Bees’ noble fights harvest a point
Every now and again, Brentford avoids what looks like catastrophe and walks from the pitch with heads held high. This was one of those occasions; indeed, the drama played out at the Gtech Community Stadium when the slickest of Manchester’s football hierarchy came to call might have ended with the Bees pocketing all three points but for a Bryan Mbeumo late, late decider failing to find the net.
Four days later, with Liverpool being even more top-of-the-tree visitors, Brentford faltered inside the four extra minutes, conceding two goals after a match in which they had survived a noble battering but gave as much as their opponents when launching spontaneous attacks. One point from six may seem paltry, but these two extraordinary performances will remain in the memories of all those who were there to see them…
Brentford 2, Manchester City 2; 14.01.2025
City arrived with a slightly tarnished current Premier track record; the reigning League champions they might be, but Arsenal and Liverpool (and, of late, Nottingham Forest until upset by Bournemouth) had pushed them down to fourth on the ladder to the stars.
Not that you would be instantly aware of the visitors’ superiority. The visitors looked the prettier side – no offence, City – but Bryan Mbeumo came close to sneaking a shot inside a post, then Yoane Wissa almost but not quite connected with a fine Mbeumo cross. City were still preening themselves when testing Mark Flekken, but with the home keeper not being unduly troubled.
While Kevin De Bruyne received hoots from the home crowd when ballooning a lofted ball that threatened to take off in the direction of Mars, Mikkel Damsgaard continued the Bees’ pressure by scoring a goal that would have been perfect had it not been ruled off-side
As often happens, however, the quality of City’s efforts was the first to draw blood, when Phil Foden – another genuine star performer – entered the picture to latch on to De Bruyne’s cross and volley City sweetly in front. If Thomas Frank was irritated, he didn’t let it show, but when after 66 minutes Foden doubled his contribution to the game, pouncing to deal with the rebound when Mark Flekken palmed away a Savinho shot, the Brentford coach must have been seething inside.
No matter, as it turned out. What had become a splendid game of football saw the Bees score the goal they certainly deserved when, after 82 minutes, Mads Roerslev provided the pass that enabled Wissa to shoot past goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. And the Gtech was like a caldron as Brentford dominated referee Anthony Taylor’s additional minutes enabling Bees’ captain Christian Nørgaard to surge into the penalty area and head in a rocket of an equaliser.
City may well still retain their hold on the Premier League title, but Brentford has done nothing to ease their path. My mate Charlie watched the glum looks of the visiting team leaving the pitch and the contrast of the Bees, whose return of Rico Henry towards the end had made the evening even more delicious.
Happy? I asked him. ‘Bring on Liverpool,’ said Charlie.
Brentford (4-3-3): Flekken; Roerslev (sub Henry 87m), Collins, van Den Berg; Lewis-Potter, Jensen (Schade 79), Nørgaard, Janelt (Yarmoliuk, 79); Damsgaard, Mbeumo, Wissa.
Manchester City: (4-2-3-1): Ortega; Nunes, Akanjl, Aké, Gvardiol; Kovack. Gundiol; Silva, Foden (McAfee 88), De Bruyne, Savinho; Haaland.Brentford 0, Liverpool 2; 19.01.2025
Brentford 0, Liverpool 2; 18.01.2025
You don’t have to be a supporter of the Bees to face disappointment, but sometimes it helps.
Having fully deserved the point they earned in coming back from two goals down against City, Brentford fought valiantly to repeat the medicine in the spirited tussle with the League leaders. It almost came off, too – only a few precious minutes remaining after Bees’ had fought until they dropped.
Actually, none of them did hit the ground, but several of the team at the Gtech looked as though they were extremely out of puff and possessing legs of paper-mâché come the end of a gruelling, defensive two-and a-bit hours contest. Which prompts a puzzlement as to why so few of the Bees were not given some respite in the later stages of the game. After all, head coach Thomas Frank has proved in many similar encounters that he would send substitutes – often five players, the maximum number – on to the pitch from the bench. Sometimes it seemed he would snap up any old passer-by, in or out of the dugout, such is his prowess in deploying substitutes.
But just two subs were called up against Liverpool, both of them medical rather than tactical. Brentford gave their all, but then they always do. As Thomas Frank said post-match, in his opinion he rates the visitors the best team in the Premier League – meaning the best in the world. It’s a shame that Brentford’s recent injuries mean, for the second season, the squad hasn’t yet been able to fulfil their undoubted promise.
Liverpool’s rearguard fullbacks were exemplary, and the Bees did well to contain front runners who struck, fast but not wholly accurately, until one of ‘Pool’s gold-plated subs, Darwin Núñez, arrived to snaffle two prized goals. Throughout it was difficult to keep count of the number of Liverpool corners racked up at the Brentford end, they lost that as well.
Now that the top three or four teams have been taken on, those more centrally placed in the League table will hopefully be able to provide the Bees with rich pickings for points up for grabs.
‘Which joker decided we should be facing the top sides all crowded together?’ asked my mate Charlie, a man who speaks his mind. I have no idea, I ventured.
‘Well tell him they didn’t make me laugh’, said Charlie.
Brentford (4-4-1-1): Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Mbeumo, Janelt (sub Schade 65m), Nørgaard, Yamoliuk; Damsgaard (Jensen 81); Wissa.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Tsimikas (Robertson 65), Konaté, van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold; Mac Allister (C Jones 80); Gravenberch; Gakpo (Elliott 80), Szoboszlla (Chiesa 80), Salah; Diaz (Nùñez 65).
Tottenham spurs Bees defeat
Brentford 0, Tottenham Hotspur 2; 02.02.25
We have seen many games where the Bees have stung themselves in the abdomen after setting out to eliminate the opposition. Oh, woeful is the honeybee that has welcomed to the Gtech Community Stadium what looks like a pushover yet ends up with nothing to collect at the final whistle.
Spurs’ visit is a prime example. Sharpshooter Dominic Solanke has ruled out by injury, as was James Maddison, a talented midfielder when not spending time on the turf wearing a hurt look, were just two of the no-show players.
The visitors’ injury list meant Brentford were looking for three points to compensate for some of the recent defeats and narrow draws on the Premier League scene. But maybe there was no need to ring north London alarm bells – after all, Thomas Frank had similar fitness problems of his own squad this season. Centre defender Ethan Pinnock, international full back Aaron Hickey and seldom-seen forward Igor Thiago – so perceptible to injury that he might as well have a bed reserved at A&E – are cases in point.
So when a three-strong forward line of Bryan Mbeumo, Yoana Wissa and Kevin Schade started as they went about their business in the manner they intended to continue, the visitors looked somewhat disconcerted. Admittedly, the absence of injured goalkeeper Mark Flekken, making way for the rare appearance of the Icelandic Hákon Valdimarsson, was more a curiosity than a wounding of the last line of defence.
But the best-laid plans can come unstuck (as Robert Burns mentioned, should you wonder), and the Bees were adrift by a goal after 29 minutes when a classy corner taken by a classy winger, Son, cannoned off Vitaly Janelt’s back and into the net. Suddenly the light blue kit of Spurs looked as smart as the winter sky.
Brentford maintained dominance from here on, but somehow the killer finishes that have flourished through much of the season was lacking. Mbeumo, especially, was off-form and his every attempt at scoring came to nothing, with the ball wide, or too high or, on one occasion, despatched past the goalmouth on its way to somewhere near the corner flag.
Kevin Shade had already come close but his shot was blocked; then he fashioned a handsome cross only for Yoane Wissa to head over the crossbar. Damsgaard’s cross was classier, only for Wissa to graze the top of the crossbar and away.
Spurs were hardly inactive in attack, keeping Valdimarsson on his toes if not his surname on his fellow Bees tongues. But the longer the game progressed, the more likely did it seem that the visitors might score again through one of their increasingly frequently raids into Brentford’s territory.
And with three minutes remaining of normal time it happened, Son’s through-ball finding substitute Pape Sarr on the run. He out-paced the defence and when Hákon (no more Icelandic today) advanced, caressed the ball past him. No wonder Spurs’ Ange Postecogjou – now it’s tongue-twisting Greek-born coaches! – was wreathed in smiles at the end.
‘A missed opportunity,’ said Thomas Frank, as the Bees’ side trooped from the pitch, many taking a short-cut from the usual celebratory route.
The introduction of new face Michael Kayode, a full-back on loan from Italian club Florentine and subbed towards the end, was one to watch, I told my mate Charlie as the downhearted players disappeared into the tunnel. Otherwise, another sparkling performance from Mikkel Damsgaard – he looks threatening to the opposition whenever he has the ball.
‘I don’t know about the opposition,’ said Charlie, ‘but he frightens the life out of me.’
Brentford (4-2-3-1): Valdimarsson; Ajer (sub Kayode,76m), Collins; van den Berg, Lewis-Potter; Nørgaard (Carvalho 84), Janelt (Jensen 66); (Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade); Wissa.
Tottenham Hotspur: 4-2-3-1: Kinsky; Porro, Gray, Davies, Spence; Bentancur, Bissouma (Sarr 68); Moore, (Bergvall 46), Kulusevski, Son Heung-min; Richarlinson (Scarlett 79).
Bill Hagerty is a contributing editor of the Chiswick Calendar website