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66 min: Brentford on the front foot. Wissa hits a deflected cross first-time, looking for a spectacular half-volley in the top corner, but it flies over.
65 min: “Absolutely delighted to read of your disbelief that Ben Mee does not play for Burnley any more,” emails Steve Claridge (not that one). “I showed your post to my daughter who has been struggling badly to comprehend the Mee/Brentford situation. She has taken some comfort that others share her bewilderment.”
63 min: The Cherries win another corner but they fluff it again in bizarre fashion. It’s pumped long towards Stacey on the edge of the box. He’s in position to meet it but seems to think a teammate is behind him, and opts to leave it. Then he has to chase back and extinguish the chance of a Brentford counter. Odd.
Set pieces, as Graham Taylor once said, win and lose you games. You ignore them at your peril.
59 min: Brentford win another corner. They play it short and mess around with it for a while just outside the penalty area. Eventually and somewhat surprisingly, this approach pays off, and Nørgaard has a chance to try a side-footed curler from a tight angle after bursting into the box. The shot is straight at Neto who makes a low save.
57 min: Billing’s quality on the ball has looked a class apart for Bournemouth but they still cannot find a cutting edge. He is involved again as they knock the ball around nicely for a sustained spell in Brentford’s half, and eventually Stacey is released on the right, cutting into the penalty area and crossing low towards the near post. It’s a very poor ball though and Raya is able to dive on it and snuff out the danger.
53 min: Jensen and Anthony of Bournemouth have a little coming together out near the touchline. Anthony goes down in a heap. Jensen stands over him and tells him exactly what he thinks of him. The crowd wails. That did look like a dive/over-reaction by Anthony, although presumably not an attempt at time wasting, in view of the fact that Brentford are losing.
48 min: Bournemouth get the corner wrong. They need to capitalise on those moments if they are going to get something from this.
Frank had a chat with Sky Sports at half-time, by the way, and admitted that Brentford had struggled to impose themselves but that “it’s never easy in the Premier League”. He also said they had not showed the coolness he’d hoped for.
At the conclusion of quick interview, he advises the Sky Sports reporter to “take care”, which seems a bit unnecessary as all being well, they’ll be speaking to each other again in an hour or so. Nice, though, all the same.
47 min: Moore takes another bash in trying to get Bournemouth on the move. They win a free-kick near halfway, then a corner.
Second-half kick off!
We go again.
“Just goes to show how people seeing the same incident can have markedly different perspectives,” emails Alex. “The replay showed me that Toney was completely in control, and used Senesi’s arm to pull him around like a rubber ducky. Senesi’s other arm did come around Toney after, when Toney dove, but I didn’t see any evidence of anything other than the lightest contact. Who’d want to be a ref, eh?”
Having watched more replays I think you’re spot on. Toney initiated the contact and was very clever. I first thought it was robust, Argentinian-style defending from Senesi but I think when the referee watches it back, he will conclude he got it wrong. (Like I did.)
Sky Sports have a word with Christian Nørgaard, the Brentford captain, for a quick interview as he walks for the tunnel (a first for their coverage, Kelly Cates tells us afterwards).
Will the manager Thomas Frank be happy, he is asked? “I’d like to think so,” he replies. “Let’s see when we get in there.”
Half-time reading:
45 min + 4: There is still time for another Brentford corner. It’s hit from the Bees’ right. Senesi and Pinnock end up having a bit of a wrestle near the corner flag on the other side of the pitch … and the referee soon blows up for half-time.
It looks like this match is going to go to form, unless Bournemouth can do something unexpected in the second half.
45 min + 2: Brentford lose it in midfield and Billing cracks a powerful low shot from just outside the area for Bournemouth. Raya gets right behind it, executing a good diving save.
45 min: There will be four minutes added on at the end of the first half.
43 min: The Cherries are struggling to break out now. Dasilva hits a shot from distance but skews it wide.
Sky Sports replay the penalty incident. There is a bit of pushing from both players, but Senesi can’t have many complaints. If anything it looks like he would have got away which an initial shove, which unbalanced Toney and may well have ended the danger while attracting no punishment. But he kept grappling, and that probably gave the referee no choice but to award the penalty.
41 min: Toney has another sight of goal, from open play, and belts a right-footed shot over from an angle. It flirts with the near top corner after Toney hits a bouncing ball, but narrowly misses the target.
Goal! 39 min: Brentford 1-0 Bournemouth (Toney pen)
The forward clips a classy penalty into the top corner after a short, two-step approach. Toney has scored nine Premier League penalties out of nine. Brentford hadn’t threatened much up until that point, but the visitors have it all to do now.
Penalty to Brentford!
Toney sprints through into the penalty area after a straight ball over the top and is yanked down by the Argentinian Senesi. The referee, Jarred Gillet, has a think and then points to the spot. Neto is booked before Toney takes the penalty for attempting to put off the Bees forward.
33 min: Cook has hit the deck once again following that challenge with Jensen. He is going to come off, so there was no gamesmanship involved when he initially went down. Ben Pearson comes on for the visitors. There are boos when Cook goes off – again the home fans seem to suspect something fishy is going on. That’s a reflection of how effectively Bournemouth have contained Brentford’s threat with 10 minutes or so until half-time.
30 min: Cook and Jensen crash into a good, old-fashioned 50-50 near halfway. Cook comes off worse and needs treatment. This is all very stop-start, but you sense that’s exactly what Bournemouth want. They are trying to prevent Brentford building the kind of strong momentum they are so often capable of, especially playing at home.
28 min: There is some pushing and shoving on the touchline after a bit of a flashpoint on the pitch, with Pinnock fouled in an advanced area. Now there’s a TV replay of Moore, of Bournemouth, taking a bang on the head from Mepham, his teammate, as they both challenged for that previous corner. Moore needs a plaster behind his ear but he is OK.
25 min: Out on the pitch, Brentford win another corner. Ben Mee, who I refuse to believe plays for anyone except Burnley, helped to win it.
24 min: “I’m no defender of meddling billionaires,” emails Joe Pearson. “But it is worth noting that the Las Vegas Golden Knights made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals in their inaugural season. Absolutely unprecedented! Have no idea if his approach will work in the Premier League, but he’s definitely got priors.”
That’s very interesting, thanks.
20 min: Now Bournemouth break into lots of space after Brentford lose it in their own half. Billing hangs a cross up for Moore at the far post, left to right, and the Wales international heads it goalwards. But his effort loops slowly on to the roof of the net.
Bournemouth haven’t exactly ripped Brentford asunder at any stage, but they are showing enough threat to keep the home defenders honest.
18 min: Jensen gets it launched again, with a throw, this time from the Brentford right. Mepham goes down heavily after appearing to get a bang on the head while challenging with Toney for an aerial ball. There’s a stoppage and Mepham trudges off holding the back of his head. My guess is he will be back … and indeed he comes straight back on. Brentford fans boo because they clearly suspect skullduggery in how that promising attack was brought to an end, via a head injury that the referee had to stop play for.
16 min: Jensen launches a long throw into the mixer from the Brentford left. Stacey climbs to head it out for a corner and again, Bournemouth stay strong at the set-piece, instantly clearing it and threatening to counterattack themselves.
13 min: A delightful first touch comes from Philip Billing for Bournemouth on their left wing, killing a looping ball over the top instantly. The Cherries keep possession, work the ball over to the opposite side, playing out from the back, and build down their left wing, but the ultimate result is a goal kick for Brentford.
10 min: The tempo is good and both teams are looking to get the ball on the deck and play. But so is the defensive discipline from both, neither side has fashioned a big chance in what’s been a bright opening. The pitch doesn’t look in great nick, with big patches of soil visible down the middle, but neither does it look overly wet.
8 min: A fine angled ball by Cook finds Moore near halfway, and he turns and hits a good pass of his own into lots of space out to the Bournemouth right. A corner is the result. But Brentford clear their lines.
6 min: After the first couple of minutes when Brentford came flying out of the traps (as Frank promised they would), Bournemouth have settled into this and are now enjoying a little territory and possession. No clear chances as yet.
4 min: The home team are playing in their familiar red and white striped jerseys with black shorts. The visitors are in a rather more unfamiliar two-tone light blue and purple strip with white socks.
2 min: The hosts begin on the front foot. Mathias Jensen tries to loft a ball in from the Bees’ right but Brentford clear it. Josh Dasilva then hares down the left wing and Brentford win the first corner of the night after his cross is blocked. They look dangerous immediately. From the set-piece, Janelt shoots harmlessly wide from the edge of the penalty area.
First half kick off!
Let’s go.
Sky Sports are experimenting with some ‘extra access’ tonight. They filmed the referee’s pre-match chat with the managers and they also had a chest-cam on Vitaly Janelt of Brentford during the warm-up.
Brentford would move above Liverpool, into eighth in the Premier League, with three points tonight.
Bournemouth are on 16 points, a single point above the three sides that occupy the bottom three places: West Ham, Everton and Southampton. A victory, indeed any kind of positive result, would gynormous for them after the terrible run they’ve been on, and in context of the form that Brentford are in.
Five minutes or so until kick-off in south west London.
You’ve got time for a quick read of these match reports:
Having spoken to Brentford’s Frank, the ever-brilliant Cates goes and has a word with Gary O’Neil, the Bournemouth manager. Is he encouraged by other results today, for the teams around them in the Premier League table?
“I don’t look at the other results,” O’Neil replies, displaying a straight bat. “My full focus is on what’s happening here … we need to improve, we need to pick up points … we’re not worried about other teams.”
“Big boost [to have Neto back in goal] … he’s worked hard to get back ahead of schedule.
“Kieffer [Moore, up front] has got different strengths [to the injured Dominic Solanke] … the injuries we’ve had have been to big players … it’s tricky when you’re newly promoted. But the boys are in a good place. We’ll give a good account of ourselves this evening.
“There’s going to be tough spells in there [across the season] … [but] the next game’s coming and it’s an opportunity to put points on the board.”
“Brentford are a good side. They are direct. They ask you a lot of questions … the boys are ready to stand up to it.”
On Sky Sports, Kelly Cates has a chat with Thomas Frank: “Very nice [to have Ivan Toney back]. Ivan is a key player for us. He’s done so well in general … his goals of course but also his presence, his leadership … it’s always nice to have the best players on the pitch.
“Rico [Henry] has a minor calf strain, hopefully he’s only going to miss this game.”
Will they be playing 4-3-3? “We’ve been successful in the 3-5-2, so we will try to stick to that … of course we like to have the flexibility in general.
“I’m a positive person … of course we want to beat every team.
“We will come flying out. We will be aggressive, we will be cool, we will be brave and hopefully we can get three points.”
Rob Smyth continues to clockwatch the bejesus out of all those 3pms in the Premier League, Championship and Football League:
Full-time scores in the Premier League:
Brighton 3-0 Liverpool (!!)
Everton 1-2 Southampton
Nottingham Forest 2-0 Leicester
Wolves 1-0 West Ham
Everton have lost to Southampton, 2-1, and they are now in the bottom three. The club’s board members including Bill Kenwright stayed away today due to a ‘credible threat to their safety’. They are really in a horrible state.
You can email me or tweet @LukeMcLaughlin if you have anything interesting to contribute. In truth, you could do it even if you don’t.
Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City was the score in a captivating derby earlier today. Reaction, analysis from Jonathan Wilson and Jamie Jackson’s report are all here:
Team news
Brentford’s Rico Henry has been ruled out this evening with a calf strain but Ivan Toney is back having missed two matches with a knee injury, and starts up front alongside Yoane Wissa and Josh Dasilva in what I think will be a 4-3-3 formation.
For Bournemouth, the Brazilian Neto returns in goal ahead of schedule, after a hamstring injury, but Brooks (thigh), Fredericks (illness), Stanislas (knock), Tavernier (hamstring) are all out. Kieffer Moore will play up top.
As it stands Brighton lead Liverpool 2-0, Everton and Saints are locked at 1-1, Forest are leading Leicester 1-0 and Wolves also lead West Ham 1-0. Follow the conclusion of the Premier League’s 3pm kick-offs with Rob Smyth, right here:
Preamble
Bournemouth recently being bought by a Las Vegas-based businessman, Bill Foley, invites any number of gambling-themed similes. Foley may fear he failed to hit the jackpot with his recent investment: since he took control of the club from Maxim Demin last month, the Cherries have lost five consecutive games in all competitions, conceding 12 goals on the way. A costly run of bad beats. Foley also founded the NHL team Las Vegas Golden Knights – much more of this and 16th-placed Bournemouth will be skating on increasingly thin ice in the battle to avoid relegation.
Early days, though, and while Thomas Frank’s ninth-placed Brentford are in excellent form, Bournemouth also face upcoming fixtures against the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Newcastle. If Gary O’Neil’s men are going to avoid five months of trapdoor-related anxiety, this is the kind of fixture they must go all-in on winning.
It will be tough. The Bees are unbeaten in six, with only four defeats in the league thus far, and have realistic ambitions of an assault on the European qualification places. “We will move forward with an ‘always advance, never retreat’ approach that has defined all of my endeavours,” Foley said when he arrived. As seasoned poker players say, you should always raise or fold: never call. Could Bournemouth make their hand on, or certainly near, the river?
Kick-off: 5.30pm
English (US)