Tributes for 24-year-old Enock Mwpeu flowed around the entire Brentford Community Stadium early in the contest as both sets of fans paid respects to the former Brighton midfielder, whose career was cut short due to a medical condition this week. His Brighton teammates soon turned their attention to earning a potential first win for new boss Roberto De Zerbi and Moisés Caicedo let fly from 25-yards to force David Raya into a full-stretch save.
A response from the Bees was always going to come as the West Londoners aimed to bounce back from their heaviest-ever Premier League defeat at Newcastle last weekend. Yet, luck was not on the side of Bryan Mbeumo; the forward hit the woodwork seven times last season and had no fortune again when his dipping volley thumped the crossbar. The chance spurred Brentford to life, and they soon added to their 10 home goals this season when Frank Onyeka cut back to Ivan Toney, before the Bees captain produced a deft backheel into the bottom corner past Robert Sánchez.
Brentford continued to threaten as the hosts pushed to end their three-match winless run against Brighton and Toney was at the heart of the Bees’ attack again when he was felled by Joël Veltman in the area for a penalty. The striker confidently stepped up and made no mistake, sending Sánchez the wrong way to dispatch his 20th consecutive spot-kick for Brentford. Brighton naturally controlled possession to try and claw back into the match and Solly March’s unwanted record as the Premier League player to take the most shots this season without scoring continued when his header was saved at point-blank range by Raya.
A win was essential for Brentford following back-to-back losses and Toney once again showed his value to the Bees with his seventh and eighth goals of the season. In contrast, Brighton’s lack of cutting edge was clear as the Seagulls have lost to nil in their last two as De Zerbi’s wait for a first Premier League win continues.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ivan Toney (Brentford)
