Defending was strongly discouraged, at least in the first half, as Brentford got five goals from five different Bees en route to a 5-3 victory over Wolves at Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.
WATCH BRENTFORD v WOLVES FULL MATCH REPLAY
It was Brentford’s (9th place - 10 points) third win of the Premier League season, but their first in four games after coming up against Manchester City and Tottenham in recent weeks, and they couldn’t have done it in any more fitting fashion. Wolves (20th - 1 point), meanwhile, remain winless on the season and rooted to the bottom of the PL table with 21 goals conceded in just seven games (six more than any other side).
Nathan Collins opened the scoring after 76 seconds when he headed home unmarked, but Wolves were level two minutes later as Nelson Semedo broke down the right wing and found Matheus Cunha with a cross. Bryan Mbeumo put Brentford back ahead from the penalty spot on 20 minutes, but again Wolves hit back quickly through Jorgen Strand Larsen in the 26th. Even quicker than that, Christian Norgaard put Brentford back ahead in the 28th minute and Ethan Pinnock gave them a two-goal lead in first-half stoppage time.
The 4-2 scoreline lasted all the way until the 90th minute, when Fabio Carvalho bagged his first goal for Brentford and then Rayan Ait-Nouri beat Mark Flekken in the 92nd to make it 5-3 in the end.
Wolves stunned, shell-shocked by game plan everyone knew was coming
Brentford didn’t score until the 2nd minute this week (gasp) after Wolves kicked the game off from the center circle, unceremoniously snapping the Bees’ incredible run of scoring 1st-minute goals in three straight games. Many people are asking, do Wolves hate football and fun? If they were going to concede after 76 seconds anyway, they could have just let Brentford take the kickoff and do their thing in 31 seconds — the amount of time it took them to score once they finally corralled the ball. On a separate note, Wolves should have also practiced defending crosses and corners this week, considering they were the focal point of Brentford’s attacking plan which mean they faced 37 of them. That’s how goals no. 1 and 4 were scored, but there could have very easily been another two or three headed home as well.
Player ratings - Brentford vs Wolves
What’s next?
- Manchester United vs Brentford - Saturday, Oct. 19 (after the international break)
- Wolves vs Manchester City - Sunday, Oct. 20
Brentford vs Wolves updates - by Andy Edwards
Brentford vs Wolves final score: 5-3
Goalscorers: Nathan Collins (2'), Matheus Cunha (4'), Bryan Mbeumo (21' - PK), Jorgen Strand Larsen (26'), Christian Norgaard (28'), Ethan Pinnock (45'+1), Fabio Carvalho (90'), Rayan Ait-Nouri (90'+3)
GOAL! Brentford 5-3 Wolves: Rayan Ait-Nouri pulls back a late consolation (90'+3)
GOAL! Brentford 5-2 Wolves: Fabio Carvalho taps in after Sam Johnstone can’t hold a cross (90')
GOAL! Brentford 4-2 Wolves: Ethan Pinnock adds another from a corner kick in stoppage time (45'+1)
GOAL! Brentford 3-2 Wolves: Captain Christian Norgaard restores the Bees’ lead immediately (28')
GOAL! Brentford 2-2 Wolves: Jorgen Strand Larsen gets a toe to Rayan Ait-Nouri’s cross (26')
GOAL! Brentford 2-1 Wolves: Bryan Mbeumo converts from the penalty spot after Mario Lemina’s foul (21')
GOAL! Brentford 1-1 Wolves: Matheus Cunha turns home Nelson Semedo’s cross for a quick equalizer (4')
GOAL! Brentford 1-0 Wolves: Nathan Collins heads home 17 seconds late, but still right on time (2')
Brentford starting lineup
Flekken - Ajer, Van den Berg, Pinnock, Collins - Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard - Schade, Lewis-Potter, Mbeumo
Wolves starting lineup
Johnstone - Semedo, Dawson, Gomes, Ait-Nouri - Andre, Lemina, Gomes - Cunha, Forbs, Larsen
How to watch Brentford vs Wolves live, stream link, start time
Kick off time: 10am ET Saturday (October 5)
Venue: Gtech Community Stadium, London
TV Channel: Peacock Premium
Streaming: Premier League on Peacock
Brentford team news, focus
Igor Thiago, Aaron Hickey, Mathias Jensen, Rico Henry, Josh Dasilva, Yoane Wissa and Gustavo Nunes all remain out. Christian Norgaard is a doubt too. Add all of that up and it’s quite remarkable that Brentford have picked up as many points (7) as they have so far this season. Bryan Mbeumo is stepping up with big finishes and we know the Bees are strong from set pieces and being direct. The small margins are always huge in the Premier League and Brentford are one of the best at making them count.
OUT: Josh Dasilva (knee), Rico Henry (knee), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Igor Thiago (knee), Gustavo Nunes (lower back), Mathias Jensen (calf), Yoane Wissa (ankle) | QUESTIONABLE: Christian Norgaard (undisclosed)
Wolves team news, focus
There are plenty of injury issues for O’Neil to deal with as Yerson Mosquera, Sasa Kalajdzic, Enso Medina and Boubacar Traore remain out. Center backs Santiago Bueno and Craig Dawson are also doubts. Wolves have been so close to picking up wins this season but recent defeats to Aston Villa, Newcastle and Liverpool have shown a familiar theme: coming up just short at key moments at both ends of the pitch. Wolves aren’t far away from being a solid midtable team but confidence levels are very low. It only takes one result to turn things around but that needs to arrive fast.
OUT: Yerson Mosquera (calf), Boubacar Traore (knee), Bastien Meupiyou (undisclosed), Enso Medina (knee), Sasa Kalajdzic (knee) | QUESTIONABLE: Santiago Bueno (buttock injury), Craig Dawson (illness)
Brentford vs Wolves prediction
This feels like a pretty comfortable home win. Brentford will make the most of Wolves’ defensive uncertainty. The Bees make very few mistakes of their own and are happy to wait for the right moments to press and force others into uncomfortable spots. Brentford 2-0 Wolves.
