Brentford

Ian Westbrook
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

It is still early in the Keith Andrews era at Brentford, but one question that is not resolved yet is 'what is our identity?'.

In recent seasons, we've been known as a fast, attacking team who are particularly dangerous from set-pieces.

This season we have been somewhat different. Obviously the loss of Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard has had an impact on that - but Sunday's lucklustre display against Leeds left us wondering what sort of team we are.

We have been very good in some games, but very poor in others - rarely has there been any middle ground.

We keep playing long balls up to Igor Thiago who, for all his many qualities, is not the best at getting on the end of these and we don't get many crosses into the penalty area.

For a team managed - as everyone keeps reminding us - by last season's set-piece coach, we have been pretty ineffective at set-pieces.

Ignoring penalties, we have scored from just three in the Premier League - all long throws - with only bottom-placed Wolves netting from fewer.

It means that we have failed to get a goal from a single free-kick or corner all season - in fact we didn't even win a corner in the Leeds game.

Meanwhile our terrible away form faces a real test this week with trips to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and then Wolves in the league.

I would love to see us win a cup - I really would - but I guess that we won't go full-strength at City given the recent league form.

Wolves on paper looks easy - but many of us Bees fans fear the worst as we've seen our side lose many similar games over the years.

We must remember the overall picture though - seven points clear of danger and only five points off fifth place give plenty of cause for satisfaction in this transition season.

Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

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In Sunday's 1-1 draw at Brentford, the VAR review took three minutes and resulted in Brentford's penalty against Leeds being overturned.

Referee John Brooks pointed to the spot, ruling that Dango Ouattara was pulled back by Gabriel Gudmundsson. Eventually the penalty was cancelled as Ouattara was offside.

But did the foul come before the offside?

The Ifab law states: a player in an offside position is moving towards the ball with the intention of playing the ball and is fouled before playing or attempting to play the ball, or challenging an opponent for the ball, the foul is penalised as it has occurred before the offside offence.

We have seen this a few times in recent seasons.

Most notably in March 2019, just before VAR came into the Premier League, an offside Harry Kane was pushed over by Arsenal's Shkodran Mustafi as a ball was delivered into the area. A penalty was awarded.

In February 2024, Newcastle were given a penalty on VAR review against Bournemouth. Fabian Schar was ahead of the last defender but had not committed an offside offence before he was pulled back by Adam Smith.

On Sunday, Ouattara was running towards the flight of the ball. Like Kane, you can make a case that he did not do anything to make him actively offside prior to the foul.

However, fans struggle to get on board with these situations where an offside player effectively benefits from being in that position.

It is why there was controversy over Arsenal's first goal against Wolves. That came from a corner which was awarded despite Bukayo Saka being offside.

When Toti Gomes headed the ball behind, Saka had not committed any kind of offside offence. The Arsenal player was running forwards but did not challenge Gomes or try to play the ball.

Yet Wolves would argue that Toti only attempted the header because Saka was behind him.

Gudmundsson's challenge was incredibly soft, however, and it should have led to a VAR review to be overturned if Ouattara was onside. But the evidence suggests this would not have happened.

Usually, the VAR will check the subjective element, in this case the foul. If there is to be a review the referee would be sent to the screen. While he is running over the VAR checks for any offside.

As the referee was not told to go to the monitor it indicates the foul had been cleared by the VAR, Michael Salisbury.

Leeds were denied their own penalty claim at the start of the second half when Nathan Collins tugged back Dominic Calvert-Lewin. It was a much clearer claim than the foul given against Gudmundsson.

There was probably not quite enough in it for a VAR penalty, but it certainly would not have been overturned had it been given.

We asked for your views on Sunday's Premier League game between Brentford and Leeds.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Graham: Very poor performance - lots of players look out of their depth and lots of finger pointing and blame. Not a team playing for each other, and the substitutions were negative. I think our manager has peaked and I'm worried for the rest of the season.

Mark: What a disjointed performance. Probably the worst game so far this season, despite getting a draw. Too many mistakes, gifting the ball to the opposition. Why Damsgaard didn't start is a mystery. He made the difference which resulted in the goal. We need to up our game if we want to avoid a scrappy, relegation-avoiding second half of the season.

Jen: Oh, Brentford. Need to have some good transfer business in January. Keith needs to make some positive substitutions. Keep going forward, not sideways and then backwards - and players need confidence. Take some chances, Bees! You can score!

Nicholas: Disappointing result after taking the lead. I don't understand why Andrews shut up shop by going with five at the back. Important not to lose but his ability to change things positively is a big concern. Huge game coming up at Wolves.

Leeds fans

Dan: I really thought this would be the proper test to see if we really have turned a corner after the previous three results. We have a miserable away record against London teams so to go toe to toe with an established team like Brentford and earn a decent draw was evidence enough that we really have turned that corner.

Omar: A point at Brentford is a great result and a fair reflection of the game. Tough team and tough venue. Delighted to see Calvert-Lewin continuing to prove doubters wrong. It was a beautifully taken header - he hung in the air like Michael Jordan! Hopefully this combination of grit and intensity will see us finish in the 'top 17'.

Thomas: I genuinely think Brentford had their mind on the cup match against Manchester City in the week. Leeds really should have taken advantage as they are very strong at home. Several players - Tanaka, Okafor and Calvert-Lewin - weren't at their best. Gnonto did well again as a substitute, so hopefully he can get a few games under his belt over the hectic Christmas period and show what he can do.

Robert: Leeds were the better side in the second half - good spirit and belief. Farke made good subs again. DCL worked very hard again and deserved his goal. Stach, Ampadu and Gudmundsson were great. Pleased with a point but felt three were there for the taking.

Pundits Joe Hart and Theo Walcott and Joe Hart join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Sunderland 1-0 Newcastle

• Crystal Palace 0-3 Manchester City

• Brentford 1-1 Leeds

Tottenham, Aston Villa and West Ham are all showing interest in Brentford's 24-year-old Brazilian striker Igor Thiago. (Caught Offside), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Bobbie Jackson
BBC Sport Journalist

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Following successive defeats at Arsenal and Tottenham, boss Keith Andrews made four changes to his starting line-up in the hope of getting back on track at fortress Gtech.

Brentford have picked up 17 of their 20 points this term on home soil - only Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Sunderland have enjoyed greater success on their own patch.

Keane Lewis-Potter's snap shot was their only attacking moment of note in the first half after VAR had denied the Bees a chance to score from the penalty spot.

They eventually got the breakthrough when Henderson's low effort struck visiting defender Jaka Bijol on its way to the net.

At 35 years and 180 days, he became Brentford's oldest ever Premier League scorer and marked it with a celebration tribute to former Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash, along with his brother Andre Silva, in July.

But Andrews' side were unable to build momentum and guilty of letting Leeds' talisman Calvert-Lewin rise to head in the equaliser from Wilfried Gnonto's cross.

It is just the second time this season Brentford have dropped points at home - also doing so against Manchester City.

Brentford boss Keith Andrews, speaking to BBC MOTD: "To concede pretty late after making some changes to manage the game a little bit but I have to say overall it was probably a fair result. They had a particularly good second half, I thought we controlled a lot of the first half in that they had a couple moments but we controlled it. Then in the second half, the momentum shifted a little bit in their way, we scored and it was disappointing we couldn't see it out."

On being cautious in the game: "The table doesn't lie. We faced a Leeds team who are a pretty different prospect to a team from three weeks ago, the results they've had against the big teams and the performances they've probably deserved them. We knew it was going to be very difficult, they've changed the system and the way they play so we were always very respectful but I like I said, overall I think it was probably a fair result."

On Jordan Henderson and his goal: "He played a slightly different role today slightly more advanced, I gave him the opportunity to get forward more. He finished it reasonably well with the help of a little nick."

On defending the Dominic Calvert-Lewin goal: "Always disappointing. Calvert-Lewin doesn't really need much in terms of what he's about. We knew his big strengths, everyone in our dressing room knew his strengths - so it's stopping crosses beating him and in that scenario we didn't do that."

Did you know?

• Brentford have dropped 13 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, more than any other side. Five of those points have been dropped against newly promoted sides (3 v Sunderland, 2 today v Leeds United).

• Jordan Henderson (35y 180d) became Brentford's oldest ever Premier League goalscorer, netting his first goal in the competition since December 2021 for Liverpool against Everton.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brentford's performance

What did you make of Leeds' display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Keith Andrews makes four changes to his starting lineup as Brentford look to avoid a third successive defeat.

Kevin Schade misses out through suspension with Yehor Yarmolyuk, Mikel Damsgaard and Kristoffer Ajer dropping to the bench.

Aaron Hickey, Mathias Jensen, Keane Lewis-Potter and Vitaly Janelt come in.

Brentford XI: Kelleher, Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Hickey, Henderson, Jensen, Lewis-Potter, Ouattara, Janelt, Thiago.

Subs: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Onyeka, Yamolyuk, Ajer, Damsgaard, Peart-Harris, Donovan.

Daniel Farke sticks with the 3-5-2 formation that has been integral to Leeds' recent upturn in form.

He makes just one change from the 3-3 draw against Liverpool with Ao Tanaka replacing Ilia Gruev.

Leeds XI: Perri, Rodon, Bijol, Struijk, Bogle, Stach, Amapdu, Tanaka, Gudmundsson, Okafor, Calvert-Lewin.

Subs: Darlow, Piroe, Aaronson, Harrison, Bornauw, Justin, Byram Gnonto, Gruev.

There are five games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will be bringing you every moment.

• Crystal Palace v Manchester City - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Nottingham Forest v Tottenham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Sunderland v Newcastle United - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• West Ham United v Aston Villa - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Brentford v Leeds United (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Crystal Palace v Man City" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Sunderland v Newcastle", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

This is another big game at the bottom of the table.

I am so pleased for Leeds boss Daniel Farke because I was fed up with the rubbish being talked about how he cannot manage in the Premier League.

Leeds have had a tough run of games against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool and it felt like there were people out there who were waiting and even wishing for Farke to fail, so he would be sacked.

I am delighted that it has turned out very differently. The performances, the guts, and the quality that Leeds have shown has been brilliant, even in defeat at City, and against Chelsea and Liverpool they have picked up points too.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin's goals have made the difference, and they will go into this game full of belief, and thinking they have got a real chance.

Brentford are still favourites, though, because their home form is so good - with five wins, a draw and just one defeat under Keith Andrews so far.

The Bees were pretty limp when they went to Spurs last week but on their own patch it is a different story. They have won their past three games there, against Liverpool, Newcastle and Burnley so, like Leeds, they will be full of confidence.

I remember Farke's last game as Norwich manager in November 2021, when his team beat Brentford but he was sacked a few hours later. This time, I am backing Brentford to win, but Farke's future should not be in doubt.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Henry Cowling
BBC Sport journalist

Mid-table Brentford face a resurgent Leeds side, who have won four points in their past two matches against Chelsea and Liverpool. BBC Sport looks at some of the key themes ahead of Sunday's match.

Brentford have won just one of their four Premier League games against Leeds and will be looking to avoid three straight defeats in the Premier League for the first time since February 2024, after losses to Arsenal and Tottenham.

Bees lack varied goal source

It was more away day pain for Keith Andrews' side last week in north London as they gave a toothless display at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Bees had just four shots in the match, with one on target and a measly xG of 0.29.

While their mid-table figure of 21 Premier League goals for the season doesn't ring immediate alarm bells, the spread of those goals may be a cause of concern. Striker Igor Thiago has scored over half - and five of his 11 have been from the penalty spot.

Record signing Dango Ouattara has won four of those penalties, more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues. This game will be Ouattara's last appearance before leaving to represent Burkina Faso at the Africa Cup of Nations. Brentford will need the likes of Mikel Damsgaard and Kevin Schade to fill this creative void. As it stands, veteran midfielder Jordan Henderson leads the way at the club for Premier League assists, with three.

Farke finds joy in new system

Leeds had lost four straight Premier League games going into their midweek fixture against Chelsea last week, using a 4-3-3 formation. But for the second half against Manchester City in the final fixture of those four defeats, Farke deviated from his usual four at the back to try a 3-5-2.

Despite being pipped 3-2 by Pep Guardiola's side, the performance was encouraging and Farke has since started his side in a 3-5-2 in subsequent fixtures against Chelsea and Liverpool.

The results have been stark, with four points from two matches against established heavyweight sides and three goals scored in each. It is as many times as Leeds had scored three in the Premier League across their previous 37 games.

Brentford have had mixed fortunes facing the formation. They have won just twice in the seven games they have played in the Premier League against sides using a 3-5-2.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Brentford boss Keith Andrews has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Leeds United at Gtech Community Stadium (kick-off 16:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Andrews said it was "probably" the final fixture for Dango Ouattara and Frank Onyeka before they report for Africa Cup of Nations duty.

• Meanwhile, Reiss Nelson is "doing pretty well" after picking up a knock and could be in contention to be involved on Sunday.

• On his plans for the weekend with Kevin Schade suspended: "That's football. Players will sometimes have be patient, will sometimes be frustrated with lack of minutes. You need a squad that competes on a daily basis to set the environment that's needed to play with an edge. I think we do that pretty well. There are going to be opportunities for lots of players over the coming weeks."

• He said the response from his players to defeat by Tottenham last time out has "unsurprisingly been a good one" because they have "a good group who are humble, who want to do well".

• He added: "They look in the mirror when things have not gone well and not elsewhere. The reaction has been positive."

• On only the top three teams picking up more points at home than the Bees: "I just think there is a special energy in the stadium. The connection between players and fans is pretty special really. We feed off that a little bit. Make life uncomfortable for the opposition."

• On injuries and Afcon leaving them short in attacking areas: "That does leave a void in the squad with really talented players [missing]. Stretches the squad in certain areas but opens up opportunities for other players. Gustavo [Nunes] and Romelle [Donovan] have been training really well, played well for the B-team and are building robustness and fitness levels. Romelle particularly has been learning what we do here and how we do it."

• Andrews insisted that striker Igor Thiago deserves "a lot of credit" for the amount of goals he scores from close range as a lot of "work behind the scenes has been very diligent on his movement and role". He added the Brazilian also "just has a knack for it".

• Finally, Andrews praised Leeds for being "very resilient" in their recent games: "Shown lots of character recently - in results and performances. They have alternated between two systems. We'll prepare for both of those and what they throw at us."

Listen to full BBC Radio 5 Live commentary of Brentford v Leeds United from 16:30 GMT on Sunday on BBC Sounds

Ian Westbrook
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

What a disappointing week in north London for Brentford with back-to-back 2-0 defeats.

Keith Andrews' apparent gamble with the line-up at Arsenal on Wednesday - leaving out our four best players so that, we assumed, they were fresh for the more winnable game at Tottenham certainly did not pay off.

While any team we put out at Emirates Stadium was likely to get beaten - seemingly Andrews' thinking - at least on the night we put in a gutsy performance and kept the game alive until stoppage time.

By contrast, our display in the Thomas Frank derby on Saturday was terrible - one of the worst of the season along with those at Nottingham Forest and Fulham.

We made Spurs look like Barcelona, generously giving them the ball and offering nothing in response, apart from one decent Igor Thiago shot.

Caoimhin Kelleher being my man of the match in both games tells you everything.

The difference between our home and away form is still strange, as we have the fourth best home record but fourth worst away record in the Premier League.

However, it seems to come down to chance creation.

Looking at our match stats, our XG from open play in our past four away games has been terrible - Crystal Palace (0.24), Brighton (0.13), Arsenal (0.07), Spurs (0.27).

We only had six shots at Palace, 10 at Brighton, six at Arsenal and four at Spurs, whereas we have had nine or more shots in five of our seven home matches.

With four of our next six fixtures at home, we must hope our form at Gtech Community Stadium continues - although facing resurgent Leeds next looks tricky, especially as Daniel Farke has only lost one of his eight games against us.

Bournemouth, the return with Spurs and Sunderland are the other home games, while we travel to Wolves and Everton.

Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

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The FA Cup third round will take place between Thursday, 8 January and Monday, 12 January.

Find out who your Premier League club will play below.

• Wolves v Shrewsbury Town

• Tottenham v Aston Villa

• Wrexham v Nottingham Forest

• Charlton Athletic v Chelsea

• Manchester City v Exeter City

• West Ham v Queens Park Rangers

• Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford

• Fulham v Middlesbrough

• Everton v Sunderland

• Liverpool v Barnsley

• Burnley v Millwall

• Portsmouth v Arsenal

• Derby County v Leeds United

• Newcastle v Bournemouth

• Macclesfield v Crystal Palace

• Manchester United v Brighton

See full draw here

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The draw for the third round of the FA Cup will take place on Monday, 8 December at around 18:40 GMT, before the broadcast of Brackley Town v Burton Albion - the final game of the Second Round.

Former England internationals Joe Cole and Peter Crouch will conduct the draw that will consist of 64 teams on TNT Sports.

The 20 winners of the second-round ties will be joined by all 20 Premier League clubs and 24 Championship teams in the third round.

All matches will be played around the weekend commencing Saturday, 10 January 2026.

Unlike in previous years, there are no replays if matches end as a draw. All ties will go to extra-time and if necessary, a penalty shootout.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Tottenham and Brentford.

Here are some of your comments:

Tottenham fans

Ben: A brilliant performance from us, finally getting another win at home. Every player put in the work, forcing mistakes from Brentford with Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons especially really going for it. However, we very much could have won it much earlier in the game if not for a few misses. Other than that, a perfect performance.

Andy: At last Thomas Frank climbs out of his mid-table mindset and adopts the 'we'll let them worry about us' style of football. Hey presto, it resulted in our first shot on target in the first half for five games... and it was a goal! I could get behind a front three of Kudus, Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani, with Simons in the number 10 role. Onwards and upwards, with fingers crossed.

Steven: Finally it looked like it's clicking. Consistency is now required plus true backing for Frank to get the players used to his systems, then we can have hope. There's still a way to go until we can say 'to dare is to do' again, but a most welcome step required.

Pablo: That is how we want to play. Front foot, attacking and swagger. That is Tottenham. Great to see this through the whole squad.

Brentford fans

George: Thomas Frank knows us inside and out but, given that none of our players were recognisable as themselves, it played little part in the result. Even after rotating our squad around for the Arsenal game, we didn't have the legs and willpower to finally take our great home form on the road, even against a team that has had totally opposite fortunes in their own stadium.

Peter: Keith Andrews is going to get found out. He speaks a good game but he sets his teams up in a self-defeating format and he doesn't have Frank's ability to change things around. We are in for long and tough season and I don't think he will be here at the end.

Russell: Poor throughout. If there isn't a big improvement in the next two games - against Leeds and Wolves - we will be in the throes of a relegation battle.

Neel: Poorest performance of the season. We were out-thought and out-fought by Tottenham.

Ben Mundy
Final Score reporter

Image source, Getty Images

At one point during Saturday's Final Score programme, I referenced Keith Andrews jumping up and down in his technical area like Basil Fawlty.

Just like the main character of the iconic British sitcom, the Brentford man was overseeing a dysfunctional performance at Spurs.

The Bees were outclassed in every department as they succumbed to a second defeat in north London in four days.

Igor Thiago cut a solitary figure in the first half as the visitors struggled to support their main man. And while they closed the gaps between the lines in the second period, the damage had already been inflicted.

At times, Brentford's defence resembled a collection of Manuels. Full of mistakes. Unsure of how to cope with pacy Spurs players.

Not quite the time to hit a broken-down car with a tree branch, but this performance will ring alarm bells for Andrews. He will expect a reaction against Leeds on Sunday.

Pundits Danny Murphy and Don Dublin join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea

• Tottenham 2-0 Brentford

• Leeds 3-3 Liverpool

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford will have entered this game with optimism high that they could secure only their second away win in the league this season.

Tottenham's confidence was fragile and the atmosphere inside the stadium had been laced with hostility towards their own players, with Thomas Frank describing those who jeered goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario after his mistake in the loss against Fulham as "not true supporters".

The scene seemed set for Brentford to increase the anxiety. Instead, they delivered a tame display that allowed Spurs to ease to victory.

Vicario had to only make one meaningful stop from Igor Thiago with the score at 0-0, with Brentford offering little once Tottenham went in front.

Manager Keith Andrews has shown he can get big performances from Brentford's players this season, which made this subdued effort such a disappointment.