Brentford maintained their ten-year run without a league defeat against Bournemouth in truly dramatic fashion with a late 2-1 win, with Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa sinking the Cherries either side of Dominic Solanke’s 19th goal of the season.
Mbeumo scored his 50th goal for the club in 86 minutes before Solanke’s equalizer appeared to have sealed an impressive 49th point for the Cherries in their bid to finish in the top half.
But Wissa’s emphatic finish from close range ensured the hosts were unable to show any signs of their efforts in this heartbreaking defeat, after goals were twice disallowed for Solanke.
“Great victory, great victory,” said Thomas Frank. ‘These players are special and have fantastic character in many ways.
“I think they showed that in the difficult moments all season.”
Yoane Wissa scored the later winner on Saturday afternoon as Brentford defeated Bournemouth 2-1
Bryan Mbuemo put the Bees ahead against Bournemouth at the end of the second half
Dominic Solanke hit back immediately and seemed to have saved a point for the home team
It was a flying start from the visitors, and after four minutes they had already won three corners and by the seventh the Bees recorded their second shot on target.
But the Cherries soon worked their way up the field, with Antoine Semenyo in particular proving a dangerous outlet. After a drive from range whistled over the bar in the 16th minute, he missed a golden opportunity six minutes later, pushing his effort from six yards wide of the post after a sharp through ball from Justin Kluivert.
Semenyo then set up Dominic Solanke for what looked to be the opener on 27 minutes, with the striker sprinting into the penalty area before finishing low into the bottom left corner, but that wouldn’t count.
A VAR review ruled out the goal after the ball found its way into Semenyo’s arm as he jostled Reguilon from a point before teeing up Solanke, with referee Matthew Donohue overruling his on-field decision after a monitor review.
Brentford continued to have fun down the flanks, sending several testing crosses towards Ivan Toney, but once again it was Bournemouth’s Solanke who had the ball in the back of the net, but again it didn’t count after a foul in the build-up. .
As in the opening stages, Brentford raced on the front foot after the break, with a last-ditch Lloyd Kelly tackle denying Ivan Toney a first goal since February, but Kluivert led Bournemouth’s response as the Dutch star piled on the pressure, dancing. with great success from his left flank.
Brentford’s Keane Lewis-Potter then came close to scoring against the run of play, but fluffed his lines at the last from close range after putting Travers to the ground. The striker’s soft effort was cleared by Ryan Christie coming back to save the hosts.
After denying Toney just after the break, Kelly himself went close in the 65th minute, tapping a corner at the near post towards the back stick, but there was not enough bend, nor an onrushing teammate to divert it to the right. of the woodwork.
However, after 73 minutes it was Bournemouth who had VAR to thank. Toney went down under Illia Zabarnyi’s gentle challenge and had referee Donohue point to the spot, but overturned both the controversial decision and the yellow card shown to the defender.
The Bees had a penalty decision overturned in the second half when they thought they had won a penalty
‘I think the referee did a good job today, the first game in the Premier League, and I think he made the most important decisions well. The disallowed goal for Bournemouth and also the penalty, although it is debatable whether VAR should intervene.
‘It’s a 50-50 situation in the penalty area where Ivan is in front and he slips and there is clear contact, but then you can discuss whether it is enough or not. When it is given, it is very rare that we see it destroyed. Then when he is called to the screen, you can discuss it, then a decision has to be made, which I can understand if we have a higher threshold.
However, Andoni Iraola was angry with the referee’s performance, saying: ‘I was very angry with the referee and very disappointed. We scored two goals in the first half that had to be allowed because they were legal. We come out of the last games with decisions that have all gone against us, all the decisions since we’ve been safe have been against us.
‘Today were two key moments for me. The first goal, the handball, comes from a rebound, and according to the rules it is not important that it is a rebound, he cannot do anything and he was not the one who scored the goal, because if he scores, I understand that it is so should not be allowed, even if it is not intentional.
‘The second one is even worse because the referee does not give the VAR the chance to correct because we scored the goal after a second or two seconds after we whistled the foul and even if the VAR sees in the replay that there was no foul is that he has created no chance of being overthrown because he has blown his whistle before.
‘I think they are very important mistakes and they take away points and positions in the rankings, but I know nothing will change.
‘[I got booked because] I complained, of course I deserved the yellow card, but you have to complain. Every week there is a moment when your players and your club lose points and games because they do not make the right decisions and are not consistent with their interventions and the VAR. Sometimes it’s clear and obvious, but sometimes it’s not. I am very disappointed.
‘For me he dives, but it’s the same as Havertz. If they don’t knock down the Havertz, he’ll dive the same way Toney did, but I think there’s contact. If they think there is a little contact, make the same decision as against Arsenal.
‘It’s the same game, there is contact, they dive to find the contact, but even if it is against us, when you get the penalty you can say: ‘OK, this is how they are going to act’ and tell the players say: ‘ok dive, if there is a small contact, the VAR will not say anything.
The home team conceded two goals in the first half and had some complaints
‘One week there is a punishment, and today they reverse that punishment. For me it is difficult to understand.
Brentford threatened to deliver an almighty blow to the hosts when Mbeumo scored his 50th for the club on 86 minutes, Yoane Wissa setting him up with a first-time pass after a goal kick, before Solanke eventually got his 19th for the season.
With the Cherries looking for a well-deserved point, substitute Wissa struck from inside the box in the fifth minute of extra time, making Mbeumo the provider as the Bees headed back to West London with three big points up bag.
“The two goals were of high quality,” Frank added. ‘Mark Fleken adds layers to his playing. It’s a top-shelf assist and an incredible touch from Wissa to Bryan and it’s the easiest route to a goal: one, two passes and then a goal.”
