1 min
Brentford got back to winning ways as they grinded out a hard-fought 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.
Ivan Toney got the Bees off to a perfect start, dispatching a tenth minute penalty into the bottom right corner after Tarique Fosu drew contact in the box.
And five minutes before the break Brentford nearly doubled their advantage as Toney flicked a long ball from David Raya forward to Vitaly Janelt, who dragged his shot just wide.
Blackburn’s tactical substitutions at the interval saw them respond well with Bradley Dack nearly finding an equaliser on 52, but the slightest of touches from Raya kept the ball out.
At the other end, Toney nearly had a contender for goal of the season as he tried to chip Thomas Kaminski from the halfway line, but the effort found the roof of the net, saving the Blackburn keeper from embarrassment.
And although Blackburn had two penalty appeals waved away, the Bees managed to hold on and take all three points to move back into second-place on 66 points.
Key Points
Check out all the key talking points and reaction from London Football Scene below…
Key Moment
Ivan Toney’s first-half penalty gave the Bees an early lead they would never relinquish.
Moan of the Match
While Brentford played well, they failed to engineer many goal scoring opportunities and did not finish the ones they got – they need to be more clinical.
Talking Point
Brentford looked much better than they did before their nine day break – just how important could that brief pause be as the season wears on?
Man of the Match
Christian Norgaard – a brilliant return to the starting 11, he plugged seemingly every gap and was the architect behind some good attacking moves.
Tweet of the Match
Referee Watch
Geoff Eltringham (County Durham) – a poor game from the official with Blackburn feeling hard done by some decisions while some fouls given appeared soft and unnecessary.
Atmosphere
A more competitive second-half livened up the game with two loud and vocal benches in full voice, trying to propel their respective sides towards a win.
Verdict
Although it wasn’t the usual free-flowing football to be expected from Brentford, it was a good test which they overcame to grab a vital three points in their promotion push.
