Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
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Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the sides and condemned Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With Toney watching from the stands after leaving Brentford to join Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period, and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara grabbed a consolation goal in stoppage time for Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom with zero points.
How the match unfolded
Southampton's new signing, goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, was called into action just a minute into his debut, coming off his line quickly to stop Mikkel Damsgaard giving the home side a dream start.
His opposite number Mark Flekken was also busy early on, saving Kyle Walker-Peters’ effort from a tight angle, before Joe Aribo looped a header onto the crossbar from the resulting corner.
Wissa had a superb chance later in the first half but miscued his chip over the onrushing Ramsdale, and the visitors were then able to clear their lines.
The home side suffered a blow towards the end of the half, with Kristoffer Ajer being forced off through injury.
But the deadlock was broken in the 43rd minute. Saints defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis was dispossessed in a perilous position and, when a stinging low shot from Kevin Schade smacked the post, Mbeumo made no mistake on the rebound.
Southampton could have equalised straight away through Adam Armstrong, but he fluffed his volley from close range with the goal at his mercy.
Schade had an opportunity to double Brentford’s lead but couldn’t generate enough power on his header after a fabulous curling cross from the right by Mbeumo.
The Cameroon international then doubled his and his side’s advantage in the 65th minute, finishing off a quick Bees move after the Southampton backline were once again dispossessed deep in their own half.
Wissa got in on the act moments later, bundling home after Ramsdale struggled to claw out a looping header from a long throw.
The home side could have added even further gloss to the scoreline, but last-ditch Saints defending denied Wissa from further adding to his account.
In stoppage time Southampton scored their first goal since their return to the top flight, with Sugawara finding the net with a neat effort that went in via the post.
Bees continue solid start as post-Toney era begins
Thomas Frank will be delighted with the vibrancy of his side’s display, with Brentford now having recorded two wins out of three. The Dane can also now look ahead to a new era without Toney.
He will be a big loss, but Brentford proved they still have firepower up front in the form of Wissa and Mbeumo. As shown this afternoon, the pair can cause problems for any defence in the division.
They dovetailed devastatingly this afternoon, with Mbeumo bagging two goals for himself to take his total to three already for the season. Wissa, meanwhile, is also on two league goals in three games.
One blot on today’s result will be the injury to Ajer, who has been such a crucial component of the side since his move from Celtic three years ago.
Nevertheless, Frank will be delighted by his side’s first three performances of the new season and six points secured, with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium their next opponents.
Defensive errors cost Saints
Southampton manager Martin will be disappointed with the manner in which his side conceded the goals, which led them to another defeat.
The scoreline suggests the away side were outplayed, but there were encouraging signs in the first half. Southampton enjoyed spells of decent possession and Walker-Peters went close after a good move down the right, while Aribo also hit the crossbar from a corner.
Nevertheless, the nature of the first two goals will be of concern to Martin, with Harwood-Bellis and Jack Stephens both struggling to deal with Brentford’s press for the first two goals.
There was also a lack of potency going forward, with Armstrong and Ben Brereton Diaz both isolated up front and wanting to drop deep to collect the ball. That allowed Brentford’s backline to squeeze up and force the away side into errors in precarious areas of the pitch, which ultimately contributed to the result being as comfortable as it was in the end.
Martin’s side must regroup after the international break, with Southampton next at home to Manchester United.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
11 | +15 | 28 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
11 | +9 | 23 |
| 3 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
11 | +8 | 19 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
11 | +6 | 19 |
| 5 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
11 | +5 | 19 |
| 6 |
Brighton
BHA
|
11 | +4 | 19 |
Club reports
Brentford report | Southampton report
What the managers said:
Thomas Frank: "They made errors because we pressed them unbelievably well. I think we are one of the best teams to do the high pressure in the Premier League, in my opinion. the players are so committed and that is the reason why we capitalised on errors from Southampton. It's up to us to take the chances. I still think we missed some big chances."
Russell Martin: "We made two mistakes that we were punished for, which is frustrating and disappointing. The details and structure of the team are not right. The players are doing what I've asked but the positions are not right. You get punished in the Premier League."
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Brentford have won each of their last eight Premier League home games against promoted sides by an aggregate score of 20-6.
Southampton have lost their first three games in a Premier League season for a record sixth time, also doing so in 1993-94, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2001-02 and 2012-13 – they’ve avoided relegation on each of the previous five occasions.
Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa became the first players to score in both of Brentford’s first two home games in a league season since Ollie Watkins and Neal Maupay both did so in 2018-19.
Southampton’s Ben Brereton Diaz has now played 17 Premier League games without ever being on the winning side (D4 L13), the joint-most of any player in the competition’s history (Marvin Sordell also 17).