Brentford tops Fulham in latest West London Derby
Brentford defeated Fulham at Community Stadium on Monday. A surprise top-10 duel between the two west London clubs earned the Bees three points. Both teams maintained their place in the table. However, the gap between Brentford in ninth and Fulham in seventh is just a single point.
Monday’s game was a lively game, as expected given both clubs’ surprisingly successful seasons. This west London derby has confirmed that both clubs fully deserve their places in the table, even if they are high.
From the start it was Brentford who opened up at the front. However, on two occasions Bryan Mbeumo failed to put Brentford ahead. Just three minutes later, the Frenchman missed a sitter from five meters away. The cross didn’t bounce off the instep, but off the back of the foot and went past Bernd Leno’s goal. Not long after, Mbeumo found himself in goal. While the winger got a shot on goal this time, Leno’s outstretched right leg matched the effort.
Lucky jumps keep the score in half
Brentford eventually conceded his opening pressure in the first half. After a Brentford corner fell outside the box, Ethan Pinnock lashed a wild shot at goal. A standing Tim Ream was in the wrong place at the wrong time for Fulham as the ball smacked off his knee and .
Although Leno may have covered the original shot, Pinnock still received credit for the goal but Ream did not receive an assist.
Brentford were unlucky not to double their lead on a couple of occasions. Both Ivan Toney and Mbeumo hit the woodwork on free kicks. But the ball bounced out of play instead of coming back into play.
The same cannot be said for a Fulham free-kick. In the 39th minute, Andreas Pereira whipped out a near-perfect free-kick that bounced off where the crossbar hit the right post. A bouncing David Raya watched the ball slide behind him, where Manor Solomon had to head in to score. It was Solomon’s fourth straight game in all competitions by a goal.
Brentford sank Fulham with two goals in the second half
It was a familiar sight for Brentford fans early in the second half. Ivan Toney converted from the penalty spot for the 22nd time in 22 attempts after a foul by Issa Diop. His perfect penalty record is one of the reasons why he’s one of the top scorers in the Premier League this season. The Englishman now has 15 goals in the league, trailing only Erling Haaland on 27 and Harry Kane on 18.
In the end, that wasn’t the winner of the game, even if it looked like it. Nevertheless, Mathias Jensen’s goal in the 85th minute provided the two-goal cushion that Thomas Frank was chasing. Kevin Schade did a great job preparing Jensen, who only had to put the ball in the goal.
Fulham found a second with the last meaningful kick of the game in the 98th minute. Carlos Vinícius will welcome the goal, even if it was in vain in this game.
The result makes Brentford unbeaten in the league for the 12th time. That breaks down into an even six wins and six draws over that span. In addition, during this period Brentford defeated Liverpool, Manchester City and Fulham while drawing against Arsenal and Spurs.
Brentford are looking to continue their strong form in the coming weeks. Brentford’s next three games are all against teams currently ranked 15th or worse in the league. That starts with a trip to Goodison Park in a week. Fulham are looking for a comeback with a big task at home against Arsenal next Sunday.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Action Plus