Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Brentford. Premier League.
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Report as Ivan Toney scores penalty and sets up Bryan Mbeumo for brilliant away win; Shandon Baptiste sent off for Brentford with 25 minutes remaining; Brentford go top half, having conceded just twice this term, but Wolves fail to register shot on target; watch free highlights from 5.15pm
Saturday 18 September 2021 21:55, UK
Brentford earned their first top-flight away win for 74 years as they beat Wolves 2-0 despite playing the majority of the second half with 10 men.
Ivan Toney put Brentford ahead from the spot (28) after he had been hauled down in the box by Marcal, and he then turned provider for Bryan Mbeumo to tap home at the far post (35) to leave Wolves stunned.
Adama Traore hit the crossbar from a deflected shot in between the goals but Wolves were otherwise flat in front of goal, failing to register a shot on target despite a numerical advantage as Shandon Baptiste was sent off (65) for two needless yellow cards. It was Brentford who came closest to scoring the third, as Mbeumo hit the crossbar in the final minute.
The result means Brentford move up into the top half of the Premier League, registering their third clean sheet from five games this season, while Wolves have just three points from a possible 15 under Bruno Lage.
Wolves started brightly with the ball in the first 15 minutes but struggled for bite in the final third, with Brentford a constant threat on the break and Toney having a goal ruled out for offside.
Brentford's opener initially came from a corner as Marcal's wrestle with Toney was spotted by referee Darren England and confirmed by VAR, before Toney stepped up to coolly send Jose Sa the wrong way for his second Premier League goal of the season.
The Bees had their tails up and were nearly 2-0 up two minutes later as Sa saved at Vitaly Janelt's feet, but the rebound caused havoc as it fell to Toney to backheel into the net with his back to goal three yards out. However, VAR spotted a handball by Toney as he controlled it, again the correct decision.
But just seconds after Traore hit the bar with a deflected effort, it was 2-0 to Brentford as Toney got the better of Max Kilman on the left flank, entering the box and then squaring across the face of goal for Mbeumo to score his second goal of the season and first in the Premier League.
Wolves made an attacking change at half-time as Hee-Chan Hwang replaced Romain Saiss, but it was so nearly game over seconds after the restart as Mbeumo flashed wide after Ruben Neves had lost out in a dangerous position.
At the other end, Traore's clipped cross nearly dropped into the net over David Raya, and it looked as though Brentford would have their backs to the wall for the final 25 minutes after Baptiste was sent off for two silly, late fouls in quick succession. Thomas Frank revealed after the game that Baptiste was seconds away from being subbed off.
Kristoffer Ajer made a goal-saving tackle ahead of Hwang after Raul Jimenez took the ball down in the box, and Jimenez's wait for a first goal since his return from a fractured skull goes on, heading just wide from Traore's deep cross late on.
Brentford nearly grabbed a third on the break as Mbeumo crashed an effort off the crossbar, but overall dealt with the late pressure superbly to claim a brilliant victory. For all the talk of exciting football at Lage's Wolves, they have now failed to score in four of their five games this season, scoring just twice.
Wolves boss Bruno Lage: "The last 45 minutes I need to understand how many minutes we played because I saw too many players on the floor from the opponent. Even the goalkeeper changed his gloves.
"For now we stick to complaining about what we did and the way we offered the goals to the opponent."
Brentford boss Thomas Frank: "I could ask [Bruno Lage] what he would have done if he was leading a newly-promoted team. We are just a bus stop in Hounslow, playing against Wolves, established in the Premier League and with 10 times our budget, leading 2-0 away, 10 versus 11.
"I think his players would lose a bit of time also. But I could also ask him how the first half went. You look at the game and did we deserve to win? Yes. Expected goals, big chances, everything. When it was 11 versus 11 and when it was 10 versus 11. You don't use excuses, just say you lost to the better team on the day.
"We have got eight points from five games and also three clean sheets. It tells a lot about the job we are doing but we are also humble. We will celebrate for 24 hours only - I will allow myself an extra glass of red tonight but we have another game on Tuesday."
Ivan Toney on BT Sport:
"In the first half, I think we could have got more [goals] but in the second half we showed our character. It was magnificent. That's what we work on - we have to be deadly in the Premier League when you get the opportunity and I think we were that today. I think we deserved the three points.
"We work on it in training, the strikers being close. We [Toney and Mbeumo] are linking up well. The mentality in this dressing room is of working for each other."
On whether pundits might be revising their opinion of where Brentford might finish:
"Everyone has their opinion. It's up for us to do our jobs and, come the end of the season, hopefully we're top of the league!"
Brentford now host Oldham in the Carabao Cup third round on Tuesday at 7.45pm, before hosting Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports at 5.30pm.
Wolves host Spurs on Wednesday at 7.45pm in the Carabao Cup third round, then go to Southampton on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports Premier League at 2pm.
