Brentford 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Ruben Neves earns win after drone stops play

Brentford, Wolves, droneImage source, Getty Images
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The players were taken off the field in the first half after a drone was spotted above the Brentford Community Stadium

Ruben Neves' second-half strike earned Wolves all three points at Brentford, in a game that was halted for more than 25 minutes in the first half because of a clash of heads and a drone hovering above the ground.

Referee Peter Bankes took both teams off the pitch just after the half-hour mark when the device was spotted above the Brentford Community Stadium.

That came after a six-minute break in play as a result of a nasty collision involving Brentford team-mates Mathias Jensen and Rico Henry.

Both sets of players looked bemused as Bankes ordered them off the field, while supporters looked just as confused before an announcement over the Tannoy confirmed the reason for the second delay.

The teams re-emerged more than 15 minutes later but needed to warm up again because of the lengthy stoppage. When play did eventually resume, 19 minutes were added on at the end of the first half.

"It was a strange first half," Wolves manager Bruno Lage said afterwards. "They tried to understand what happened, tried to find the man who controlled the drone.

"We came inside and talked a little bit about the game. Sometimes we don't have that time during the game to chat."

Lage's opposite number Thomas Frank said: "It was a crazy game - we 100% didn't deserve to lose at all.

"We started fantastic until the break with the drone and the two concussion things. We were aggressive, good on the break, but after that Wolves were better."

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Fourth official Martin Atkinson signalled for 19 minutes of added time at the end of the first half

The visitors took a deserved lead three minutes into the second half when Joao Moutinho played a neat one-two with Nelson Semedo before finding the far corner with the outside of his right foot.

Ivan Toney steered home Bryan Mbeumo's free-kick to equalise against the run of play, moments after Bankes had overturned his decision to send off Wolves defender Toti Gomes for a challenge on Kristoffer Ajer.

But Neves restored the visitors' lead with a well-placed finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the box, before Adama Traore had a goal ruled out for offside in second-half stoppage time.

Brentford manager Frank was shown a second yellow card for remonstrating with referee Bankes after the final whistle.

The win extends Wolves' unbeaten run in all competitions to six games, while Brentford have now lost their last four Premier League fixtures - although they remain eight points above the bottom three.

Wolves victorious on bizarre afternoon

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Lage delighted with Wolves' "mentality" against Bees

Brentford were starting to stamp their authority on the game when the collision between Janssen and Henry left both players covered in blood and requiring lengthy treatment on the pitch. The pair were eventually taken off as concussion substitutions.

An even longer stoppage followed when the drone was spotted near the roof of the stadium, resulting in the players being taken off.

When the game restarted, Lage's team gradually began to pin the Bees inside their own half and broke the deadlock when Moutinho curled home his second goal in three league appearances.

Toney's clinical finish from Mbeumo's delivery - the striker's seventh goal in all competitions this season - was the hosts' first effort on target and looked for a while like it might earn them an unlikely point, but Frank's team were firmly second best and have their work cut out to arrest a worrying run.

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Brentford manager says his side didn't deserve to lose

Addressing his dismissal after full-time, the 48-year-old manager said: "I will put my hands up. I tell my players to keep their emotions in check and not get stupid cards and of course that was stupid of me.

"The first yellow was for confronting a Wolves player and then I, irritated, turned around and [the referee] said it was too aggressive."

As for Wolves, they have now won four of their past five league matches and trail fourth-placed Manchester United by just four points, with a game in hand on Ralf Rangnick's side.

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