anticipation of him burying one of them but, yet again, Thomas Frank must be left wondering whose black cat he has run over. Like Chelsea, a blood and thunder performance saw us thwarted by a ‘keeper at the very top of his game. Christian Norgaard also with the best of the chances in an opening period that saw 6 decent efforts and the memory of our blank at Liverpool nothing more than that. A memory. This was a team reacting at the top of their game. A team breathing in the atmosphere at Lionel Road and then using it to super charge our drive forward.
Bryan was on fire. Matthias too, to be fair. The frustration of inconsistency rearing its head when the ball was lost or the chances spurned. The brilliance of him at his best coming through in patches. Perhaps that’s what the prospect of Josh Dasilva and Christian Eriksen breathing down your neck does. United left looking tattered and one of the worst teams to visit Lionel Road this season. We were that good. They were that bad. De Gea aside. The visitors not even testing Jonas Lössl who had replaced Alvaro Fernandez in goal.
Then , the second half happened. A sloppy first goal conceded with Lössl unsure whether to stick or twist as the ball was played forward and ended up doing neither. A despairing stretch was powerless to stop Elanga heading home. Ronaldo chesting it forward for Fernandes to give his only meaningful contribution of the evening in the build-up to the second. The ball then played through to Mason Greenwood who, despite a suspicion of offside, made no mistake. Marcus Rashford made it three late on.
The goals all well, well taken and the consummate lesson that chances can’t continue to be spurned. United weren’t even close in this game but rode their luck to the max. All we had to show for it was Ivan Toney’s late, late consolation goal. A long throw working for the second time this season. Brentford throwing everything and anything from the kitchen sink to Stephen Pressley’s socks at the United goal but nothing more followed.
Look positive. This was Manchester Untied we were up against. It was miles improved on Liverpool. We didn’t concede form a corner either. Mads Bech coming in for Kris Ajer looked strong. Ivan is back on the score sheet whilst who didn’t enjoy the sight of Ronaldo’s hissy fit. Trudging off in what the BBC described afterwards as “a ridiculous show of petulance with a slow stroll off, some very obvious muttering and a burst of anger on the bench after he was substituted with 20 minutes left”?
In your own time, Cristiano
A case of ‘And this isn’t Ronaldo territory?’ Frankly, a two headed tortoise would have been quicker leaving the field. The chants of “winker, winker, winker” being directed towards the player showing that he hadn’t been forgiven for his World Cup shenanigans back in 2006. At least, I thank that’s what was being chanted.
Thomas would talk afterwards about how we absolutely destroyed them in the opening period. How he was hugely disappointed not to grab the win against a top team. All true. All true. Feelings felt by the majority of a fanbase who absolutely ripped the roof off Lionel Road. Kudos too, for the West stand breaking in to a chorus of: “Live round the corner. You only live round the corner.”
The deeper dive player review is now up and can be found here. Otherwise, it’s a case of waking up and wondering how we came away empty handed. Of being taught a lesson that opportunities need to be grabbed when they come along. Something Manchester United are still masters at and which they demonstrated three times last night.
So head held high and all that but, at the end of the day Clive, a blank on the points tally. That’s football. All we can do now is bottle if for Wolves and, err, go again.
So Brentford lost out at Anfield on Sunday. A 3-0 reverse to Liverpool coming after 45 minutes of rock solid defending had almost threatened to send the half-time crockery flying. Then, the dam finally broke after wave upon wave of Red pressure and the rest is history. With Manchester United next up on Wednesday, are there grounds for expectation that another big name scalp will be claimed? Will the defensive, err, blips that gifted the third goal in particular be consigned to the waste bin of history?
Brentford push forward at Anfield
As ever at this juncture, we take a look at who deserves to keep their place in the Brentford starting XI after the Liverpool game and who were our top five players at Anfield? Does anyone deserve to miss out against Manchester United or will it be more of the same when Thomas names his team? Looking further afield, how is the race to be our season long star man shaping up?
BrentfordFC 