Sunday’s 1-0 win at Aston Villa was about as sweet as it can get for Brentford. Here are Nick Bruzon’s player ratings.
Ten men for most of the game after Kevin Schade got played by Matty Cash and reacted. Ten minutes of time added on for a final push that the home team were simply unable to deliver on. Ten out of ten for Keith Andrews as his own response to the way the game played out produced the most resilient and heroic of performances we’ve seen in some time.
The stats told one story, but the final score told another.
Villa with 71.7% possession. 27 shots (compared to Brentford’s 6). 75 touches in the Brentford penalty area contrasted with a mere 12 for the Bees. 11 players against 10 for over an hour (by the time you factored in that quite bizarre amount of additional time in the second half), yet the home side still unable to find an equaliser.
The pressure meaningless in the face of a defensive performance that will go down in legend. Keith’s additional mid-game strengthening of the backline was, on this occasion, the exact right thing to do and was rewarded with a performance that totally nullified the pretenders to the title. Thomas Frank’s Tottenham side salvaging a second-half point (not a typo) against City, seeing the Villans end the day in third place rather than the second they had anticipated.
Yet perhaps the most talked-about incident of a frenetic afternoon was not Schade’s red card. Nor was it Dango Ouattara’s blistering goal from the tightest of angles just minutes after the Bees were reduced to 10 men. Lashing home through three defenders and past World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emi Martinez, five yards in from the touchline to the far corner of the goal.
Instead, it was, of course, the sound of grown men, women, and even children pouring forth streams of salty tears after the returning Tammy Abraham was denied an equaliser just minutes into the second half. 19 seconds this. 19 seconds that. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Sorry to step back a touch and clarify. After the returning Tammy Abraham was correctly denied an equaliser just minutes into the second half.
The ball clearly going out of play down the Villa end, but instead of being allowed the chance to bring in Kayode for another long throw into the opposition box, the hosts were able to break with the Bees, expecting the ball to go their way.
Break, they did. A flowing move against a side, perhaps temporarily out of their stride in waiting for a throw-in that didn’t come, then developed at breakneck speed into ‘Boys Own’ stuff. Kelleher’s stop from Jadon Sancho only falling to Abraham, who buried it.
A fine finish 19 seconds later, but one which, let’s not forget, only happened because the move began with the ball already in touch.
The failure of Villa fans to recognise this as blinkered as their forgetting the amount of chances their team had to put this game to bed. Before, during, and after the ‘goal that never was’. (never was because the ball had gone out of play).
The Villans clearing the bar so many times, Unai Emery may as well have saved a few quid and simply added Jonny Wilkinson to his squad. Again, the same Villa fans bemoaning the injury-enforced absence of Ollie Watkins (hey, it’s football, it happens), oblivious to the additions made over the last few seasons. This week alone seeing the sort of high-profile signings most teams could only dream about.
What a shame that this should end up being the most talked about incident of a game in which the Bees showed a resilience and solidity one didn’t think possible.
Chances to break clear kept to a minimum – even with 11 on the pitch – with nothing much to show beyond early opportunities for Jensen and Ouattara. After that, Unai’s team cranked it up and turned the screw. Hard. The pressure building. The Bees’ backline impermeable to anything directed at goal. Content to see anything else sail over. Esri Konsa missing perhaps the best of many clear chances.
To be fair, though, it wasn’t that Keith had chosen to employ the sort of negativity demonstrated by Nottingham Forest last weekend, but more his side were up against genuine title contenders who dominated. The Bees containing and smothering but without resorting to the levels of sh*thousery relied upon by Sean Dyche’s team. Moreso, once they’d been reduced to 10 men after Kevin Schade’s petulant reaction to Matty Cash’s needling after the pair came together.
It was the Pole who started it, but the German who wafted his boot back and was in the wrong. Even Keith would admit afterwards that, “They are not robots; they will make mistakes. Kevin knows that and we have no complaints”.
The foot went backwards and caught the Villa man square in the unmentionables. No matter how soft a connection was made, it happened.
The subsequent reaction another thing altogether, with the defender throwing himself backwards and over as though he’d been taken out by the traditional sniper. He looked like a five-year-old rolling down a hill in the park.
Think Trézéguet at the Gtech against Saman Ghoddos for, err, Aston Villa. It was that bad a response. Thank Emi Martinez at the Gtech against Neal Maupay for, err, Aston Villa. It’s almost as though they have form at this sort of thing.
It was one designed pure and simple to ensure the referee had seen what had transpired. Tim Robinson, this time, left no choice but to brandish red. Keith Andrews forced into a tactical rejig – albeit with the benefit of that subsequent 1-0 lead. The post-match criticisms from the pundits as voluminous as praise for the Bees in achieving a Premier League double over Unai Emery’s team. Schade the transgressor, but Cash very much seen as… the villain of the piece.
Let’s be realistic. Villa are a cracking team. On another day, perhaps they’d have taken one of the many chances they forged, and the dam then burst. The goals flowing, with ten men unable to withstand the numerical disadvantage. Perhaps?
See also: shoulda, woulda, coulda. The simple fact remains that this wasn’t another day. This was Sunday afternoon. The Bees as strong as we’ve ever seen them in the face of relentless pressure. Let’s not focus on Aston Villa. On their bitterness about one of what were many, many chances not going their way.
Instead, let’s give Brentford all the credit they deserve for, let’s not forget, being the team to actually win the game. A victory carved out in the toughest and most buttock-clenching of circumstances, yet one which saw Brentford end the day sitting seventh in the Premier League table. Not bad at all.
We could chew this one over all day, but instead, let’s move on to the fun part. Our game-by-game search for Brentford’s top five players of the season. As always, five points being awarded for star player, four for second place, three for third, etc., with the totals added up game-by-game to see who ends up the eventual winner after game 38.
1st (five points) Kris Ajer
Quite magnificent from the Norwegian.
Who amongst us was surprised to see Kris in the starting XI when the teams were named? As much through the injury that resulted in his very painful-looking early exit against Forest last week as the fact that Nathan Collins was available. Instead, he was picked alongside Sepp van den Berg and absolutely bossed it at the back.
He’s always looked way more comfortable in the centre than pressed into being an unnecessary left-back, and it was the sort of game that demonstrated this in bucketloads. That’s not to knock his performance in other positions, but this was simply stunning. The proverbial Colossus. Anything that came at or near the box cleared with ease. The opposition pressured into hurried efforts that were more in danger of taking out the first ten rows than the back of the net.
Had the pleasure of setting up the winner, too. His ball through the middle splitting the defence to allow Ouattara to then do ‘that’ thing.
Not a bad day’s work. An away win, a clean sheet, an assist, and the star player award.
2nd (four points) Caoimhín Kelleher
Talking of clean sheets…
Another performance between the sticks that was as confident and solid as they come. Caoimhín gathering, stopping and clearing anything that came near him with consummate ease. His attention never wavering, even as the game moved beyond 100 minutes. This most unforgiving of positions, one where everything done is magnified ten times more than in just about any other, made to looks as comfortable as they come.
The one time he was beaten, the decision was, of course, ruled out. The hosts had played the ball over the line, and so, regardless of the 19 seconds it then took them to score (sorry, ‘score’), it was all part of the same move.
Had it counted, would have been so tough on the magnificent Kelleher in denying him a clean sheet. Thank goodness VAR man Paul Tierney got it right.
3rd (three points) Michael Kayode
His best game for the Bees in a few weeks and one which sees the gap to Thiago at the top of our own table reduced to a mere point.
For a while, he was the runaway leader. Churning out the star man performances by the bucketload. It isn’t as though his form has dipped, but more the others have found their feet. Yet on a day when it was all about defensive duty, he was superb.
Let the press talk about ‘long throws’ all they want. Sure, he can toss it in, but it is his relentless energy, aggression, and strength they should be talking about. Had a blinder on the right in the face of incessant pressure.
4th (two points) Rico Henry
For Kayode, see also Rico.
With the Bees numerically short and already on the back foot, that they were both able to provide some sort of attacking outlet, let alone that fleetness of foot to snuff out each and every Villa sortie down the flanks, deserves special credit.
With the FA Cup meaning that Brentford will have four games in a two-week sequence, let’s hope he can stay wrapped up in cotton wool. The performances since coming back from his huge injury-forced absence have shown just how much he means to this team.
Sunday was yet another example.
5th (one point) Mathias Jensen
Oh, captain! My captain!
Thankfully, Mathias is very much alive and kicking. The only sniper’s bullet on Sunday was reserved for Matty Cash.
The literary metaphors aside, skipper for the day, Mathias did everything he could to try and turn the flow of the game. Moreso in the absence of the injured Damsgaard, who at least we saw on the bench with the squad rather than being left back to train on the anti-gravity treadmill.
In truth, pretty the whole team deserve full marks, but that’s not how this works. Jensen seemed to me to be involved in as much as he could – in both directions – so scoops the final point.
All of which means Caoimhín’s leapfrogging of Mikkel Damsgaard is the most significant move of the day, although it is getting very tight in the battle for top spot.
Next up, a case of Fiends reunited for the trip to Newcastle. That could be a lot of fun…
- 1st Igor Thiago. 43 points
- 2nd Michael Kayode. 42 points
- 3rd Caoimhín Kelleher. 33 points
- 4th Mikkel Damsgaard. 30 points
- 5th Jordan Henderson. 28 points
