Brentford

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards was full of praise for Brentford boss Thomas Franks after a "brilliant day" in Saturday's 5-3 win over Wolves.

The Bees recorded their most expected goals, shots on target and big chances in a Premier League game and equalled their record haul of five goals.

"They were extraordinary," Richards told Match of he Day. "Thomas Frank is one of the best coaches in the Premier League.

"We worked with him during the Euros. Tactically, he knows exactly what he wants from his teams and against Wolves he wanted to get the ball forward as quickly as possible.

"They just showed what they want to do and all the players bought into that as a team performance going forward.

"I thought Sepp van den Berg was excellent. Wolves defended quite narrowly so they had space down the wings. What he meant by get the ball forwards - it's not just his midfielders, he wants his defenders to step in as well.

"Frank said he wants to create chaos and progress the ball as quickly as possible - but it's not only that, it's also winning the ball back with urgency when you're in attacking areas and they did exactly that.

"It was just a brilliant day for them. Of course, if you concede that many goals you won't be too happy - but attacking-wise, excellent."

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Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Man City 3-2 Fulham

• Everton 0-0 Newcastle

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Brentford manager Thomas Frank, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "We’ve been practising winning the coin toss all week, and we lost it. That’s why it took us so long [to score].

"AIl jokes aside, we want to get forward as quickly as possible and put crosses into the box. After they made it 2-2, we scored 32 seconds after the kick-off.

"Offensively - wow! Unbelievable. We seemed to create a chance every time we went forward, and we were such a threat from set pieces. Defensively, I’m mostly angry about the first goal. The second one, we lost the ball - it was quite good play from them. For their third goal we could have done better.

"We gave less away compared to the West Ham game, but we still need to improve."

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

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Despite scoring inside the opening 40 seconds on each occasion, Brentford failed to build on their bright starts against Manchester City, Tottenham and West Ham.

Not only did the Bees manage to kick on from Nathan Collins' early header against Wolves, they refused to relinquish control of the game after being pegged back twice by the visitors, scoring twice more through Christian Norgaard and Ethan Pinnock to lead 4-2 at the break.

Brentford looked like scoring from every attack and would have won by an even greater margin had it not been for Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, who saved from Keane Lewis-Potter and Kevin Schade before the interval.

Bryan Mbeumo continued his fine form, netting his sixth Premier League goal of the season from the penalty spot to make it 2-1. The winger has now scored in three consecutive league appearances for the first time since December 2019, when he enjoyed a run of four in the Championship.

There was little change to the pattern of play in the second half, with Pinnock going close to doubling his personal tally and Schade shooting straight at Johnstone in a one-against-one.

They hosts had to wait until the 90th minute to add to their advantage, Fabio Carvalho netting his first Premier League goal for the club from close range.

Ait-Nouri’s stoppage-time strike put a more respectable sheen on the scoreline from a Wolves perspective, but Thomas Frank will be thrilled with his players' efforts.

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Bryan Mbuemo has registered 49 goal involvements across 105 Premier League matches for Brentford (28 goals, 21 assists) and has now scored in three consecutive games in the division for the first time.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter, at the Brentford Community Stadium

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Is Thomas Frank showing a tactical evolution in Brentford's style?

The Dane has been known for having a high energy, direct and physical approach while also maximising set-pieces since promotion to the Premier League in 2021.

But while getting balls in the box early and crossing from wide areas remain key, especially amid a spate of four early goals, there are other changes quietly being made.

Brentford are playing a more attacking approach with a back four, that transforms into a back three, as is becoming popular at top clubs like Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea, with Sepp van den Berg, 22, drifting into midfield as an inverted full-back.

The Dutchman, signed in the summer from Liverpool for £25million, was attempting to overload Rayan Ait-Nouri, a brilliant attacking full-back but one who sometimes drifts off on his defensive duties.

It is credit to van den Berg that he often ended up in positions he is not associated with as Brentford created chance after chance, albeit while giving a few away.

They were good value for their 5-3 win against Wolves and despite some things remaining the same, there are changes afoot without Ivan Toney in the team, and as new signings begin to bed in.

Of course, the change of approach to a more modern, fashionable style is interesting given Frank was linked with the Manchester United and Chelsea job in the summer, but others with trendier approaches ended up getting those roles ahead of him.

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Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Follow reaction and read the match report

Seven matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Crystal Palace v Liverpool - 12:30

• Arsenal v Southampton

• Brentford v Wolves

• Leicester v Bournemouth

• Man City v Fulham (listen live on BBC Radio 5 Live)

• West Ham v Ipswich

• Everton v Newcastle - 17:30 (listen live on BBC Radio 5 Live)

Kick-off 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

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Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week seven, he takes on Will Champion and Jonny Buckland from Coldplay, whose latest album, Moon Music, came out on Friday.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Wolves are still bottom, with only one point so far, but they have actually been playing OK - including in last week's defeat against Liverpool.

Eventually it will click for Gary O’Neil's side, and maybe it will happen here, but I also think Brentford have been better than their recent results have suggested.

The Bees have scored in the first minute of their past three league games, so Wolves need to be prepared for a fast start.

Brentford did not go on to win any of those matches, but I have a feeling they will get over the line here, especially because they are at home.

Will and Jonny's prediction: 2-1

Read the rest of their predictions and have your own say here

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport Researcher

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Wolves (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On team news: "Christian Norgaard is available, which is a positive. Rico Henry trained with the team today, which is a positive. It’s good to see him there. Manchester United [the first game back after the international break] will be too soon for him. It will likely be a few weeks after that. I will know more after the international break."

• On other players in the squad: "[Mathias] Jensen is in a better place. He's been running on the pitch this week, so that's another positive. Paris [Maghoma] has done well and looks fit. He will have another game involvement on Monday and, when everyone is back, he will be fully firing and competing. [Gustavo] Nunes is a longer-term one. [Yoane] Wissa is progressing well. He was running on the grass, so that's good too."

• On scoring in the first minute in three consecutive matches: "It's fantastic that we've been able to do it three games in a row. We have checked [if it's a record]. We spoke to our guys, they analysed one million games and no-one has done it three games in a row. It must be a world record. The next time we do it, we need to keep the lead and get three points."

• On his opponents: "They have performed very well and haven't got the results that they deserved. They have done very well overall in their games. They have a good squad and Gary O'Neil is doing a good job with his staff. I expect a completely even game."

• On how injuries can affect the style of play: "I try to stick to what I believe in, in terms of style of play. Injures to key personnel makes us tweak it a bit, but we try to do what we want to do. We always look at the opposition. The way they attack and defend can make our plan change slightly."

• On the poor defensive record so far this season: "We are starting to look better and better. Mark Flekken has looked good this season. Ethan [Pinnock] had a slow start to the season but looked back to his level in our last game. Nathan Collins has really been growing - I think he's been our best centre-back this season. I hope we can get the clean sheets soon."

• On Bryan Mbeumo's impressive start to the season: "Bryan is a top player. He's got everything to take the next step. His hold-up play, his weight of pass, his work ethic - if he can keep these things consistent he will keep producing."

Find out what was said in all of Friday's Premier League news conferences, plus the rest of the day's football news

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I can believe that Thomas Frank has Brentford working on scoring goals early in training because of how he is as a coach.

When I was a player, we would always say about switching on quickly when talking in the pre-match huddle because the first 10 minutes are usually your most vulnerable moments.

Brentford have thought about that and have been on the front foot to get their early goals. As players, you want to score early on because it then means you can start putting your stamp on the game.

It is certainly something you can work on in training and given Frank's coaching style it does not surprise me that it is an area he has identified as a way of getting an advantage early on in games.

But now that they have established that, they have to start being consistent in their style of play to create more chances throughout the match.

They are still allowing teams to get back into games and therefore not getting the end result.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Ian Westbrook
Fan writer

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Don't say I didn't warn you!

In this column last week, I told Brentford supporters not to turn up late for a game after our two sub-25 second goals at Manchester City and Tottenham.

None of us thought it could happen once, let alone twice – so when we kicked off against West Ham on Saturday, shouts of 'shoot' from the crowd made us all laugh.

However, once again, Brentford got off to the fastest start imaginable, leaving those of us in the stands incredulous.

It is just a shame that for the third week in a row, our fast start didn't lead to a victory, although winning either of the previous two games was always going to be tough.

For the second season running, the Bees have a massive injury list which is currently leaving us with no experience on the bench. This was summed up by some of the second half substitutions made by Thomas Frank.

West Ham brought on Danny Ings and Crysencio Summerville, two players with more than 500 senior appearances between them. Brentford introduced Yehor Yarmoliuk and Yunus Konak, who have played fewer than 75 senior games in total.

I have nothing against Yarmoliuk, who had a really impressive 35 minutes, or Konak of course. They are both hugely talented players with great potential, but they are still learning top-flight football and sometimes bringing on an experienced older player late in the game can force a win.

The Bees are still unbeaten at home though and the draw was a decent result.

Our next two games are against two out-of-form sides in Wolves and Manchester United, and matches like that can go one of two ways.

Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brenford and West Ham.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Ian: All I say is don't miss kick off. A game of two halves today. A fast start from Brentford and then the second Brentford goal didn't materialise. Damsgaard is finding his form in a Brentford shirt and will be an asset during our injury issues.

Mark: Three first-minute goals now, leading to two losses and a draw. Simply not good enough.

Ben: 100% missing a striker that can find the net. 19 shots today and only three on target. New players and manager need time to gel but things need to pick up quickly.

Guvnah: Can't hold on to a lead. Three games in a row with goals in the first minute. I'm looking forward to getting a full squad back. But I'll take a point in a scrappy game.

West Ham fans

Sid: It’s confusing for sure. The increased possession is positive, the confusion over who should be doing what less so. I thought Kudus was one of our best players first half and the only attacking threat. So it was a strange substitution. We don’t look fit enough after 60 minutes. Antonio was done and others too. At least Todibo made a good start.

Frank: I have no idea what this manager does in training but we might as well have started a fire and burned £130m. He looks clueless. Aaron Wan-Bissaka thinks he is a midfielder and does not know how to defend and the whole lot look a shambles. European football next year…no chance.

Jonny: Not sure what our manager is doing to be honest. The substitutions are bizarre and we don't have any shape. I think he is trying to be too clever, Mavropanos at right-back? With Coufal on the bench? Soler on for Kudus? But, saying all that a point away from home in the Premier League is good. Just wish we had a settled side. Hopefully this will come in the weeks ahead.

Ken: A terrible start but better performance particularly in the second half. We worked hard with little return. Much better than it has been recently, but we should be beating teams like Brentford after all the money that's been spent.

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 4-2 Leicester

• Wolves 1-2 Liverpool

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Bryan Mbeumo’s strike after 38 seconds saw Brentford become the first team in Premier League history to score in the opening minute in three consecutive games.

Bobbie Jackson
BBC Sport Journalist

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For the third Premier League game in succession, Brentford scored inside the opening 40 seconds when Bryan Mbeumo volleyed home.

That was as good as it got for Thomas Frank's side, though, with 36 minutes passing by before they attempted another shot on or off target.

Injuries are already starting to pile up for Brentford, with nine players currently unavailable, and the absence of Yoane Wissa could prove very costly over the next two months.

Mbeumo (5) and Wissa (3) are the only two players to have registered for Brentford in the league this campaign.

After taking the lead so early, Brentford seemed content to sit back and eventually they were breached when Tomas Soucek bundled in from close range.

West Ham looked the most likely to go on and win on what turned out to be a frustrating afternoon for the Bees.

There are no sounds of discontent from the fans in the direction of Frank just yet, despite winning just one of their last four games, but the Dane will be keen to get three points back on the board sooner rather than later.