Another home game with Manchester United. Another four goals and three points to Brentford.
This one ending 4-3 to The Bees but, some late buttock clenching aside, it was a performance so far ahead of hapless United as to be embarrassing. Only a fine strike from Garnacho on 82 and then Diallo’s finish past a possibly unsighted Mark Flekken deep into injury time giving the scoreline a veneer of respectability for Ruben Amorim’s side.
And? Frankly, that’s their problem. Their team selection from their hugely expensive squad. Their team who will now finish below Brentford in the Premier League whatever else happens in the final three games of the season.
Brentford were brutal. Brilliant. On fire from the first whistle and out of the blocks flying. A flutter of early chances (Schade firing just over and Luke Shaw almost playing it past his own ‘keeper) saw The Bees with only one thing on their mind.
The pre-match ‘May the Fourth Be With You’ video geeing up the fans and reminding both teams of what happened in Erik ten Hag’s first away game – a four goal humping. It looked like Brentford were fully intent on going for more of the same.
Then, disaster. Wayward distribution (let’s leave it there) giving United their own opportunity to do something. Garnacho broke down the left and there was Mason Mount – back from the ‘where are they now’ files to the Red Devil’s starting XI – steering home the opener. Less than a quarter hour gone and Brentford behind. Somehow.
1-0 down but no problem. It is for good reason that in the seventeen league games prior to this one The Bees had scored four or more times on five separate occasions. Make that six from eighteen.
First up, Luke Shaw getting the O.G. he seemed to have his heart set on. Kayode’s long throw in to the box played out, then back in by the same player. Damsgaard meeting it and finding the back of the net c/o an interception from Shaw so significant it has to go down as the United player’s fault. It was always going in and so full credit to both Brentford players for their work in the build up.
Little more than five minutes later, The Bees were in front. This time around, Kevin Schade. The German leaping like a salmon to head home Norgaard’s inch perfect cross. It was a majestic finish to a wonderfully executed move. United complaining because Matthijs de Ligt was injured in the build-up and the referee refused to stop, with the player sitting up nursing a leg injury.
Oh, please. We all know the rules about head injuries – play to the whistle rather bleating. These aren’t the days of Alex Ferguson where the head coach and his incredible team had the presence to intimidate a ref into giving things their way.
Cry all you want – salty tears flowing all the way back on that drive to the Home Counties – but it was the absolute right decision.
The second-half. More of the same. Schade, again. His second and Brentford’s third coming on 70 minutes. Damsgaard releasing Mbeumo whose cross was met by The German. Once more, a header that left United no chance and Schade jumping for joy with his tenth of the season.
We’ve all, I’m sure, seen ‘that’ stat by now but it is well worth repeating. Along with previous efforts from Wissa and Mbeumo, his brace made Brentford one of only three teams from Europe’s top five division to have had three players reach double figures this season. Barcelona and Bayern Munich the other clubs to match this feat.
As with the opening period, another goal followed almost immediately. This time it was Wissa. Jensen releasing Kayode who might have been tempted to go for goal himself. Instead, squaring it for Wissa who made no mistake. An interminable wait for VAR eventually confirming that Christian Eriksen had played The Bees on and the goal stood. Brentford 4 Manchester United 1 and still a quarter hour to go.
The Bees utterly dominant. A flurry of substitutions seeing both Gustavo Nunes and Igor Thiago making it on to the field. Rico Henry had already entered the fray to a raucous welcome. The strength in depth something the squad is going to have to retain and potentially increase on if the European dream is to become a reality.
United’s late strikes nothing more than an irritating frustration, forgotten about the second full-time arrived. The stadium erupting. The fans celebrating. The records continuing to be shattered by Thomas Frank and his exhilarating side.
Brentford now up to 9th and only one point away from that magical eighth position that spells European competition. Three games to go, everything to play for and absolutely nothing to lose. This could be a run in to equal 1991/92. That six game winning run seeing Fulham thrashed 4-0 in our final home game before that triumphant afternoon in Peterborough.
Next up, the trip to Ipswich before our final home game where Fulham are the visitors. That’s to come but for now our game by game search for the 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 find an overall winner after game 38.
Mikkel Damsgaard may be untouchable at the top but with plenty to play for still, everybody put a shift in.
2024/25 Brentford Player Ratings from Matchweek 35 (vs Manchester United)
1st (Star Player: 5 points) – Kevin Schade
It can only be Kevin. With the Bees going that early goal down, his double really turned the game in Brentford’s favour.
Let’s be honest that victory had always felt like it was coming, such were the chances being created against a defence showing all the resistance of a custard skin – thin and easy to stretch.
Yet despite the dominance it was Kevin who was the right man in the right place to execute two pinpoint headers. Laser guided crosses put away with all the finesse that such delivery warranted.
Had he been able to stretch that bit further for the early chance then a hat-trick would have been on the cards. He won’t care. The ten goal threshold was still passed and if he carries on like this, who knows where The Bees will end up
2nd (4 points) – Michael Kayode
Pontus Jansson aside, I don’t think Brentford have had a player fit in to this team so quickly in recent years.
Big. Strong. Powerful. A presence not to be trifled with and full of passion. The difference being that Pontus had seen it all before – we knew what we were going to get (and it was incredible) but Michael is only 20 years old.
How can a player so young be so good? Have so many attributes already on show? A beast of a defender but with the pace and physicality to cause mayhem tearing up that right flank. United’s inability to cope with him highlighted in brutal fashion by Manuel Ugarte’s yellow card.
Michael set up the first and fourth. Might have had that one himself but took the selfless, team based approach. He seemed to have a hand in everything.
Forget the future, his time has already come.
3rd (3 points) – Christian Norgaard
The captain does it again.
We’re already in to the tough calls – the front six alone all worthy of a place in our top five – but I’m giving this one to Christian.
Oh, that cross for Schade’s first was just delicious. Forget all the noise about de Light. That’s nothing more than a smokescreen to draw attention from his cutting United apart. I’m just so pleased Schade met it equally well.
Might have scored himself in that opening period too whilst, until the arrival of Gustavo Nunes there was only Mikkel Damsgaard who had out tackled him.
4th (2 points) – Mikkel Damsgaard
Fourth place goes to Mikkel.
Like Kayode, he seemed to have a part in most things that ended in a Brentford goal. Certainly, he was front and centre for the opener which ended up being chalked down to Luke Shaw but let’s not mess around – it was all down to Mikkel and would have gone in anyway.
He was the one driving us after that early goal to the visitors and once things had levelled up, there was only ever one team going to dominate.
5th (1 point) – Yehor Yarmoliuk
I’m giving last spot to Yehor. It could have been Bryan or Wissa but this was an all round team performance.
Like Michael, I thought Yehor gave a performance well in advance of his years and is now firmly established in this team. Should the Europe thing actually happen then we’re going to need everybody able to step it up.
On Sunday’s showing, and not for the first time, he’s already there.
2024/25 Brentford Player Ratings – Top 5 Overall (after Matchweek 35)
All of which means that with just three games to play, we’re still all systems go on the top five. Damsgaard may be champion but who will take the rest of the positions. Roll on Ipswich when we find out.
1st – Mikkel Damsgaard (90 points)
2nd – Keane Lewis-Potter (65 points)
3rd – Christian Norgaard (59 points)
4th – Bryan Mbeumo (57 points)
5th – Mark Flekken (56 points)
