Another home game. Another win for Brentford.

A 3-2 defeat of Bournemouth on Saturday makes it 16 points out of a possible 18 at the Gtech. No Premier League team has a better record for games played in their own stadium this season. Wissa once again the man doing the damage on an afternoon that had huge similarities to the visit of Ipswich Town last time we were all together in TW8.

The Bees starting slowly. Falling behind after pressure (the visitors served up a back pass so short they could scarcely believe their luck). A quick reply and then the goals back and forth until Brentford finally took control just shy of the hour. From there it could have been out of sight but wasn’t. Instead, a stress filled final few minutes had to be seen out – culminating deep into stoppage time with Bournemouth hitting the woodwork – until victory was eventually confirmed by referee Darren Bond.

It was the game that had just about everything. Mathias Jensen drafted back in to the starting XI as Thomas Frank elected to play all four of his favoured midfielders in three positions. KLP dropping back deeper on the left to accommodate Mikkel Damsgaard and Sepp van den Berg at right wing back in lieu of Mads Roerslev.

In truth, it took the team a while to adjust and get going. Bournemouth on top early and eventually taking a deserved lead just after the quarter hour mark. The aforementioned back pass – ironically after a crunching challenge from Nathan Collins seemed to alleviate danger before falling to van den Berg – offering Evanilson the freedom of the Gtech. Clean through, he had all the time in the world to pick his spot. Mark Flekken could do nothing to stop it and Bournemouth were 1-0 up.

Yet in scoring, Evanilson brought Brentford to life. Spurred in to the need for action the response, that of cranking up the pressure, was instantaneous. Within ten minutes the sides were level as Wissa got on the end of a long throw that came to him via a few touches on the way through. His looping header in to the far corner eluding everybody on the way to the back of the net. The interminable wait for VAR excruciating but proving to be nothing more than a red herring as Andy Madley did the right thing (not a typo) from his booth at Stockley Park.

The scoreline 1-1 and thus it stayed until half-time. A pulsating Centre Circle Challenge (so close that it had to be decided by the supporters rather than tape measure) keeping the atmosphere stoked so that by the time the teams came back out, we should have been good to go. Except Brentford didn’t get the memo.

It was Bournemouth who came out of the traps flying. Who applied the pressure from the off and within five minutes of kick off the team who had restored their lead. This time, Justin Kluivert with a tight finish after Lee Cook delivered an incisive pass straight through the Bees’ defence.

2-1 down but again, the catalyst for action had been activated. One thing we’ve all become familiar with is Brentford scoring quickly after kicking-off. Sure enough, here was yet another example as Mikkel Damsgaard equalised from the acutest of angles after getting on the end of Mbeumo’s pass. This one taking just 80 seconds and by my rough and ready calculations, the 6th time this season that the Bees have scored less than a minute and a half after taking the kick-off.

Game on once more. The Bees now seizing the game by the scruff of the neck and going for broke. Just prior to the hour mark they had the lead. This one, the pick of the bunch. Vitaly’s delightful dummy wrong footing the Cherries. He took the ball back from KLP before threading it through to release Wissa. The cutest of dinked finishes from just inside the box and 3-2 Brentford. Peter Gilham going nuts on the tannoy. The crowd reacting in kind.

There it stayed. Substitutions made. Both sides with opportunities to extend the lead. Each having their closest in the very death knell of the game. Dean Huijsen with the aforementioned header onto the bar and Schade/Konak combing to break clear but running out of puff as the goal beckoned. The final whistle coming as blessed relief.

Dropping points late on for the second game in five days might have sent some over the edge. Instead, it was celebrations all round and Brentford back in to the top half of a table so tight that as of Sunday morning they sit just three points off third place.

If ever there was incentive to beat Everton next time out then here it is. No pressure, Thomas.

Until then, time for our look at the top five top five performers. 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 find an overall winner for the season.

2024/25 Brentford Player Ratings from Matchweek 11 (vs Bournemouth)

1st (Star Player: 5 points) – Yoanne Wissa
What a game from Wissa. What a relief he came back from injury at Manchester City way sooner than expected. This latest brace taking him up to joint fifth in the Premier League top scorer’s table (and only one behind second placed Bryan Mbeumo).

His first was about the precision of the header. Looped back across the goal and in to the top corner on the diagonal after meeting it with absolute perfection. The calls for VAR feeling soft at the time, thankfully something that was borne out on review.

His second a masterclass in both timing and composure. Making the most well timed run to get on the end of what was already a delicious set up. Sprinting clear, he paid no heed to the defenders either side as he pulled off a finish to match the delivery of the ball to his feet. Truly, a contender for goal of the month.

It was one of those games where he pulled out the most gargantuan of efforts. The goals aside, Wissa seemed to never stop running, breaking, looking for opportunity and, in general, terrorising the visitors. A masterclass of a performance and star player by a country mile.

2nd (4 points) – Mikkel Damsgaard
After a rare absence from the top five last week, normal service is resumed. If Wissa is on fire, what analogy do you use to describe Damsgaard? It’s more a volcanic eruption of good form, with this game marking his 7th (seventh) top two appearance in the last nine fixtures.

Let’s talk about the goal first. Truly the mark of a player on his absolute A game. Beating ‘keeper Kepa at his near post from the tightest of angles. Like Wissa, timing his run on to the pass like clockwork and then a consummate finish. Damsgaard hitting the ball first time, despite the pressure of a defender charging down, with a tracer bullet of a finish hit low between glove and post. Unstoppable.

Yet it was another of ‘those’ displays in the middle that really had hearts fluttering. Absolutely magnificent. I ran out of fingers to count the amount of spin, pass and move tricks he pulled off to open up play whilst he (once again) out tackled all his team mates.

For a player who is just 5ft 9 and probably 10 stone wringing wet, appearances very much deceptive.

3rd (3 points) – Keane Lewis-Potter
Being honest, it was close between KLP and Mikkel for second place.

In the end the goal, and as much as anything else the timing, swung it in the Dane’s favour but let’s not pretend for a moment that KLP had anything less than a stunning game. He gets dragged around by Thomas a lot yet rarely fails to deliver. This was one of those where, like Wissa, he put his back into it from the get go.

Absolutely tireless in his pursuit of everything and everyone. In his desire and ability to look at breaking clear or carving out opportunity. A player who looks better and better every time he steps out. I honestly can’t wait to see what happens when Rico Henry returns and the pair of them run riot down the left.

No goals. No assists. One top, top performance (and not a bad ball though to Vitaly, either).

4th (2 points) – Vitaly Janelt
After missing out on the early top five placings, that’s three in a row now for Vitaly.

Perhaps spurred on by his cracker against Fulham on Monday, he tried similar early on and almost pulled it off. One can only imagine the scenes had he found the back of the net.

It was his involvement in the third goal that will be most people’s take away memory, however. The dummy to let it run through to KLP was audacious. The pass on to Wissa after receiving it back just sublime. The rest is history.

Anybody on a date in the flats overlooking the Gtech (you may have missed the story in the week but apparently somebody has had this happen – if only it had been mentioned) would only dazzled their suitor with Vitaly’s performance.

5th (1 point) – Nathan Collins
I almost went for Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, purely because of a hairstyle that seemed to have had as much help from a protractor as a pair of scissors but, of course, we are looking at Brentford. So for me, it’s Nathan Collins.

A series of industrial strength blocks and challenges stick out in the minds’ eye when looking back to this one on Sunday morning. He really did put himself about whilst was also involved in a penalty shout down the other end when Mr. Madley declined the opportunity to use VAR – even though it seemed stonewall from where we were sitting in the North Stand.

That’s football. Instead, Nathan will have to be content with three points on pitch and one point off it.

2024/25 Brentford Player Ratings – Top 5 Overall (after Matchweek 11)

All of which means that whilst there is no change in the make-up of the top five, Mikkel Damsgaard streaks even further ahead whilst KLP leapfrogs Nathan Collins to go joint third with Mark Flekken.

That trip to Everton can’t come soon enough…

1st – Mikkel Damsgaard (33 points)
2nd – Bryan Mbeumo (21 points)
T3rd – Mark Flekken, Keane Lewis-Potter (20 points)
5th – Nathan Collins (19 points)