Manchester City missed the chance to move up in the Premier League table after they let a 2-0 lead slip in Tuesday night's 2-2 draw at Brentford.
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Phil Foden, who was the hat-trick hero when the sides met at the Gtech Community Stadium last season, struck twice in the second half to put Pep Guardiola’s side on course for a third consecutive Premier League win and fourth in all competitions.
However, Brentford refused to lie down and Yoane Wissa pulled a goal back in the 82nd minute to set up a grandstand finish.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Christian Norgaard headed in Keane Lewis-Potter’s cross to snatch a share of the spoils for Thomas Frank’s side.
Man City sit sixth in the table, having failed to capitalise on Newcastle United not playing until Wednesday, while Brentford moved up to 10th following their dramatic fightback.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
21 | +15 | 37 |
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
20 | +12 | 35 |
| 6 |
Man City
MCI
|
21 | +9 | 35 |
| 7 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
21 | +7 | 34 |
| 8 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
20 | -2 | 32 |
| 9 |
Fulham
FUL
|
21 | +2 | 30 |
| 10 |
Brentford
BRE
|
21 | +3 | 28 |
How the match unfolded
Despite City’s bright start, Brentford went closest to breaking the deadlock, with Stefan Ortega getting down well to push away Bryan Mbeumo’s low drive.
Both sides went close after the break - Savinho struck the post following a swift counter, while Josko Gvardiol made a superb last-ditch intervention to deny Wissa.
In the 65th minute, Damsgaard was thwarted by the offside flag, and, within 60 seconds, City were in front as Foden brilliantly cushioned Kevin De Bruyne’s fierce cross beyond goalkeeper Mark Flekken.
Nathan Ake’s superb goalline block then denied Wissa an immediate response before City doubled their lead. Savinho robbed Mads Roerslev of possession before Flekken parried his fierce strike to Foden, who made no mistake from close range.
The Bees halved the deficit as Roerslev kept a deep cross alive by cushioning the ball into the six-yard box for Wissa to neatly tuck beyond Ortega.
City struggled to hold out for the win, with Norgaard then getting in front of his defender to flick a header past a scrambling Ortega. The hosts also came within inches of winning the game, but Ake cleared Mbeumo’s last-second drive off the line.
Wissa landmark strike launches Bees fightback
Brentford found themselves in increasingly unfamiliar territory. Having only recently been unbeaten at the Gtech Community Stadium all season, they welcomed the defending Premier League champions having lost their last three matches in all competitions on home soil.
Nevertheless, the Bees more than held their own against Guardiola’s resurgent side, with only a combination of impressive last-ditch City defending and the offside flag denying them the game’s opening goal.
Even after falling behind, Frank’s side refused to lie down and continued to generate a decent attacking threat.
It eventually culminated in their route back into the contest, with Wissa’s finish his 37th Premier League goal - making him Brentford’s all-time top scorer in the division as he surpassed Ivan Toney.
Yoane Wissa writes his name into @BrentfordFC history 🐝
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 14, 2025
He has overtaken Ivan Toney as the club's all-time top goalscorer in the Premier League! 👏 pic.twitter.com/4RP7ZPVEy7
There was still time for further drama, too, as Norgaard escaped his marker in stoppage time to rescue a thoroughly deserved point.
Had it not been for Ake’s impressive blocks, Brentford’s day could have been even better but, with Premier League leaders Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur the next two visitors to the Gtech, the Bees will enter those matches with plenty of momentum.
City's resurgence stalls
Following a run of only one victory in 13 matches across all competitions, Guardiola’s side had stopped the rot by winning their last three games and were fresh from putting eight goals past Salford City in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.
City had not won back-to-back Premier League away matches since August, but quickly settled into their stride against Brentford.
After Savinho hit the post early in the second half, City eventually hit the front with Foden discovering the goalscoring touch again on the ground where he bagged three last season.
However, there was to be a late twist as a couple of slight defensive lapses were ruthlessly pounced upon by the stubborn Bees. Wissa was completely unmarked to drag them back into the contest, while Norgaard stole a march on his marker to head home the equaliser.
Nevertheless, Guardiola’s side must quickly dust themselves down with Champions League games against Paris Saint-Germain and Club Brugge on the horizon while, in between, Chelsea visit the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League.
Club reports
Brentford report | Man City report
What the managers said
Thomas Frank: "I just said to the players in there that I was extremely happy and proud of the performance. I think this is the first time in four years that over the 90 minutes, we go toe-to-toe with a top-three club. I think Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal have been the best three clubs in the four years we have been in the Premier League so the ability and the mindset to do that, the bravery throughout the game, extremely proud of that and of course coming back from 2-0 down is a fantastic mentality.
"'I'm very pleased on Wissa's behalf. He probably should have scored two if I'm a little bit after him, but he has been very good for us and the way he has taken over from Ivan [Toney], not only him but Bryan [Mbeumo] as well, the partnership between the two of them is quite unique. We are just Brentford. Extremely proud."
Pep Guardiola: "We're a bit disappointed but at 2-0 up we didn't manage to hold on to the lead and unfortunately we couldn't close the game.
"Today we didn't take the right decisions in the final third. I had the feeling that we didn't take the right decisions in the final third to close the game. We have to manage a little bit better, but today was not bad."
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Key facts
De Bruyne created five chances in the first half, only Dejan Kulusevski (six for Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester United in September) has created more in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League match this season. He has also provided an assist in all three of his Premier League away games against Brentford - all for Foden goals.
Wissa scored his 37th Premier League goal, overtaking Toney (36) to become Brentford's top Premier League scorer. He’s also been involved in 12 goals across his last 10 home league appearances for the Bees (10 goals, two assists).
Brentford came from two goals down to avoid defeat in a Premier League game for a second time this season (also a 4-3-win v Ipswich Town in October). Indeed, the Bees have scored seven Premier League goals from the 90th minute onwards this season, the most in the division.
Man City have dropped 14 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, their highest-ever total in a league campaign under Guardiola (previously 13 in 2020/21 and 2022/23).
