Brentford 4 Newcastle 2: Bees keep up pace in race for European football but Toon’s winless slump continues
EDDIE HOWE’S unbeaten record against Brentford came to a crashing halt as The Bees finally broke their Newcastle hoodoo.
Howe had never lost a Premier League match against Brentford after facing them six times, but his Toon Army have not travelled well this season.
By losing more than half of their 27 top flight away matches they are in a similar bracket to the likes of Wolves, and also The Bees.
Yet they had been a bogey side for The Bees who had lost nine and drawn the other of the previous 10 league meetings between these sides, since a 1-0 home victory in the second tier in January 1948.
Brentford’s solitary defeat in their last 13 home league games was 4-2 against Newcastle on the final day of last season. Plus, Newcastle were the only one of Brentford’s 25 Premier League opponents they had never beaten in the top flight.
The Magpies would have arrived in London with high hopes following their eye-catching 3-3 draw with Liverpool on Wednesday, and with a proud record against Brentford.
A league-high total of 34 goals had been scored at Gtech Community Stadium before yesterday, and we were treated to six more on a day when the country was advised to baton down the hatches thanks to Storm Darragh.
The goal feast started early when Bryan Mbeumo jinked his way into the box and fired Brentford ahead after eight minutes.
Alexander Isak stooped to head an equaliser three minutes later, but Harvey Barnes’ woeful cross-field pass after 28 minutes went straight to Yoane Wissa and he punished Newcastle with a fine finish.
Barnes atoned four minutes later when he swivelled in the box and scored with a shot inside the far post.
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Defender Nathan Collins restored the lead after 56 minutes before Kevin Shade came off the bench and completed the win in the final minute, lifting The Bees into the top six.
Howe pulled a surprise by resting two of his key midfielders, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali, starting them on the bench.
It didn’t stop The Magpies making a fast start as in the second minute Sean Longstaff fired a fierce drive from the edge of the box which crashed off the bar.
Brentford heeded the warning as Mbeumo scored one of his trademark specials.
Skipper Christian Norgaard, back from injury for his 100th Premier League appearance, picked him out on the right edge of the box with a ball from inside his own half, and he skipped inside Lewis Hall and Joelinton before curling his shot high inside the near post.
That took Mbeumo to nine Premier League goals in 2024-25, equalling his career-best tally set in each of the previous two seasons, and it ended a run of five matches without a goal.
The lead lasted just three minutes as Jacob Murphy swung in a cross from the right and Isak stooped at the far post to plant a header back across Flekken.
Impressively, Isak has now been directly involved in seven goals in as many league games, scoring five and setting up two.
His record should have gotten even better when he had a free run at goal as he cut in from the right after 19 minutes.
He skipped past Flekken but delayed his shot and the goalkeeper saved the day by clawing the ball to safety.
Barnes was guilty of a shocking error when he misplaced a pass from the halfway line across his back four.
It went straight to Wissa who carried it to the edge of the box before planting it in the far top corner – his ninth goal in Brentford’s past six home league games.
Wissa’s goal meant he equalled Ivan Toney’s record of 19 Premier League goals scored at the Gtech Community Stadium.
It was a case of “to you, to me” however, as Barnes made amends when Murphy provided another assist as he found him in the box with enough time to turn and shoot low inside the post.
The woodwork prevented Wissa scoring again two minutes after the break, as his shot hit the arm of goalkeeper Nick Pope – who probably didn’t know much about it – and bounced off the post.
There was no escape, however, when Flekken’s free kick into the box eluded everyone and Collins steered it inside the far post for his second of the season.
Gordon and Tonali were introduced and although Tonali wasted a decent chance after 84 minutes when he headed over, their impact was minimal.
And any hope of Howe rescuing his record was gone when Kevin Schade wrapped up the win in the dying moments.
Although The Bees had gone into this game boasting the Premier League’s best home record, earning 19 points from seven games and scoring 22 goals, there were question marks over the quality of opponent during that run.
Their six wins came against Crystal Palace, Southampton, Wolves, Ipswich, Bournemouth and Leicester.
Of that group, only Bournemouth are not struggling for points at the wrong end of the table.
Beating Newcastle will be deemed a proper scalp.