Crystal Palace 1-2 Brentford: Bryan Mbeumo, Kevin Schade earn Bees victory in Thomas Frank’s 300th game
Brentford marked Thomas Frank’s 300th game in charge with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in wet and windy conditions at Selhurst Park on Super Sunday.
Bryan Mbeumo’s penalty – retaken after a VAR review confirmed Marc Guehi’s encroachment in the penalty area – put the Bees in front, and Kevin Schade doubled the lead, though a late goal from Palace debutant Romain Esse made for a tense finale.
Five of the seven Premier League meetings between the teams had ended level, and there was little in the first half to suggest that would not be the case once again.
Mark Flekken produced a strong right hand to keep out a fierce strike from Jean-Philippe Mateta inside 10 minutes, while at the other end, Yoane Wissa’s low effort was tipped around the post by Dean Henderson and Mbeumo’s free-kick whistled inches past the post.
Bryan Mbuemo has scored all nine Premier League penalties he has taken for Brentford
Chances came at a premium, as illustrated by the combined Expected Goals total of 0.4 at the break – 0.2 xG each.
But it sparked into life around the hour. Eze’s free-kick took a wicked deflection and hit the right-hand post with Flekken stranded, before the visitors were awarded a penalty when Will Hughes handled and Nathan Collins was brought down by Maxence Lacroix.
Mbeumo struck the post, to the delight of the hosts, but, after a VAR review, it was determined that Guehi had encroached in the penalty area and the Cameroon international would get a second chance – which he duly took.
Mbeumo’s initial spot-kick hit the post
A retake was awarded after Marc Guehi encroached
And the Cameroon international made no mistake with his second attempt
The second goal Brentford needed came after 80 minutes, when the irrepressible Mikkel Damsgaard – who signed a new deal until 2030 earlier this week – planted a peach of a cross onto the head of Schade, who headed home.
Esse then scored with his first touch, just 119 seconds after entering the pitch, which set up a tense finale with nine minutes added on, but unfortunately for Palace it could not spark the goal they needed to force a point.
Redknapp analyses penalty drama…
Brentford could have been awarded two penalties in the same move after Will Hughes blocked Marc Guehi’s clearance with both his hands. The loose ball then fell to Nathan Collins, who was felled by Maxence Lacroix for a stonewall penalty.
Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp: “Look at the mess Crystal Palace get themselves into, they can’t clear the ball. Hughes, this is definitely a handball there so VAR would have intervened. And then Lacroix just gets it wrong. Collins nips in front of him and it’s enough for a penalty. Collins puts his leg in and Lacroix, who was already booked, is lucky it’s not a second yellow.”
Bryan Mbeumo steps up to take the penalty and hits the post. Guehi then denies Mbeumo a chance at the rebound. VAR spots that Guehi stood in the D at the moment Mbeumo took the penalty so was encroaching. That meant the penalty had to be retaken.
Redknapp: “He just comes in to the D. You’re then interfering when you then come into play. If VAR checked it on every penalty that was missed, we would see that a lot. But Guehi really does make an impact because he just nips in front of Mbeumo.”
Mbeumo then gets a second chance from the spot. Before the penalty is taken, both Yoane Wissa and Keane Lewis-Potter are seen celebrating the upcoming goal even while Mbeumo is doing his run-up.
Redknapp: “I’ve never seen anything like that in my life! Wissa is obviously trying to fool the keeper and you can even see Lewis-Potter doing the same thing. That’s like a distraction thing to maybe put off the goalkeeper. I’ve never seen that in my life, it’s crazy!”
Story of the match in stats…
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