Nick Bruzon gives us his 5 best Bees from their Matchweek 17 win at West Ham and we see his updated Top 5 over the course of the season to date.
Another win on the road for Brentford. Another Premier League defeat of West Ham (that’s three from three). Another three points for the 9th placed Bees.
The trip to the Olympic Stadium in London was always going to be a tough one but, in the end, it felt as comfortable as they come. Relatively speaking. It’s Brentford, innit?
So often in the past we’ve had the ability to shoot ourselves in the foot and with the previous game having seen us hauled back from a 2-0 lead, lazy pundits would likely have been predicting similar. Instead, Brentford continued to turn the screw and being honest, may feel slightly disappointed to only have come away from East London with ‘only’ two goals.
In the end, full time was greeted with boos from the home faithful. Those that hadn’t left in the fire drill. Contrast that with the scenes of jubilation from the massed ranks of the travelling support.
Then again, contrast was the theme of the night. Brentford’s pace, drive and enthusiasm at complete odds with the lethargy and ineffectualness of the Hammers. When forced to defend, the Bees drew their opponent’s sting with ease. The three-centre back formation proving more than sufficient to counter anything in and around the box. When pushing up, Ivan, Josh, Bryan et al found themselves face to face with as static a defence as one could ever have hoped to face. Our second goal, in particular, outlining just how lacklustre David Moyes’ side were.
A ball over the top from Ivan Toney and Josh Dasilva’s turn of pace seeing him chase, catch up and then overtake Aaron Cresswell as though he wasn’t even there. A hare outpacing a tortoise. Man against boy. The left back wishing he had been, err, left back in the changing room, such was the way Josh swatted him aside as innocuously as if he had been no more an inconvenience than a fly. The finish was what it was all about. The briefest of pauses to let it sit just perfectly on his left foot and then drilled into the far corner to double our lead.
Contrast (there’s that word again) his composure with that of Michail Antonio in the second half who, when presented with his own chance at that end, only managed to kick the ball away from himself in comical fashion rather than leather it goalwards.
Before Josh had his moment, Ivan Toney had done it again. Jensen’s long throw flicked on by Zanka to Christian Norgaard. The great Dane’s goal-bound shot parried by Fabianski in nets and there was Ivan to make no mistake. As against Spurs, it was all about the anticipation and timing. Not to mention the confidence. The net rippling, the arms crossed in a quite delicious celebration and Brentford a goal up. An opening quarter hour of West Ham pressure undone in an instant and from there only one team looked like winning it.
True, the Bees had their scares. The Hammers’ captain hitting the post early on when, really, all we saw was Rice putting it in the back of the net. An early call for a penalty against Mathias Jensen waved away and then, when a spot kick was eventually awarded in the second period, VAR came to the rescue with Ben Mee’s challenge correctly recorded as having taken place just outside the box.
Brentford had their chances, too. Ivan, Wissa and Ghoddos all with the opportunity to put this one out of sight long before the referee finally brought proceedings to a close. West Ham’s dreams of arresting their current slump left faded and dying. Instead, a fifth defeat in a row for the hapless Hammers.
For Brentford, the one sour note being a late injury to Ivan Toney after an awkward looking fall. He was eventually stretchered off but it didn’t look good.
Thomas Frank sounded cautiously optimistic at full time whilst the man himself would take to social media where he shared a late-night update, “Big win Goal assist and 3 points. Good way to finish the year. Hopefully not too bad and be back out there in no time.”
For those wondering what would happen if we were ever without our free scoring front man, the visit from Liverpool this Monday may well be where we find out. Fingers crossed, if he does sit that one out any absence will be short lived.
All of which brings us to those players who have got us another win. To the search for our season long star player and top five. As with that draw against Spurs, it was a game where any of those selected (not to mention a few who missed out) could have a legitimate claim to coming in any order. It really is a tough call. Moreso the top three where yours truly has been back and forth trying to select a name.
In the end though, I’m giving it to…
Brentford Player Ratings from Matchweek 17 (vs West Ham)
1st (Star Player: 5 points) – Christian Norgaard
Everywhere. Every blinkin’ where. Supporting the defence. Driving forward. Spreading the ball about. Even finding space in a crowded penalty box to set up our first goal in an almost carbon copy of the second against Spurs.
We noted then how much Christian had been missed yet, if anything, last night was the game that really proved the point. Playing away from home is always that bit harder but his performance only matched the occasion. Honestly, you can’t put a price on the ability to read or dictate a game in the manner Christian did.
2nd (4 points) – Ethan Pinnock
Rock solid. Again. His timing was to perfection. Not just in the tackles and clearances but as much his awareness of who and what was around him. If the Hammers defence had contained a player who put even half the performance Ethan did, we may well have been telling a different story today.
Still, that’s their problem. Ethan set his stall out early and didn’t look back. That early pressure absorbed and the screw turned in Brentford’s favour. That’s not so say he could afford to switch off. If anything, the opposite was true as those rare forays from our hosts were mopped up as easily as somebody cleaning their kitchen. Fair to say he wiped the floor with the West Ham frontline.
3rd (3 points) – Ivan Toney
He scored the first. He set up the second. Brentford won it 2-0. Ordinarily Ivan would have been adding another ’star player’ award on what must already be an overcrowded mantelpiece. It’s kudos to the way that Christian and Ethan performed that, for once, our season long leader must ‘only’ be content with a bronze.
That’s not to say he played anything less than a top, top role. Like the entire side, he never stopped running or playing for his team mates. His own mindset and good humour summed up by that goal celebration. How serious the late injury proves to be is one for another day. For now, we need to sit back and enjoy yet another classy performance from Ivan. Another example of where Gareth Southgate may want to refine his own decision-making process.
4th (2 points) – Josh Dasilva
I thought Vitaly was brilliant against Spurs so was surprised to see him make way. Then again, that’s why Thomas is the head coach. When you have a player who can do what we’ve seen Josh do so many times before, and then he goes out and does it with such apparent ease, it makes the job of picking the team seem the easiest one possible.
Yes, there was the running. The pushing up (Brentford). The passing. All were great but it was his goal which really turned the game. Which put it out of sight. It was a goal that showed Josh at his very, very best. Pace. Confidence, Calmness. Creswell left floundering. The net left bulging. The Bees left celebrating.
5th (1 point) – David Raya
Let’s not forget our last line of defence. If Ivan and Christian outline their importance week in, week out we’ve one other player on whom we rely an awful lot. Didn’t have huge amounts to do but, when he did, was equal to everything. A flurry of first half saves were important but it was his second half stop from Craig Dawson that preserved out two goal lead at a time when, really, West Ham will be wondering how they didn’t manage to pull one back.
His distribution was again something from which we built on rather than a case for kittens in the defence. Which was probably no bad thing given the opposition.
Brentford Player Ratings – Top 5 Players Overall (after Matchweek 17)
All of which means that Ivan Toney (36) increases his lead over Ben Mee (30) in the race to see our overall player of the season. David Raya (26) adds another point to his total in third with Rico Henry (22) and Mathias Jensen (21) making up the top five. Next up, Liverpool. Will Ivan have the chance to increase his lead? Bring on Monday when we find out…
1st – Ivan Toney (36)
2nd – Ben Mee (30)
3rd – David Raya (26)
4th – Rico Henry (22)
5th – Mathias Jensen (21)
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2022-23 Brentford Player Ratings – Matchweek 17 by Nick Bruzon
