Another weekend. Another away win for Brentford.

Much like the proverbial form of the 65 bus, you wait ages and then two come along at once. Sunday’s 2-1 defeat of Crystal Palace coming hot on the heels of the 5-0 thumping handed out to Southampton the last time The Bees hit the road.

This one was infinitely tighter. Infinitely tougher. A game played out in the most brutal conditions (but enough about the incessant drum) against one of the division’s form teams.

Even though Palace got a late goal to halve the deficit, followed by an excruciating nine minutes of time added on in which buttocks were clenched so tight that a carbon nugget placed between them would have turned to diamond, the net result was ultimately the same as that as The Saint Mary’s. Three more points and fans making the journey home in high spirits.

A cat and mouse first-half saw opportunities limited. Mark Flekken the busier of the two ‘keepers but The Bees still having their own moments. Wissa’s shot just after 20 minutes seemed bound for the bottom corner but Dean Henderson in nets was able to push it round the post. Shortly afterwards a free-kick from the heart of Saunders territory, awarded after LaCroix was booked for ploughing through Mads Roerslev, saw Bryan Mbeumo come close.

That was it though. Then the second half began and with it came madness, comedy, excitement, the aforementioned late stress and everything in between. In short, what makes football the most amazing roller coaster journey. The sort of white-knuckle ride that, when it ends the right way, has you itching to jump straight back in and go again.

Which in Brentford’s case is next Sunday against Spurs – the team whose latest Spursyness saw them come unstuck at home to (checks results) Leicester City. Fridays’ preview piece for that one should be fun, but we digress.

Palace out of the blocks, pushing. Flekken again strong. The defence in front of him equally so. KLP down the other end forcing Henderson to push a curling shot away from the top corner and behind the goal to safety.

Then, on the hour mark, with Brentford driving not one but two penalties in the same movement. With a clear handball already (one assumes) being checked in the VAR booth, Lacroix pushed his luck against referee Tony Harrington when ploughing into Nathan Collins. The decision was immediate – penalty kick. Albeit the defender so very, very fortunate to avoid what would have been a second yellow card.

No problem. A penalty kick is still a penalty kick which, in Brentford’s case, equals goal. I’m fairly sure that The Bees have only missed one since 2020 (Ivan Toney against Newcastle United) and it would be fair to say that things have come a long way since that rarely mentioned 2013 Doncaster incident.

So when Bryan approached the ball doing what one observer alongside me described as ‘That jumping pony thing’, the ball was still only going in one direction – the back of the net.

Except. Except… Noooooo. The impossible becoming possible as the ball hit the base of the far post and was cleared by the onrushing Marc Guehi. Disaster for Brentford. A glorious chance spurned.

Except. Except….Yesssss! The good folks at VAR leapt to Brentford’s rescue. Guehi having been spotted encroaching in to the penalty box as Mbeumo reached the critical point. His early arrival then stopping what would have been the instinctive reaction to stroke the rebound home. Something which, given Henderson hadn’t touched it, would have resulted in a free-kick to the home team.

Instead, the event review at Stockley Park dictated that a retake was necessary. This time, there was no mistake. Brentford so confident that KLP and Wissa were already running across to the away fans in celebration before Mbeumo had even hit the ball. The net eventually rippling and Henderson with nothing to show for his troubles beyond a yellow card for complaining that, really, should have gone to Lacroix.

Oh well. Whatever. Who cares? 1-0 is still 1-0 is then 2-0. Kevin Schade giving the ball to Damsgaard, making space for himself in the split seconds that the Danish maestro’s tracking computer took to calculate the exact trajectory for the ball back in to the box, then positioning himself to make the perfect connection with the incoming cross. Swiftly followed by a less sweet connection with the head of Chris Richards – a coming together that ended with both players being subbed off.

On the flip side all Brentford had to do was hold on a 2-0 lead for just five minutes. So, of course, there was an almost Nostradamus like inevitability of substitute and new signing Romain Esse coming on and scoring within second of his debut. Left exposed at the back stick it was the simplest of tap ins to make it 2-1 and start those nerves jangling.

That terrifying amount of stoppage time progressing at glacial pace. Palace dominating. The Bees holding firm. Weathering the storm in more ways than one. A 96th minute free-kick from Eze looking way scarier than it eventually transpired and the visitors were able to run the clock down to that euphoric celebration at the final whistle.

2-1 Brentford. Another three points. Move along and let’s get out of here with the job done. Mbeumo’s 100% record from the spot confirmed as continuing with that initial effort scrubbed from the record books due to Guehi’s transgression.

He will, of course, be as keen as anyone to see what that goal means for our top five player ratings. Five points being awarded for star player, four for second place, three for third etc with the totals added up game-by-game to find an overall winner for the season.

2024/25 Brentford Player Ratings from Matchweek 23 (vs Crystal Palace)

1st (Star Player: 5 points) – Nathan Collins
Prior to kick off this game looked as though it was going to be one played at an ‘exam conditions’ level of toughness for Thomas Frank’s team. Atrocious weather. Palace on form. Brentford not winning at Selhurst Park in the Premier League era (and way beyond).

Yet despite everything in the home team’s favour, including a quite rambunctious atmosphere, The Bees held firm. Grew in to the game. Eventually won it. Nathan Collins was at the heart of it all.

His 34th minute penalty box tackle on Eze was perfection on a stick. Get it slightly wrong and it would have been either a penalty kick or a goal to Palace. One had the feeling that whomever scored first was going to go on and win this. Something that eventually transpired to be true.

It was symptomatic of his afternoon. Leading the backline. Covering across and stopping the threat before it reached peak danger levels. Pushing forwards and threading those passes into the attacking third. Even venturing up to the Palace box where, of course, he was positioning himself for goal when Lacroix struck.

If we’re being honest, on another day Esse’s strike might have been nullified but even then, to stay so strong during those final, remorseless waves of pressure takes a special player.

He was magnificent.

2nd (4 points) – Mikkel Damsgaard
If not first, it’s generally second for Mikkel. He’s been that good and shows no sign of resting on his laurels since signing that massive contract extension.

What an absolute luxury for Thomas Frank to have a player who is so comfortable with the ball at his feet. Whether running through or around the opposition (one run seemed to go on forever as he almost sought out players to beat) or pinging it around with impunity, Mikkel had yet another of those games.

The conditions, an irrelevance. The opposition, just eleven more men in shirts. The only thing that matters these day is the ball at his feet and the position of his team mates. Something which was as true as ever when it came to the second goal.

His interplay with Schade breathtaking. His delivery once more at Postman Pat levels. The finish, inevitable. Did his own fair share of defending from the front, too, whilst nobody in pink put in more tackles than the diminutive looking midfielder.

Appearances very much deceptive.

3rd (3 points) – Vitaly Janelt
Alexa: show me ‘hard fought’. This game was always going to be one of those and didn’t that prove true.

Vitaly seemed to be everywhere at all times. Hunting down the ball. Seeking out the opposition. Stopping them in their tracks. Getting in their faces. Not worried about taking that yellow card hit for the team when the situation dictated in the second-half. Joint top on the tackle count when the final whistle came.

Vitaly doesn’t get the goals. Doesn’t get the assists. Doesn’t get the headlines. Just gets on with doing his job. The sort of player whom the opposition fans would pay no heed to going in to a game but, as we saw at Selhurst Park, at the other end of it he’s the one smiling.

4th (2 points) – Mark Flekken
Who’d be a goalkeeper? That last line of defence whose heroics are expected as ‘the norm for the job’ but mistakes inevitably leading to the most brutal of consequences.

Sunday at Selhurst had the potential to be in the later camp. Wet. Windy. Wetter. Greasy. The ball swirling around, just begging to be spilled through rain-lashed fingers as Palace piled in to the box. Yet Mark was solid. Solid as a rock. As somebody once sung.

A fine early save from the dangerous Mateta setting the tone. Strong hands throughout and not even a glimpse of slippage for anything that came anywhere near his goal. All collected with what looked like comparative ease but I’d imagine were anything but.

Even the passing out to the defence something which looked as though it was being done in the tranquil conditions of a season opener rather than the brutal squalls.

His confidence and calmness were as key as anything to what The Bees achieved.

5th (1 point) – Mads Roerslev
Plenty of contenders for this one. We have two goalscorers – neither of whom get it. Sadly. KLP and Wissa deserve honourable mention. If only for their penalty, and post-match, celebrations.

However, I’m going for Mads. If this does turn out to be his final game for Brentford (his much talked about move to Wolfsburg is seemingly at the point where Fabrizio is defrosting the ‘here we go’) then what a way to bow out.

The tenacity and ever presence of Vitaly. The confidence of Mark Flekken. The drive of Damsgaard when pushing up the flanks or running toward the box. He was tireless. Ceaseless. Unrelenting.

With new recruit Michael Kayode in the stands for this one, Mads was as pivotal in the victory as anybody.

2024/25 Brentford Player Ratings – Top 5 Overall (after Matchweek 23)

All of which means that heading in to the weekend’s visit from Spurs, Mikkel Damsgaard moves ever further clear at the top. His consistency quite ridiculous. Mark Flekken the other player to make a bit of ground in the top five whilst Nathan Collins sits just outside this runaway group

1st – Mikkel Damsgaard (69 points)
2nd – Bryan Mbeumo (46 points)
3rd – Mark Flekken (43 points)
4th – Keane Lewis-Potter (37 points)
5th – Christian Norgaard (36 points)