Buzzing

As I made my way down to this match, between Brentford and Burnley, there was one thing I knew both teams had in common and that was some seriously poor form.

Neither team had more than a single win to their name this season coming into this match, with only the hosts having secured a clean sheet in the league

I travelled down to this match expecting a glut of goals and at least one team didn’t disappoint.

Brentford were on top from the first whistle as they set to the task of swarming all over their visitors. Barely allowing Burnley a kick it took the swaggering hosts just 2 minutes to get the ball in the net.

Bryan Mbuemo swung a free-kick up to the back post where Nathan Collins was waiting to swing a leg at it and send it looping across to the near post where Neil Maupay headed the ball over the onrushing James Trafford and in off the bar.

It would’ve been a lovely way for Maupay to mark his 2nd debut with the Londoners, but the spoilsport linesman had his flag up before the ball had crossed the line for an offside against Kristoffer Ajer in the build up. How Ajer could be counted as offside when he got nowhere near interfering with play is a question only the officials can answer.

Having had that opener unceremoniously ripped from under them it took the Bees a full 25 minutes of relentless pressure and a string of great chances to finally open their account.

Frank Onyeka pinched the ball in midfield and fed Maupay, who flicked the ball right to Mbuemo. Bryan ghosted past his marker before hitting a teasing ball across the 6 yard box to the back post where Yoane Wissa was steaming in to turn it home from point blank range.

How the hosts did not add to this opener before half-time only they know. They were all over Burnley for the rest of the half and created a glut of glorious opportunites to extend their lead.

The most glaring of these fell to the returning Maupay, whose gut busting run from midfield saw him burn past a could of opponents before carving through a gap in the backline to leave him with just Trafford to beat. He unleashed his effort low to the keepers’ left but the under-21 Euros winner was equal to the effort, blocking it with a huge left hand to deny Maupay his debut goal once again.

Despite being at the centre of everything good in an incredible opening half for the hosts Maupay would not get his goal and none of his teammates would add to the hosts tally before half-time either.

Brentford created so many chances in their masterclass first half that in truth they should have been 3 or 4-0 up and out of sight, but they weren’t and as the teams trudged down the tunnel at the break Burnley still harboured hopes of salvaging something from the match.

With those fires of hope still smouldering away, Burnley came out fighting at the start of the second half and it looked like the Bees would return to their early season fragility as they retreated deeper and deeper into their own defensive third.

Having seen the hosts surrender a league high 11 points from winning positions this season many of those in the home ends began to fear the worst but Mbuemo expunged these worries in spectacular fashion just after the hour mark.

Maupay set the ball up for him to run onto just inside the D, after a sweeping team move down the right, for him to run onto and curl a beautiful first time shot into the top left corner of the Burnley goal.

Having watched Mbuemo’s goal from the bench Samman Ghoddos decided he could do even better and proved his point after being brought on with 5 minutes of the 90 left to play.

The Iranian had been on the pitch barely 2 minutes when the ball dropped to him 25 yards out, he brought it under control with his chest then fired a thunderbolt past the stricken Trafford on the half volley. There is not a keeper in the world that would have saved it and as ways to break a 2 year goal drought go… not bad at all.

Conceding the third was enough to convince legions of the vociferous away support to head for the exits as any hopes of a comeback evaporated.

Things could have been so different for the visitors though if half-time substitute Luka Koleosho had converted a tap-in chance at the back post at 2-0. He had terrorised the makeshift Brentford defence since his introduction, but when presented with the easiest finish ever, unmarked 6-yards out at the back post, he fluffed his lines and submitted his application for the miss-of-the-season award.

That was the only presentable chance for the visitors in what was a far more even second half as Brentford secured their second 3-0 win of the season and their first at home. It also moves the Bees into double figures for the season and by holding onto a lead it may even signal the end of the hell times for home fans.

Three goals by three different scorers for Brentford, maybe the bad times are finally over. Chelsea away is next up for the buzzing Bees, where we won 4-1 in our first Premier League visit and 2-0 last season. Anyone fancy a hat-trick?