1 min
A injury-hit Brentford fell to a credible 1-0 defeat to Premier League champions and current leaders Manchester City at the Brentford Community Stadium
The Bees started the brighter with City keeper Ederson called into action to deny Frank Onyeka before palming away a chance which had deflected off defender Ruben Dias.
From the resultant corner, Brentford saw an effort off the line as Yoane Wissa squeezed the ball across the box only for Ivan Toney’s looping goalbound header to be cleared by Joao Cancelo.
Manchester City would then break the deadlock just seconds later as Kevin De Bruyne’s inch perfect delivery found Phil Foden to tap home from close range.
The start of the second-half saw Foden have the ball in the net once again, only for his superb header from another De Bruyne cross ruled out for offside.
At the other end, Brentford continued to frustrate City while fashioning half-chances of their own – the best seeing Onyeka’s close range effort blocked by a body of defenders.
And although City had another goal from Aymeric Laporte’s head ruled out for offside, the one goal margin was enough to seal the win.
Key Points
Check out all the key talking points and reaction from London Football Scene below…
Key Moment
Phil Foden’s goal felt like a dagger to Brentford’s heart as they were unfortunate not to open the scoring less than a minute earlier.
Moan of the Match
The Brentford defence were caught out too easily by Foden’s disguised run to score the only goal of the game – and one that could have easily been avoided.
Talking Point
An encouraging display from Brentford considering their long injury list. Could the Bees have managed to snatch a result if their key absentees were fit and available?
Man of the Match
Dominic Thompson – Kevin De Bruyne may have been imperious for Manchester City but in only his second Premier League game the Brentford full-back worked his socks off.
Tweet of the Match
Referee Watch
David Coote (Nottinghamshire) – managed to keep his cards in his pocket and let the game flow in what at times was quite a feisty and tetchy contest.
Atmosphere
As the 12th man, the sold-out Brentford support cheered their side on throughout while the City contingent more than added to the occasion.
Verdict
Brentford’s tactics to frustrate and stifle the Premier League champions worked well for the most part and the depleted Bees can take a lot of positives, if not any points, from the encounter.
