Brentford secured their fourth victory from six home matches in the league this season by overturning a deficit to defeat Newcastle United 3-1. Newcastle United suffered their ninth consecutive away league defeat.
Newcastle took an early lead in their last away match at West Ham, so you would expect a fast start from them. However, that is not what was expected of them, as neither side really took the initiative in the opening phase. A diving header from Kevin Schade, which went well wide of the goal, was the closest either team came to an early breakthrough. It was the Bees who created the first positive opening of the first half when a teasing cross from Mikel Damsgaard was turned goalward by Aaron Hickey, forcing Nick Pope into a smart save before Newcastle ultimately managed to escape.
That proved to be a crucial moment in the match, as Newcastle took the lead not long afterward. Harvey Barnes was the man who got the ball. He pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area and left two Brentford defenders behind him before sliding it under the legs of Caoimhin Kelleher. As most teams have discovered this season, Michael Kayode’s throw-ins are difficult to deal with, and Newcastle struggled with them like most other teams, coming under pressure before halftime. Pope had to keep the Bees out twice from long throws when it looked like a long throw would produce the equalizer.
One of Kayode’s throws would eventually yield results, and shortly before the hour mark, it did. Kayode’s long throw into the penalty area was headed out of Pope’s gloves by Sven Botman, and Schade had a simple task: he headed into an unguarded goal from inside the box. Newcastle were already on edge at that point and received a huge stroke of luck a few minutes later when Dan Burn appeared to bring down Dango Ouattara in the penalty area. Although Burn looked dejected, knowing he had brought down the Brentford player, Stuart Attwell gave Ouattara a yellow card for simulation and the VAR completely agreed.
The duo soon faced each other again in the penalty area, and this time Burn was penalized for his foul on Ouattara in the box. His misery was compounded by a second yellow card. He ultimately received a triple blow when Igor Thiago stepped up from the penalty spot and coolly put the Bees ahead with just over ten minutes to play. They didn’t let that advantage slip. With a man down, it was unlikely that Eddie Howe’s men would get back on level terms, as their worst Premier League season start under his leadership continues. Meanwhile, Brentford continue to defy all expectations and climb the table, with the icing on the cake coming in injury time when Thiago scored their third goal of the afternoon.