Brentford 2-1 QPR: Ivan Toney hits west London derby winner as Bees beat Hoops
- Published
Brentford beat Queens Park Rangers on Friday to stretch their unbeaten Championship run to seven matches.
Vitaly Janelt's left-foot shot put hosts Brentford ahead on 14 minutes, but Lyndon Dykes equalised powerfully from close range 12 minutes later.
Brentford top scorer Ivan Toney headed the 64th-minute winner from a whipped right-foot cross by Emiliano Marcondes.
QPR ended with 10 men after defender Todd Kane received a second booking for a high, late challenge on Marcus Forss.
They might argue that the hosts should have been reduced to 10 themselves a lot sooner, however, after last man Mads Bech Sorensen's hefty first-half challenge on Dykes.
The Bees have now lost just one of their past 10 meetings with QPR in all competitions, winning eight of them.
And, up against former Bees boss Mark Warburton, they looked on course for a fourth straight win in the West London derby when Toney and Rico Henry combined to set up Janelt on the edge of the area and the German drilled his shot into the bottom right corner - his first goal for the Bees.
But Rangers were level within 12 minutes, sparked by winger Bright Osayi-Samuel's powerful run down the right.
His superb cross, swung over to just outside the six-yard box, picked out Dykes, who arrived to crash home a left-foot volley into the roof of the net - his fifth goal of the season - and the only one the Bees have let in during their current run.
There might have been more joy for the visitors too, after Dykes was barged over right on the very edge of the box by Sorensen, who, as the last covering defender, was arguably lucky to stay on the pitch with just a yellow card.
To add to the Hoops' frustration, Brentford old boy Yoann Barbet's free-kick was deflected into the side netting for a corner before Dykes then wasted another good chance in space when he lost his bearings and blazed wide.
But Brentford looked more in control after the break and, after Toney had one chalked out for offside, it did not take long to make amends.
Marcondes arrowed in a superb near-post cross and the summer signing from Peterborough United got in first for his 12th Championship goal of the season, putting him level with Blackburn's Adam Armstrong as the second tier's top scorer.
It also added to any fears QPR might have of Friday fixtures. This was their 19th defeat out of the last 20 matches they have played on a Friday, in all competitions.
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank told BBC Radio London:
"This was for the fans. I really hope they enjoyed this win.
"The two wins we got last year versus QPR were more beautiful, but this was even more important.
"It was a great win and it showed what we are all about in terms of hard work, top attitude and togetherness.
"In a long season where you play 46 games in seven months, we need to get wins in tough games like this."
On the yellow card for Mads Bech Sorensen: "I think it was borderline.
"You need to be absolutely sure you can be in for a chance on the next touch, and in a VAR world it would have been looked through and it would end with the ref going to the screen. Then he would flip a coin and take a decision."
QPR manager Mark Warburton told BBC Radio London:
"I have to be careful what I say but I am very frustrated.
"We split open the Brentford defence, we are through on goal, he [Bech Sorensen] is the last man and the foul is committed and the foul is given.
"There is no other decision to give other than a red card. It is too big a decision at this level of the game to get wrong.
"I can't see how anyone in the stadium can say otherwise. We are a good team and we feel very, very hard done."