Tag: Brentford

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TOTTENHAM ENHANCE TOP-FOUR ASPIRATIONS WITH VICTORY OVER BRENTFORD

Tottenham put themselves back in the race for the top four with a 2-0 win over Brentford which extends their unbeaten Premier League record under Antonio Conte.

A first-half own goal by Sergi Canos and Son Heung-min’s second-half strike earned the victory which moved them into the top six, just two points behind West Ham with a game in hand, though Arsenal’s game with Manchester United had not finished.

Conte said that the Spurs job was his biggest challenge, but with two wins and a draw from his three games in charge, things are beginning to look up.

Keeping a clean sheet and playing with a clear structure, it was a good night for Spurs, blotted only by Harry Kane’s failure to register again.

The England captain has scored just one goal in 12 Premier League games this term and again spurned a chance he would have been expected to net.

Brentford, who had taken points off Liverpool and Arsenal this season, were never really in the game and have lost five of their last seven league games.

After Sunday’s trip to Burnley was called off an hour before kick-off due to heavy snow in Lancashire, Spurs had been stewing on the embarrassing Europa Conference League loss to Slovenian minnows NS Mura for a week.

They were keen to start on the front foot and could have opened the scoring in the opening 10 minutes as Kane played in Lucas Moura, but Alvaro Fernandez was equal to a fizzing shot at the near post.

It did not take long for them to break the deadlock, though there was some fortune involved.

Son sent in a wicked cross after a short corner that Pontus Jansson headed against team-mate Canos and the ball flew into the net.

Tottenham continued to look the more threatening team and only a fine stop from Fernandez, who got a strong hand to Son’s 20-yard shot, stopped them extending the lead.

The Bees goalkeeper was also busy from the resulting corner as he stopped Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s shot with his face.

Spurs had a chance to double their lead early in the second half but Kane’s struggles in front of goal continued as he shot straight at Fernandez when he would have been expected to bury it having been played through by Oliver Skipp.

The important second goal eventually came in the 65th minute, courtesy of a lightning-quick counter-attack.

Kane sent Sergio Reguilon free down the left and his ball across goal was perfect for Son to tap in his first goal since mid-October.

It was his 75th Premier League goal for Spurs and it killed the game.

Brentford searched for a way back into it and Ivan Toney forced Hugo Lloris into a save with his feet but Conte’s side saw it out with ease.

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NORMANN, PUKKI GIVES NORWICH FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON AWAY TO BRENTFORD

First-half goals by Mathias Normann and Teemu Pukki handed Norwich City their first win of the season in a 2-1 victory at Brentford.

Normann put Norwich ahead on six minutes when he collected a clearance and drove forward, beating three players before drilling a shot into the bottom corner.

Pukki doubled Norwich’s lead from the penalty spot on 29 minutes after he had been brought down by Brentford substitute Charlie Goode.

Brentford rallied in the second half and, after Bryan Mbeumo had an effort ruled out for offside following a VAR review, pulled a goal back on 60 minutes when Rico Henry volleyed in Saman Ghoddos’ cross at the far post.

The hosts pushed for an equaliser but Tim Krul was equal to efforts from Ethan Pinnock and Sergi Canos.

A first win in 21 Premier League matches means Norwich end the day bottom but are level on five points with 19th-placed Newcastle United.

A fourth consecutive defeat drops Brentford to 14th on 12 points.

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YOURI TIELEMAN’S STUNNING STRIKE EARNS LEICESTER VICTORY AT BRENTFORD

Youri Tielemans showed why Leicester are desperate to tie him to a new contract and James Maddison scored his first goal of the season as the Foxes sank Brentford 2-1.

Belgium international Tielemans hit a stunning long-range strike to open the scoring for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Mathias Jorgensen hauled Brentford level but Tielemans then helped tee up Maddison’s first goal since February to secure three points for the visitors.

Victory rounded off a satisfying week for Leicester boss Rodgers following thrilling wins over Manchester United and Spartak Moscow.

In fact the only thing that could make it sweeter would be the news that Tielemans, one of the most coveted midfielders in Europe, had agreed a new deal.

His current contract expires in 2023 so the Foxes fear they will have to sell their prized asset next summer or risk losing him for nothing a year later.

Tielemans’ representatives remain in talks, and their hand will be even stronger after the 24-year-old’s latest display, turning the game on its head after Brentford had bossed the early stages.

The Bees almost took the lead inside the opening two minutes when Christian Norgaard hooked the ball goalwards, with fellow Dane Kasper Schmeichel diving low to his left to claw the ball away.

Then Ivan Toney had the ball in the net from Rico Henry’s square ball, but the striker was flagged offside, before Bryan Mbeumo skewed a good chance wide, all within the space of a breakneck opening 10 minutes.

But it was Leicester who took the lead with their first sight of goal in the 13th minute, a headed clearance from Henry falling to Tielemans who lashed it home from 25 yards.

The goal knocked the stuffing out of Brentford and Maddison almost doubled the lead with a curler which flew just wide of David Raya’s left-hand post.

The Foxes squeezed the life out of the remainder of the first half until Toney met a cross from Frank Onyeka, forcing Schmeichel to tip his header over the crossbar.

After the interval Raya pushed away another long-range Maddison strike with substitute Patson Daka, on for Jamie Vardy, unable to convert the rebound.

Raya also palmed Boubakary Soumare’s drive over while, at the other end, Toney planted a header too close to Schmeichel.

Brentford’s equaliser came on the hour mark, Jorgensen rising at the near post to glance in Mathias Jensen’s corner.

But the Bees’ defence was picked apart by Tielemans’ through-ball in the 73rd minute, allowing Daka to race clear and square the ball for Maddison to tap into an empty net and seal another three points.

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YOANE WISSA SCORES LAST-GASP WINNER AS BRENTFORD STUN WESTHAM

Yoane Wissa thumped home a stoppage-time winner as Brentford floored West Ham 2-1 at the London Stadium.

The Bees leapfrogged their opponents in the Premier League table, courtesy of DR Congo forward Wissa’s last-gasp strike.

Jarrod Bowen thought he had scrambled the Hammers a draw with his first goal in 15 Premier League games 10 minutes from time, but replacement Wissa blasted into the net after the hosts failed to clear from a Mathias Jensen free-kick.

Bowen’s low finish cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s opener for the Bees and almost grabbed West Ham a point.

But then Lukasz Fabianski parried Pontus Jansson’s header from Jensen’s whipped free-kick, and Wissa rushed onto the ball to deliver the killer blow.

West Ham paid the price for a host of missed chances and botched build-up, but the visitors impressed again as they continued their fine start to their debut Premier League campaign.

Brentford could have been two goals to the good within minutes of kick-off, and Mbeumo should have buried at least one of his two chances.

First the Frenchman hit the bar with a fine curling effort after a corner, then he headed wide from Rico Henry’s cross.

West Ham failed to heed the warning signs, but were reprieved again when Ivan Toney’s low volley was neatly saved by Fabianski.

A pleasingly open game saw West Ham gain a foothold through neat passing between the lines, and only a heavy touch denied Michail Antonio a sight on goal.

Kurt Zouma nodded just wide from Aaron Cresswell’s corner as the hosts continued to press, but any parity proved short-lived for the Hammers.

Toney’s defence-splitting pass sent Sergi Canos crashing through on goal, and his angled shot forced a loose parry from Fabianski.

Mbeumo was not only first to the rebound but also slid the ball just over the line.

Fabianski almost recovered, but could not make contact with the ball before it had entirely crossed the line.

West Ham’s best-worked moves always ended with a disappointing final ball, leaving boss David Moyes doubtless frustrated given several tactical ruses completely unpicked the visitors’ set-up.

Henry toed the ball off Bowen’s foot just when the Hammers forward looked primed to pull the trigger, Said Benrahma curled wide from 18 yards under little pressure and Pablo Fornals wasted a fine chance with a poor cross.

Toney outfoxed Zouma, leaving the former Chelsea defender for dead before drawing a foul that earned the France international a deserved booking.

West Ham started the stronger after the break, the hosts pushing hard for an equaliser.

Bowen’s heavy touch took him too wide for a one-on-one with Brentford goalkeeper David Raya however, wasting another promising opening.

The former Hull hitman then spurned a glorious chance, heading wide from point-blank range after a neat Vladimir Coufal cross.

Fornals lashed an Antonio cross goalwards as West Ham continued to dominate, only for Henry to conjure a stunning block.

The home side failed to turn plenty of promise into anything tangible however, losing momentum on the hour mark and struggling to push back into the ascendancy.

Just when West Ham started to sweat on a route back into the contest though, up popped Bowen with an accurate low strike to nestle in the Brentford net.

The hosts thought they had secured a point, but there was to be one more twist, with Wissa powering home in style – stunning Moyes’ men and sending the visitors home with all three points.

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BRENTFORD MANAGER, THOMAS FRANK BACKS IVAN TONEY TO MAKE ENGLAND SQUAD

Brentford manager Thomas Frank is “convinced” that Gareth Southgate has his eye on Ivan Toney as a potential future member of the England squad.

The 25-year-old was born in Northampton but is eligible to play for Jamaica and St Vincent through his parents’ heritage.

Southgate recalled Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins for the World Cup qualifiers against Hungary and Andorra, but Toney has two goals and two assists from the opening six Premier League matches.

“If Ivan continues to perform as he’s done so far I think he will definitely be in there,” Frank said.

“I think Gareth is already looking at him, and I would expect that.

“Gareth has done a fantastic job as England manager, the results he’s got speak for themselves, he’s a very detailed man and I am convinced that he’s looking at Ivan and then it’s that balance between who you’ve already got in the squad, different types and all that.

“But Ivan’s performance, if he continues like that, he will be a player that will be in the run for a position in the squad.”

Brentford travel to West Ham on Sunday as they look to improve on their impressive start to the season which included a draw against league leaders Liverpool.

West Ham are also going well, with three wins from six in the league, and they are leading their Europa League group.

Frank was full of praise for David Moyes, saying: “What he’s done at West Ham is fantastic. He’s taken them to the second best position, the way they play, they have solid players in all positions, they got into the top six ahead of Tottenham and Arsenal, which is remarkable.

“They just continued this year and now they have six points in the Europa League, so I think it was a remarkable job and I think he deserves so much praise.”

West Ham’s Michail Antonio is the Premier League’s joint-top scorer with five goals, plus three assists, and Frank has likened the forward to Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku.

“We faced them (West Ham) in a friendly and Antonio is such a handful, and I said ‘you’re going to score 20-plus this season’, and if he keeps avoiding injuries, 100 per cent. He is a handful, very difficult,” the Brentford boss said.

“He is a little bit like Lukaku in terms of the power and speed but also a very good finisher, so I think he is a very interesting player.”

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BRENTFORD HIT BACK TWICE TO SNATCH POINT IN THRILLING DRAW WITH LIVERPOOL

Mohamed Salah scored his 100th Premier League goal for Liverpool but it was not enough to beat Brentford, who twice pegged the Reds back in a breathless 3-3 draw.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were unable to reap the maximum profit from slip-ups by Manchester United and Chelsea earlier in the day as they shared the points after an early-evening cracker in west London.

Instead they moved just one point clear at the top, while preserving the top flight’s only remaining unbeaten record.

And Klopp will be relieved at that after Ivan Toney had what would have been a late winner ruled out for offside.

The German will also know his side will not face many tougher trips all season, with vibrant Brentford leading through Ethan Pinnock and, following goals from Diogo Jota and Salah, equalising through Vitaly Janelt.

Then, when Curtis Jones smashed Liverpool ahead again, Bees sub Yoane Wissa came up with another equaliser.

There was a taste of things to come when both teams were denied by goal-line clearances in the opening 10 minutes.

First Salah missed out on a seventh-minute opener thanks to a spectacular piece of defending from Kristoffer Ajer.

Jota’s through-ball sent Salah through and he rolled his shot past Bees keeper David Raya, but Ajer raced back and slid in to hook the ball off the line.

Moments later, at the other end, Bryan Mbeumo latched onto Toney’s flick-on and lifted the ball over Alisson, but this time Joel Matip got back to scoop the ball clear from underneath the crossbar.

Brentford were more than holding their own against the 2020 champions and were good value for the lead they took in the 27th minute.

Spanish winger Sergi Canos, who spent three years at Liverpool as a youngster but played only nine minutes for the first team, got down the Reds’ right and drilled in a low cross.

Toney helped the ball on at the near post and centre-half Pinnock was left with a tap-in.

The lead lasted barely three minutes, however, before Jordan Henderson swung in a cross from the right and Jota headed home at the far post.

Seven minutes before the interval Henderson teed up Jones on the edge of the area and his shot was deflected onto a post by Pinnock.

Jota should have been celebrating his second of the afternoon from the rebound but somehow Raya got his body in the way of the shot and it flew wide.

After the break Salah grabbed his landmark goal. The Egypt striker was was initially flagged offside as he tucked away Fabinho’s ball over the top, but a VAR check showed he was in fact onside.

Back came Brentford, though, and when Pontus Jansson slid in to crash Ajer’s cross onto the bar, Janelt popped up at the far post to force the loose ball home.

Jones blasted Liverpool back in front in the 67th minute. Moments after sending a long-range sighter high into the stands, the midfielder took aim again and his low drive took a deflection in a crowded penalty area as it flew past Raya.

Salah should have had goal number 101 after he was played in by Sadio Mane but he chipped the ball onto the roof of the net.

Moments later Bees sub Wissa arrived at the far post and produced a composed finish to equalise yet again, before Toney was denied a late winner by the linesman’s flag.

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MARCUS FORSS BAGS FOUR AS BRENTFORD CRUSH OLDHAM IN CARABAO CUP

Marcus Forss scored four goals as Brentford battered lowly Oldham 7-0 in a Carabao Cup mismatch.

The 22-year-old from Finland filled his boots against the hapless Latics, who lie rock-bottom of the English Football League and played like it.

Yoane Wissa also found the net twice, including a spectacular seventh, on a comfortable night for the Bees.

These two sides were regular opponents in the third tier around the turn of the century but this fixture was a stark illustration of how their fortunes have differed since then.

Brentford, currently adapting well to life in the top-flight and semi-finalists in this competition last season, were able to make 11 changes whereas Oldham, one of the founder members of the Premier League in 1992 but now propping up League Two, could name only four substitutes.

A tough task for the visitors got instantly tougher when they gave away a penalty with less than two minutes on the clock.

Carl Piergianni tripped Wissa in the area and Forss stepped up to tuck away the spot-kick.

Forss, leading the line with regular strike duo Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo on the bench, doubled Brentford’s lead after a quarter of an hour, tucking in the rebound after Wissa’s curling shot came back off the far post.

Wissa went close with a flick which grazed the crossbar but he got on the scoresheet with a neat finish after a fine through-ball from Mathias Jensen.

It was hard not to feel sorry for Oldham when defender Raphael Diarra turned a cut-back by Saman Ghoddos into his own net, and Forss completed his hat-trick moments later to make it five before half-time.

Oldham’s 599 travelling fans were ironically cheering when they had a shot on target, but they almost had an actual goal to celebrate when substitute Benny Couto spotted goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez off his line only for his shot to float over the crossbar.

Forss took his personal tally to four, and Brentford’s to six, on the hour when he tucked away a cross from Mads Roerslev and Wissa scored the goal of the night with an acrobatic overhead kick to complete the rout.

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Aubameyang and Lacazette missed Gunners’ opener after positive coronavirus tests

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette missed Arsenal‘s defeat at Brentford last Friday after testing positive for coronavirus, the Gunners have announced.

The north London outfit said Aubameyang could make a return to action in Sunday’s home clash with Chelsea, but fellow forward Lacazette will sit things out once again.

A statement on Arsenal’s official website on Thursday read: “Auba is now negative on Covid-19 testing, is well and following all protocols for return to play.

“He will return to training and be assessed prior to Sunday’s match. Alex is still recovering and will not be available.”

Winger Willian and goalkeeper Alex Runarsson have also tested positive.

The statement said Willian was adhering to protocols and that his health and fitness would be monitored and assessed ahead of the Chelsea game, while Runarsson was still recovering and would remain unavailable.

Arsenal have Thomas Partey (ankle), Gabriel Magalhaes (knee) and Eddie Nketiah (ankle) out of action as well.

Partey and Gabriel are aiming to be back in training later this month, and the target for Nketiah is early September.

Mikel Arteta’s men were beaten 2-0 by the Bees in their Premier League opener.

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MIKEL ARTETA ISSUES APOLOGY TO ARSENAL FANS AFTER OPENING DAY DEFEAT AT BRENTFORD

A despondent Mikel Arteta apologised to Arsenal’s baying fanbase after his side’s 2-0 defeat to Premier League new boys Brentford, saying it wasn’t ‘the result or performance’ he wanted.

The Gunners ended last season on a high with four wins on the bounce but endured a dismal return to top-flight action at a raucous Brentford Community Stadium, with Sergi Canos and Christian Norgaard netting in either half to fire the hosts to victory.

The north London outfit appeared blunt in attack in the absence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette – who missed the clash through illness – and struggled to make inroads against Brentford’s high press across a frustrating 90 minutes.

Arsenal’s complete inability to deal with Mads Bech Sorensen’s long throw-in for Norgaard’s towering 73rd-minute header in many ways summed up the visitors’ miserable night.

Emile Smith Rowe and Kieran Tierney were two shining lights for the visitors but the Bees held firm to seal a famous and deserved win, 74 years on from their last match in the top division.

Arsenal will have to quickly find their cutting edge, with Chelsea and champions Manchester City next up in the league.

‘First of all, thank you because of the support that they are giving to the team, the travelling fans that were here,’ Arteta told reporters at his post-match press conference.

‘And after that, I apologise for the result and we know that we have to improve.

‘We have two big games coming up right now and we need to a different performance to get a different result.’

The Spaniard added: ‘We are very disappointed to start the way we did in the season.

‘We didn’t get the result or performance that we wanted.’

Arsenal have already invested heavily this summer – spending over £70million on new arrivals Ben White, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares – and there will inevitably be calls for the club to further strengthen after the loss.

But Arteta was keen to stress that he would not be hitting the panic button in the transfer market and will instead be looking to get improvements out of the players he currently has at his disposal.

‘My focus is with the players we have, try to make them play as best as possible and get the best out of the team and find a way to win football matches,’ he went on.

‘We are very clear of what we wanted to do, where our strengths are and where we can improve and I don’t think today’s performance shows anything different to what we’ve already seen.’

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BRENTFORD TOP THE TABLE AFTER BEATING ARSENAL IN PREMIER LEAGUE OPENER

The Premier League season got off to a flying start on Friday as Brentford marked their first game in the top flight for 74 years and their first in front of fans at their new stadium with an emotional 2-0 victory over a ragged Arsenal.

Sergi Canos carved his name into the west London club’s Hall of Fame when he cut inside Calum Chambers and drilled a low shot inside the near post of Bernd Leno after 22 minutes to spark an explosion of joy from the fans who have waited so long to take their place in the new 17,500-capacity home.

It was the least Brentford deserved as, revelling in their chance to take on the big boys, they took the game to an Arsenal team who looked disjointed and toothless in the absence of “unwell” strike duo Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

Some hesitant Arsenal defending after a long throw in the 73rd minute allowed Christian Norgaard to head home the second and Brentford, the team who suffered an agonising nine playoff failures before finally succeeding last season, were in dream land.

Their red and white bedecked fans filed off into the night singing “we are top of the league” and though they are unlikely to stay there for long, nobody can begrudge them their moment in the sun.