Brentford 3-0 Southampton: Bees up to seventh in Premier League table

Brentford players celebrateImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Brentford's victory moved them above west London rivals Fulham - and they were already above Chelsea

Brentford fans "can dream of Europe" after climbing to seventh in the Premier League by beating Southampton, says Ben Mee.

Defender Mee put the hosts in front, meeting Bryan Mbuemo's cross with a thumping header in the 41st minute.

And three minutes later, Brentford doubled their lead after Mbuemo dispatched Yoane Wissa's cut-back into the bottom corner.

Mathias Jensen added a third nine minutes from time, nodding in a Rico Henry cross from close range.

"There's a real good buzz around the dressing room and at the club," Mee told BBC Match of the Day.

"Fans can dream of Europe; we'll keep going and work hard for them. We'll keep going and get results."

With relegation rivals Everton edging out Arsenal and Wolves beating Liverpool, defeat left Southampton three points from a position of Premier League safety.

Meanwhile, Brentford extended their unbeaten run to nine matches, their longest in the top flight for 87 years.

Pride of west London, the Bees know what they are

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Frank praises Brentford's nine-game unbeaten run

Brentford's victory moved them above Fulham - and they were already ahead of another west London team in Chelsea.

The Bees, unbeaten in the league since 23 October, always looked the better side against their struggling opponents and are now just six points off a top-four spot.

"I think it's important that we have that confident but humble attitude where we are dreaming a bit," Brentford boss Thomas Frank told Match of the Day.

"We are saying we want to stay as high as possible but the minimum criteria is always to stay in the league.

"But we want to end as high as possible, so let's see how high that is."

Frank's team nearly took the lead in the eighth minute when Wissa rounded Southampton keeper Gavin Bazunu only to strike the ball against the crossbar from a tight angle.

And, after a flurry of half-chances, the hosts did go in front through Mee's header, with the defender rising highest to meet Mbuemo's enticing cross.

Mee was checked for concussion immediately after his opener having clashed heads with a Saints defender, but was able to carry on as the Bees doubled their lead through Mbuemo.

Brentford's top scorer Ivan Toney had an effort cleared off the line midway through the second half before Jensen rounded off the win with a header into the far corner.

Southampton still rooted to bottom

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I've let the players down - Jones

Southampton may have given Newcastle a late scare in their Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday, but against Brentford they looked tame.

The visitors came close when James Ward-Prowse went through on goal early in the first half but the midfielder chose to square the ball just out of team-mate Che Adams' reach when shooting looked the better option.

In the second half, substitute Theo Walcott had a decent strike blocked by a combination of Ethan Pinnock and Mads Roerslev with the scoreline at 2-0.

It is in defence, though, where Saints manager Nathan Jones will be most worried.

Southampton have conceded 53 goals in their past 27 Premier League matches, keeping just one clean sheet in that time, and they were repeatedly carved open by Brentford.

The Saints are still rooted to the bottom of the table as they hope to improve on a run that has brought four defeats in their past five games.

They take on Wolves next Saturday, while Brentford face a test against leaders Arsenal on the same day.

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Image source, BBC Sport
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