AFC Bournemouth’s hopes of securing UEFA Champions League qualification were dealt a blow as Brentford came from behind to win 2-1 at the Vitality Stadium.
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Christian Norgaard completed the turnaround on Saturday, as Bournemouth’s dismal record against Brentford continued.
The Cherries have not beaten Brentford in a league match since August 2014, though they took the lead through Vitaly Janelt’s own goal.
But Yoane Wissa headed in an equaliser, paving the way for Norgaard to capitalise on some sloppy Bournemouth defending in the second half, after Antoine Semenyo had squandered a golden chance for the hosts.
David Brooks missed a similarly glaring opportunity in the 80th minute, with Brentford holding firm to secure a win that moves them within one point of 10th, and three behind Bournemouth in ninth.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
28 | +9 | 47 |
| 7 |
Brighton
BHA
|
29 | +6 | 47 |
| 8 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
29 | -4 | 45 |
| 9 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
29 | +12 | 44 |
| 10 |
Fulham
FUL
|
28 | +3 | 42 |
| 11 |
Brentford
BRE
|
29 | +5 | 41 |
How the match unfolded
Bournemouth took the lead in the 17th minute – Milos Kerkez charged into the box on the overlap, with his cross turned in inadvertently by the unfortunate Janelt.
Parity was restored 13 minutes later when Kepa Arrizabalaga was caught in no man’s land from Bryan Mbeumo’s inswinging corner, which was headed home by Wissa.
Semenyo looked set to put Bournemouth back in front early in the second half, only to head against the crossbar after meeting Justin Kluivert’s inviting right-wing cross.
Bournemouth were made to pay for that miss in the 71st minute, as Kevin Schade’s long throw found its way through a crowd to Norgaard, who duly finished.
Mark Flekken came up big for Brentford, thwarting Brooks from point-blank range before keeping out strikes from Marcus Tavernier and Semenyo as the Bees extended their unbeaten Premier League run against Bournemouth to six matches.
Cherries unpicked from set-pieces
Kepa was caught out as Bournemouth let a 2-0 lead slip at Tottenham Hotspur last week, and it did appear as though his confidence had taken a hit as Brentford put him under pressure in the first half.
He should have done better when coming to collect Mbeumo’s corner, yet instead he was poorly positioned, enabling Wissa to rise highest and get there first to turn into a gaping net.
Kepa also looked like he would have been struggling to get down to an Mbeumo strike soon after, though Kerkez managed to divert it wide.
However, it is not just Kepa who struggled for Bournemouth against Brentford’s set-piece proficiency.
There was much less Kepa could have done as the defenders in front of him failed to deal with Schade’s long throw, with Norgaard on hand to slam home.
Bournemouth are now winless in four league matches, having given up leads in the last two encounters.
They can consider themselves unfortunate not to have gone back in front when Semenyo headed against the woodwork, or to equalise when Brooks poked straight at Flekken.
But Andoni Iraola’s team cannot afford such slip-ups defensively, especially from set-pieces if they are to consider themselves contenders for Champions League qualification.
They are five points off the top four, though that gap will widen should Chelsea avoid defeat at Arsenal on Sunday, and four adrift of fifth-place Manchester City. Next up for Bournemouth in the Premier League is a home game against Ipswich Town on 2 April.
Schade throwing things forward
Schade has cemented his place in Brentford’s attack and is thriving on the left of Thomas Frank’s front three.
He could have scored and then provided an assist before half-time. First, he hammered wide as he attempted to spin clear of his marker in the six-yard box, before he flashed a dangerous cross into the danger area, but none of his team-mates were able to get on the end of it.
However, he played a crucial role in Brentford’s winner, with his throw causing havoc for Bournemouth’s backline.
It is not the first goal he has helped tee up from such a situation. Wissa benefited from Schade’s long throw in Brentford’s home draw with Everton last month.
Schade’s ability to generate power and dip on his throws has swiftly become another weapon in the Bees’ armoury, and one Frank is not afraid to call upon.
If he carries on like this, then Brentford might well have found their very own Rory Delap-style throw-in specialist, in a call back to Stoke City’s famous threat during their first few years in the Premier League.
Brentford have now reeled off five straight away league wins for the first time since 2010, when they were in League One. With Schade’s throws and their general robustness across the board, they will aim to make it six road wins on the spin when they take on Newcastle United in their next outing.
Club reports
Bournemouth report | Brentford report
What the managers said
Andoni Iraola: "It is frustrating to lose because we did a lot of good things. We probably had the better chances to score but we are not efficient enough, we don't make that difference. We need to improve in the decisive moments because in the end that is what makes the difference."
Thomas Frank: "I think we played a good first half, I am very pleased with it in many, many ways. We had six big moments where we didn't get a shot off. Those are big moments we need to get more. I think it was the first time in a long time where it was an even game and we edged it, so I'm really pleased."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Bournemouth have lost three Premier League home games in a row for the third time, last doing so in December 2019, under Eddie Howe.
Brentford are unbeaten in all six of their Premier League games against Bournemouth (W4 D2), their best ever such run against an opponent in the competition.
Brentford’s Wissa has been directly involved in 16 goals (14 goals, 2 assists) in the Premier League this season, his most in a single campaign, while he’s the first Bees player to net 40 goals in the competition.
Janelt scored his second own goal in the Premier League this season, no player has scored more, while no team has netted more such goals than Brentford (3) in the competition in 2024-25.
