A beyond frustrating night ended with Brentford going down 2-1 to Manchester United and now finding themselves ninth in the Premier League table.
On the one hand, to describe defeat at Old Trafford in this way might seem offhand and unfair on Keith Andrews’ side. After all, since Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim in the United hot seat, his team have rediscovered their mojo in a style that would make even Austin Powers blush.
Yet much as in the same fixture two seasons ago when Scott McTominay got his late, late brace to turn a famous win into a painful reverse, the Bees again conspired to confound onlookers who must be wondering just how on earth they came away from this one empty-handed.
The home team started at 100 mph. Corner following corner as waves of attacking pressure finally told eleven minutes in. Casemiro – a man who plays the game with as much sportsmanship as he has ability – heading home from the back post when the Brentford defence really should have done better. It had a feeling of the inevitable about it, but only served to wake the Bees from their slumbers. 1-0 down, but suddenly, game on.
Keith’s decision to eschew the five-man defence he normally goes for in such circumstances working wonders. If the home team had dominated the opening spell, now it was Brentford’s turn to control the game. KLP driving down the left. Damsgaard and Jensen pulling strings through the middle. The Bees in total control as the home side barely had a sniff of the ball, Amad’s header straight at Kelleher aside. Man of the moment, Igor Thiago lining up to catch Erling Haaland in the race for the Premier League golden boot.
I honestly don’t know what happened. Perhaps the Brazilian left his boots at home and the only spares were a leftover pair from Nick Proschwitz. Whatever the explanation, he had four absolutely clear as day chances to score, three within a four-minute period following the aforementioned header. He didn’t even come close. Barely got a shot away as he managed to trip, scuff it, or simply find Ayden Heaven making his life hell. The defender doing anything he could to get in the way or divert the ball.
It was a beyond bizarre passage of play as the free-scoring front-man had what could politely be called an ‘off-day’. The offside flag at least coming to his aid in the second half when he was in the clear but missed his header. The Brazilian coming across like a modern-day Murray Jones.
That’s not to criticise him, but more to wonder just what happened. Thiago is normally so, so reliable. You’d have put the mortgage on him burying at least one of those chances, such has been the incredible form this season. Form which has propelled him into the Brazilian national side.
Instead, the Bees were made to suffer for their profligacy in front of goal. The warning flags were there. Amad once again ploughing through the right back position, which was vacated with abandon so many times, only to have his ‘goal’ chalked off by the lino’s flag. Rather than learn the lesson, a minute later, Brentford found themselves two down. This time, Šeško firing home after being released by Fernandes.
The Portuguese international given the option to open up the Brentford wing-back positions in either direction and making no mistake as he released the Slovenian to run into the gap where Kayode should have been.
2-0 United at half-time and, you have to say Clive, Brentford with only themselves to blame. Magnificent chances created and spurned. Sloppy defending. Anonymous players when all eleven needed to be on their game. Schade doing naff all, again. Dango Ouatarra at least waking up for a second half in which he came closest for the Bees. His close-range header coming back off the post and at least playing the ball into the danger zone.
The now paper-thin squad again seeing only one change made – Schade finally being released from whatever he is going through at the moment, and Reiss Nelson coming on with a quarter-hour to go. That was it, though.
No thought of Romelle Donovan. No Aaron Hickey to allow KLP to push higher. No triumphant return for Josh Dasilva, who injury has kept out of the matchday squad for over 800 days. Surely that will come against West Ham on Saturday. Keith’s tactics seeming to be try and do Plan A better.
Late on, there was hope. The Bees didn’t let their heads drop, and whatever else is said, Keith should be proud of the character shown by a team who kept pushing and pushing. With minutes of regulation time left, Mathias Jensen halved the deficit. The Dane with an absolute thunderbolt of a shot from outside the box to pull Brentford back to within touching distance of what would have been a sixth successive League draw. It was a strike for the ages and will surely be amongst the contenders for goal of the season.
Five minutes of time added on. The Bees throwing the kitchen sink. Damsgaard coming closest. Casemiro launching himself to the ground as though he was starting from a diving board. Not once but twice to fool the ref, kill the clock, break up momentum, and ultimately earn a yellow card for an incandescent Nathan Collins. The time running out through foul means rather than fair. United worthy of their win by virtue of taking their chances. Brentford reminded that there are no prizes awarded for playing well or xG.
Perhaps I’m being unduly harsh on our team, but it still, even on Tuesday morning, feels like such an opportunity wasted. We’ve said so many times that reputation and former glories count for naff all. Here was the quintessential example. The proverbial boxing match that Brentford would have won on points, but instead failed to find the knockout blow. Another game we went into, saying ‘a win will take us sixth,’ but instead coming out of it with victory, nothing more than an aspiration.
We can pat ourselves on the back after 38 games about what will still have been a wonderful season. A campaign of punching above all expectations from anybody outside of TW8. For now, though, with the form tailing off – for whatever reason – one can only feel frustrated. It is the human emotion. We play football to win. To constantly do better. Not to make friends. No matter how unfancied we may be, a run of DDDDDL is only one that is exasperating. I’d say that whether from the depths of League Two – where we’ve been in recent memory – or the top end of the Premier League.
So close, yet so far. The Bees ninth on the table, although it remains so packed that anything could happen when the weekend fixtures play out. For now, though, a look back at the game just played and our top five.
Star player 5 points. Keane Lewis-Potter
A night with several contenders for star player, despite the eventual defeat. I’m giving it to KLP, though. I thought he was excellent down that left flank. Constantly running the channel and actually able to get the ball into the box. If anything, there were times when he seemed to try to overcomplicate things, but one can’t knock his retaining the ball whilst doing so. Instead, he seemed the player who was a constant thorn in the United side all night long. Magnificent from the boy wizard
Second place, 4 points. Mathias Jensen
He’ll be doing well to score a better goal than that. Ever. What a hit. The net must still be rippling even now.
Gave the Bees hope of salvaging a point from the ashes of chances missed, but even prior, had still been the dominant force in the midfield.
Third place. 3 points. Mikkel Damsgaard
One of those nights where Jensen and his fellow Dane were playing in perfect harmony. Mikkel having an all-round excellent evening of chances created and goals almost scored. Whilst Jensen seemed to be the more dominant of the pair, the more exciting, that’s not to say Damsgaard didn’t pull his own weight.
Fourth place. 2 points. Yehor Yarmoliuk
Very much the unsung hero. Quietly getting on with his game. Breaking up play and then redistributing to allow the Bees to begin again. Took no sh*t despite his relatively young age, with Fernandes in particular reminded of his presence
Fifth place, 1 point. Sepp van den Berg
Like Yehor, he won’t get much recognition, but I thought Sepp was as key to Brentford staying in this one as anybody. I lost count of the number of balls in he headed clear or behind.
All of which means there is no change in the top five players, although Damsgaard and Jensen both leapfrog Caoimhín Kelleher. Next up, a home game with West Ham on Saturday. Should be a lot of fun…
- 1st Michael Kayode. 61 points
- 2nd Igor Thiago. 55 points
- 3rd Mikkel Damsgaard 45 points
- 4th Mathias Jensen. 44 points
- 5th Caoimhín Kelleher. 43 points
