The Bees may be suffering from travel sickness at present but get them back to the Gtech and they're pretty much untouchable.
Burnley, the latest team to come a cropper when setting foot in the Bees’ backyard. A 3-1 win on Saturday afternoon in what was less a game of two halves and more one of three-quarters, eventually seeing control converted to end-product as the game changed from stale draw to explosive goal-fest in the final fifteen minutes.
Dango Ouattara eventually making it beyond safe during nine minutes of time added on following two more goals for Igor Thiago. The Brazilian moving just three behind Premier League leading scorer Erling Haaland, who drew a blank for Manchester City as Leeds United fell apart. Again. Their 91st-minute capitulation at The Ethiad all the sweeter given they are next up in TW8.
Back to the matter at hand though and, in truth, it had been a long time to really get going with Damsgaard creating a chance almost from kick off then nothing much happening – a couple of close headers from Collins and Ouattara aside – despite Brentford bossing the game. The visitors content to stifle play, grind it out and engage in the sort of delaying tactics we’d not seen since, well, the visit of Newcastle in our previous home game.
Claret’s ‘keeper Goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka, a player who studied under Eddie Howe at St James Park, leading his own one-man homage to Bryce Samba. Nobody present can be in any doubt about the cleanliness of his boots, given the amount of times he was banging the posts prior to any restart.
He wasn’t alone. They were all hanging out at the Gamesmanship Hotel. Quilindschy Hartman suffering a late ‘head injury’ that saw him transform from potential concussion victim to Olympic sprinter when the ball went down the other end. Hannibal Mejbri trying to win a penalty after diving over Mathias Jensen’s leg yet only earning a yellow card for his trouble. That plan not really coming together for Scott Parker’s A team or his subs.
Subsequent VAR input got it right on this one and all the other big calls, even if there was to be what seemed like an interminable wait before Brentford’s opener. Referee Sam Barrott eventually receiving confirmation that he had already made the correct decision when ruling the foul on Dango Ouattara was, indeed, a penalty kick. Henderson holding the ball until Igor Thiago was allowed to take it off him. The striker electing to roll it into the same place Bart Verbruggen had denied him in the last knockings at Brighton a week earlier.
1-0 Brentford. Finally. 81 minutes gone. Time to see the game out but, instead, the Bees shooting themselves in the foot. Within minutes, Burnley were down the other end and, this time, the normally unpassable Michael Kayode going in a touch too hard on Jayden Anthony. It looked as clear as they come and this time there was no hanging around for reviews. Kelleher unable to prevent Zian Flemming leveling things up from the spot.
Urgh. From the giddy high of finally moving ahead to the sickening low of seeing the advantage gone. Brutal for the fans but not for the players. On went the Bees and from our moment of ‘Its Brentford, innit?’ came that most wonderful of endings.
Barely 60 seconds had passed before Jordan Henderson played it into the box. The Burnley fans, still celebrating in that far corner, suddenly silenced as the realisation of what was coming suddenly hit home. Thiago on the end of the England captain’s delivery and lashed it high into the net from yards out. Dúbravka no chance. Hartman devastated. The home support rising as one with a cheer you could probably hear in White City. The noise immense. The atmosphere beyond banging. The celebration en masse from the team showing just what that goal meant.
2-1 Brentford and nothing to do now beyond ride out the nine minutes of additional time added on without Thiago, who was escorted off the field by the physios. Let’s hope that’s nothing too serious. Brentford continuing to push and it was Ouattara who found the back of the net to double the lead. Henderson again the architect. The finish deadly despite the angle and potential foul incoming. The score going from 0-0 to 3-1 in the space of just eleven minutes. Burnley channelling their inner Leeds United to remain relegation-zone bed-fellows with the Elland Road outfit.
3-1 it stayed. The final few minutes played out in a celebratory air. That frenzied conclusion seeing the game explode in a flood of goals after 80 minutes of grunt, groan and not too much else. Nobody actually caring. The final score the only thing that matters. The desire and drive of Keith Andrews’ side never dropping and finally being rewarded in the most wonderful of styles.
Next up, two more games on the road. Arsenal on Wednesday night and then Spurs on Saturday. About as tough as it gets back to back and the Bees fans all hoping that the talismanic Thiago’s exit was nothing more than precautionary.
That’s a worry for another day. For now, our usual 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 see who ends up the eventual winner after game 38.
1st (5 points) Mikkel Damsgaard Wow. He didn’t stop from start to finish. I thought Mikkel was the absolute driving force through the Brentford team.
This was the Dane at his very best. Carving Burnley open with either killer passes or the ball at his feet. He just looked so comfortable. So fast. So blinkin’ dangerous.
It was his ball through to Dango that caused the game to turn as that first penalty of the afternoon was awarded. In truth, he already looked so far ahead of anybody else on the field of play in terms of overall performance that his name was front and centre for this one. Every time I looked, it seemed to be Damsgaard driving the play.
Had he been able to find the back of the net after that beautiful one-two between Kayode and Jensen I think we might have been looking at goal of the season. Damsgaard getting the ball to continue a fine, flowing move but not quite able to keep it down as it fizzed over the bar from distance.
He won’t care though. This is all about the team effort. A team he was the standout member of on Saturday
2nd (4 points) Igor Thiago He’s just unstoppable. The goals are now pouring in and I saw a stat afterwards to say that he’s reached double figures in the Premier League faster than any other Brentford player. Talk about finding your feet.
His penalty was calmness personified. What pressure? His second pure strength and timing. It looked for a the briefest of seconds as though he was conspiring to fire it high over the bar but, instead, it was simply the case of finding the place in the back of the net furthest from the ‘keeper.
Even when not scoring, he continued to make his presence felt and cause all manner of nuisance in the box. That the Bees are reliant on him is somewhat of an understatement – he’s got that good, that fast – and there’ll be more than a few anxious glances towards the fitness team in the coming days.
3rd (3 points) Jordan Henderson The top three were all stand out on Saturday. Damsgaard with the flair and Thiago the goals yet it was the metronomic beat of Henderson that was the lifeblood coursing through the team. How does he do it? The passing from the middle just exquisite. The protection of the backline when needed was equally imperious. The switching with Jensen to allow him to push forward more as the Dane covered back just as pleasing.
He had a hand in two goals and it would be fair to say that they were match-winning contributions. That he was still on pitch at the time and running around with all the enthusiasm and energy of a puppy seemed as much as anything else to be yet another two-fingers up to the critics. Alex Ferguson at Manchester United probably still choking on the advice of his then medical team after revealing he’d considered buying the player but “Thought his gait might cause him problems later in his career.”
United’s loss ultimately very much our gain.
4th (2 points) Dango Ouattara Won the penalty. Scored the third. Looked dangerous in patches. He’s another player who, like Igor, is finding his way into what is effectively a new side at Brentford. He’s adapting well though and whilst the price tag may have caused a few eyes to water, is paying that off piece by piece, game by game.
5th (1 point) Sepp van den Berg This was one of those games where everybody played well. Aside from giving away that penalty, the team looked solid in coping with the opposition and continuing to push against the pressure of expectation until eventually the damn finally burst and the goals came.
Yet prior to that, Burnley didn’t even come close to scoring themselves. Despite a game which finished with almost equal possession, Brentford allowed them nothing more than a smattering of chances.
Despite earning more corners, the visitors were only allowed 13 touches in the Brentford penalty area whilst the Bees won almost double the number of aerial duals. Sepp seemed to be front and centre of defending those and I don’t recall him putting a foot wrong. He’s become such a fixture in this team it really does feel like Ethan who? That’s meant with no disrespect to Pinnock but merely reflective on just how well Sepp has done in and how consistent he is
All of which means that a rare blank for Michael Kayode sees Igor Thiago close the gap at the top to eight points. With Jordan and Mikkel just behind, this race is looking like it has a long way to run.
- 1st Michael Kayode – 34 points
- 2nd Igor Thiago – 26 points
- 3rd = Jordan Henderson – 23 points
- 3rd = Mikkel Damsgaard – 23 points
- 5th Yehor Yarmoliuk – 17 points
