- Ivan Toney doubled Brentford’s lead over Wolves to secure all three points
- Christian Norgaard opened the scoring to dampen Molineux’s mood
- Ivan Toney has yet to repay his debt to Brentford. Will the Bees’ star man help keep them going as a parting gift? Listen to the It all starts podcast
Brentford picked up a crucial three points at Molineux today, with goals from Christian Norgaard and Ivan Toney lifting the Bees to 14th place ahead of a tough run of fixtures for the south-west London outfit.
Thomas Frank’s side traveled to the Black Country today with just nine wins from their last eleven games and none since October.
But with Hwang Hee-Chan’s expected return cut short before kick-off and last weekend’s hat-trick hero Matheus Cunha forced off in the 20th minute after pinching his hamstring, the home side lacked the usual attacking threat.
And credit to Brentford, who put in a strong defensive effort this afternoon. Wolves, who dominated possession, were unable to break the Travelers’ 3-5-2 formation, which proved to be a stubborn defensive unit.
And it was a set piece that put Brentford ahead in the first half. Christian Norgaard, who managed to slip away from his defender, curled in Sergio Reguilon’s corner kick from close range.
Ivan Toney scored his third goal in four games since returning to Brentford last month
Christian Norgaard opened the scoring for the visitors with a header from a Reguilon corner
Toney pointed to a tattoo that read “Him” on his hand after doubling the Bees’ lead
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While continuing in a difficult location would usually give a team some breathing space, Brentford are all too familiar with finding themselves in winning positions only to end up losing the game.
This season they have dropped 26 points from such a position, the most in the Premier League. Until today, they had ended up losing more games than they won after going through.
In the second half the wolves came flying out of the traps, and with the crowd behind them it seemed inevitable that they would go back in front.
But a VAR decision ruled what would have been a rare Craig Dawson goal offside just two minutes later, and from then on the home side looked destined for frustration.
Ivan Toney was quiet for much of the match, but when the ball came to him in the 77th minute after a passage of play that started with a poor pass from Wolves goalkeeper Sa, the Brentford star drilled the ball home.
Brentford claimed an important three points to help them move up the table and move away from relegation
Wolves struggled to hit the target after Matheus Cunha came off injured early in the first half
Cunha limped through the tunnel after pinching his hamstring, much to the disappointment of the home fans
Wolves struggled to find the target despite a 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge
The visitors managed to hold on for the remainder of the match and kept their first clean sheet in twelve games in the Premier League.
Next up is Liverpool at home and then Manchester City away, two games that will make Thomas Frank happier now that he is in a safer position away from the relegation zone.