Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa once again stepped up in the absence of Ivan Toney as they fired Brentford to a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
Toney was missing from the Bees squad, with head coach Thomas Frank admitting he had been left out amid “transfer interest”.
But just as they had throughout much of the forward’s eight-month ban for breaching betting rules last season, Mbeumo and Wissa filled the void in the Brentford attack to get their season up and running.
Name a better duo
We’ll wait 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/IcN7bOFJve
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) August 18, 2024
Palace were left fuming, however, after referee Sam Barratt controversially disallowed a goal from Eberechi Eze.
The midfielder curled a free-kick from out wide directly inside the near post, only for Barratt to penalise Will Hughes for a foul on Nathan Collins.
Replays showed there was no real offence but, according to a post on X from the Premier League, VAR Peter Bankes was unable to intervene as the whistle was blown before the ball hit the net.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner looked incredulous on the touchline as he remonstrated with the fourth official and his view was backed up at half-time by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, who said: “You could have done a better tweet saying, ‘The ref has had a nightmare’.”
Glasner’s mood darkened still further seconds later when, totally against the run of play, Wissa played in Mbuemo, who darted into the area, cut inside Marc Guehi on to his left foot and buried his shot into the corner.
The Eagles have their own transfer saga to deal with surrounding another England international, with Newcastle bidding to sign Guehi.
But they do not want to sell and pointedly made the 24-year-old centre-half captain in west London.
That is in sharp contrast to the Bees stance on Toney, who had a positive impact for England at Euro 2024 and has been heavily linked with a lucrative move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli.
It is understood he wanted to play but the Bees, keen to pocket a potential £60million windfall rather than lose the 28-year-old for nothing next summer, opted to leave him out.
Palace forced an equaliser 10 minutes after the break when Tyrick Mitchell’s cross from the left was headed back across goal by Daniel Munoz and prodded into his own net by the unfortunate Ethan Pinnock.
Moments later substitute Odsonne Edouard thought he had put Palace in front when he converted Eze’s cross, but he was offside.
Instead Brentford went back ahead after 76 minutes when Collins’ deflected shot was palmed out by Dean Henderson.
The ball fell straight to Wissa, who bundled it home to seal Frank’s 100th league win as Bees boss and again prove it is a case of ‘no Toney, no problem’ at Brentford.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Mbappe VS Liverpool Path confirmed… Kylian Mbappe after Virgil van Dijk took him down. 0.6% chance. 99.4% faith. lol I can't unsee this … League titles won "since 2009" Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss, PL__OOC)...
The Egyptian is locked in contract negotiations with the club, who do not want to commit to a multi-year, high wage deal.Salah is in the form of his life, but is 32, which is giving the Reds pause for giving him a two or three-year extension.Per Sky Sports, clubs in the Saudi Pro League are not actively pursuing Salah at present.While he is a target and one they would love to sign, they are not go...
The Blues have made an effort to sign the best and youngest talent from around the world since the takeover by Clearlake.Chelsea are in talks to sign the son of Emmanuel EboueChelsea will have to pay compensation for Mathis EboueThe club are now in talks to sign Mathis Eboue from the Watford academy.The 15-year-old is, of course, the son of Arsenal cult hero Emmanuel Eboue.The Daily Mail have clai...
Inter Miami forward Luis Suarez signed a one-year contract extension, meaning he will continue to play in Major League Soccer next season.Suarez, who joined the Herons on a one-year contract in December, tied for second place in the MLS Golden Boot race and earned a nomination to the 2024 MLS newcomer of the year award."I'm very happy, very excited to continue for another year and to be able to en...
United target Napoli's KvaratskheliaManchester United are reportedly showing strong interest in Napoli forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, according to SportMediaset. The 23-year-old Georgian star, under contract with Napoli until 2027, has yet to reach an agreement on an extension with the Serie A leaders. The Red Devils are prepared to table a lucrative five-year deal worth at least €8 million ...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Big GabrielSporting 1-5 Arsenal Who will win this month's Manager of the Month award? What happens when you come up against Saliba and Gabriel... Wayne Rooney, a true legend on and off the pitch. Cristiano Ronaldo in the iconic white and gold jersey brings back so many unforgettable memories! Throwback to THIS Beautiful Moment when Lionel Messi scored his 50th ca...
Bellingham admits 'vibrations' were key to Liverpool snubJude Bellingham has revealed how close he came to joining Liverpool, and the "vibrations" he felt when Real Madrid came calling."It wasn't as close as it was said," Bellingham said ahead of Real's Champions League clash with Liverpool. "There were conversations. There was Dortmund and I did it with several clubs. When Real Madrid call you, t...
Manchester City's Champions League match on Tuesday night was marred by crowd trouble, with Feyenoord fans causing chaos at the Etihad Stadium. The Dutch supporters, escorted by police from the city centre to the stadium, filled all three tiers of the South Stand.After City scored three goals, Feyenoord managed to net one with about 15 minutes left, leading to riot police stepping in to prevent cl...
Liverpool boss Arne Slot insists Mohamed Salah isn't unsettled over his contract situation.After scoring twice in victory at Southampton on Sunday, Salah revealed he had not heard from management about a new deal. His current contract expires in June."The only thing I can say is, if I look at my line-ups, Mo is more in than out," said Slot."I don't think he's distracted at all. I haven't seen that...
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said he doesn't fully understand how the new Champions League format worked after his team earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday to improve their chances of reaching the knockout stage.Bayern needed a first-half goal from defender Kim Min-Jae to battle past 10-man PSG and claim a third win in five matches."I don't look at the table...
- 1 Chelsea make Nkunku sale call amid ManUtd interest
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 Mascherano nears Miami; Martino exits
- 4 Chloe Kelly sends fans wild in daring outfit at GQ Men of the Year
- 5 Former Premier League star saved his wife and baby from house fire
- 6 Thierry Henry poses with rarely-seen partner Andrea on red carpet
- 7 Ruben Amorim ‘could move to Ten Hag or Pogba’s old homes’
- 8 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 9 The secret and very normal jobs of England’s WAGs
- 10 Amorim targets Sporting Lisbon's Quenda