A frustrating Saturday for Brentford ended in a 3-0 reverse at Manchester City. Here are Nick Bruzon’s player ratings.
As if victories for those rivalling the Bees at the business end of the table in the earlier games weren’t enough, the game at the Ethiad was one shrouded in irritation. From the attention-seeking moron wearing an Arsenal shirt in the Brentford end to a series of refereeing decisions that have done nothing but lead to a universal chorus of a ‘fix’ to keep the title race alive. At least, from the broader footballing community / Gunners’ fans.
For the record, I don’t buy into the idea that there is any attempt to engineer a lengthier race. There’s not even a need to do so when, all campaign, the standard of refereeing in our games has been consistently poor, even with the apparent assistance of VAR. This was just more of the same when Brentford, who have now won just once in the last eight games (a fifth of the entire season), needed the officials to be strong.
Yet one does have to wonder how Bernardo Silva was allowed to remain on the pitch after clearly swinging an arm at Nathan Collins whilst prostrate on the ground and connecting with the Bees’ skipper. This was no accidental coming together with the ball in play, but a clear rush of blood to the head, which resulted in the City player losing his rag.
Then there were the two apparent fouls on Kevin Schade by Matheus Nunes. A penalty denied and a free kick awarded to the home team. Seriously? I’ve seen them given, many a time (I’m still smarting over Mark Flekken’s ‘foul’ on Anthony Gordon at St. James’ Park), but when the boot is on the other foot, then what many would call ‘big-club bias’ seems ever evident.
Paul Scholes summing up the incredulity of the decisions afterwards, noting: “Honestly, I can’t understand how Brentford didn’t get the free-kick there. Schade is clearly through on goal, and Nunes catches him, then somehow City end up with the decision”.
Would any of these going our way have changed the game? Perhaps. Perhaps not. They certainly did us zero favours, though, in a fixture where Keith Andrews was always going to be up against it. His decision to go for the standard 4-3-3 before kick-off nothing more than subterfuge. Once things got underway, ‘left back’ Aaron Hickey lined up as the fourth midfielder in a 4-4-2. Dango benched, and Schade allowed to run alongside Igor Thiago.
It worked, to an extent. The Bees starting on the front foot, and Schade’s pace causing headaches. His reading of the offside line could have been better, as it meant delivery was held up at times, but he was still the man at the heart of the controversial incidents. City taking time to build themselves into the game, although the alarm bells were ringing when Haaland was twice able to bisect the centre-back pairing as if they weren’t even there.
Thankfully, his wonderful space creation in the box was infinitely better than his finishing. His attempted headers more likely to trouble those behind the goal than the back of the net.
In the end, class told. Whatever Keith said after a goalless first half, Pep said it way better. Who else but man of the moment, Jeremy Doku, to open the scoring on the hour mark? He’d been causing mayhem and chaos down the Brentford right wing all afternoon, and eventually the dam broke. From, of all sources, a short corner. Something which all logic tells us not to even try as they never flaming work.
Picking up the ball, Doku was assisted by Damsgaard’s miscue and a Jensen interception (or lack of) before cutting inside to score the same goal we’d all seen as recently as this week. Running into the box on the diagonal and curling it through a crowd. Hickey on the line only able to watch it go over his head as he jumped to try and clear.
From that point on, it was a case of chasing the game. Kelleher, not for the first time, keeping the Bees in it. A fine stop from Foden at point-blank range, keeping the deficit to the smallest point possible. Schade then had that penalty call (for me, dismissed far too quickly) before the game was dead and buried on the 75-minute mark.
Golden boot contender Erling Haaland back to his old magic. The Norwegian goal machine once more finding the freedom of a crowded penalty box to double the lead with a cute backheel through the melee whilst facing the wrong way. Nobody can deny his ability to work space or his deadliness of finish.
If the first goal could, no should, have been cut out earlier, this one was all down to an innate ability to read the game, work the space, and end up three steps ahead of the defence trying to stop him.
2-0 City. Game over. Nobody told Kelleher, though. The ‘keeper pulling off an even more incredible save than the previous one to again deny Foden. Hats off to that man. Without him, this could have been a real drubbing.
Indeed, he was powerless to stop the injury-time third after Haaland bisected the Bees’ backline with an eye-of-the-needle pass to set up Marmoush for 3-0. There it finished. A result predicted by most observers prior to kick off, yet one that was, at least performance-wise, out of kilter with what we saw play out.
That’s not how football works, though. For all their endeavour. For all their frustration. For all Keith’s attempts to jiggle things around (how many ways can you remodel a Chanel suit?), The Bees were never really close to scoring. Ultimately undone defensively by something everybody had seen coming. Those debatable calls as close as it got. City, on the other hand, were their typical deadly selves, and when given openings, eventually took full advantage.
That’s football. I won’t pretend to understand Keith’s decision-making at times (for example, why didn’t Vitaly or Henderson start this one if both fit and extra midfield presence was needed), but we can’t dwell on this now. There are just two games to go, starting with the visit of Crystal Palace in the final home game of the season. Brentford now four points off sixth place, but everything still very much to play for. Especially if Aston Villa win the Europa League.
That’s to come. For now, our usual look back at the top five …
Star Player: (Five points). Caoimhín Kelleher
On paper, this may seem an odd choice given the Bees lost 3-0, but in practice, he was magnificent. As confident as always, but looking more and more cat-like with every passing game.
His ability to close down angles. His sheer strength to see goal-bound bullets bounce off him rather than pass through. The reaction times and reflexes are second to none. That second one from Foden still has me drooling, even now.
He has a Premier League title winner’s medal in his trophy cabinet, and one can see why. I’m still not sure how we were able to pick him up, but thank goodness we did. What a man.
Second: (Four points). Kris Ajer
Yes, Haaland found space at times, but how does anybody legislate for him? I thought Kris was monumental, first half especially. If it wasn’t Kelleher with the blocks, it was Ajer. I’ve always preferred him as a centre-back to being out on the extremities of the defence, and this was just another example why.
Third: (Three points). Mathias Jensen
He could have done better to cut out the opener, but so could half the team. Mathias at least looked to try and take the game to our illustrious opponents. Nobody used the ball more, with the Dane responsible for 16% of Brentford’s 320 passes all game. Had the midfield been less ‘experimental’, who knows what might have happened.
Fourth: (Four points). Nathan Collins
See Kris Ajer, above. If nothing else, he did remarkably well to keep his cool after taking that red card-worthy swing. Had he reacted, you can bet it was that sort of afternoon where the Bees’ skipper would have been the one to see red.
Fifth: (One point). Yehor Yarmoliuk
I’ve seen a lot of talk bigging up Kayode. I love the Italian and his attitude. He’s magnificent but, let’s be honest, Doku gave him a torrid afternoon. Without the City player’s first-half indecision, the game could well have been out of sight way earlier. Likewise, Schade was at the heart of the main talking points, but outside of these, he was quiet.
Instead, I’m giving the final place to Yarmo. I thought he worked himself into the ground on a tough afternoon against a team who will only have themselves to blame if they don’t win the title.
All of which means that Michael Kayode is almost over the line. Then again, if Igor gets his goal-scoring boots back on against Palace, all eventualities remain on. Whilst it will take something special to catch these two, never say never with the rest of the top five getting ever closer to each other.
- 1st: Michael Kayode 62 points
- 2nd: Igor Thiago 55 points
- 3rd: Mikkel Damsgaard 49 points
- 3rd: Mathias Jensen 49 points
- 5th: Caoimhín Kelleher 48 points
