Brentford finally ended their wait for a league win yesterday, as they emerged victorious at Norwich City.
An Ivan Toney hat-trick set them on their way to victory in Norfolk, with Teemu Pukki grabbing a consolation goal for the visitors.
It was a win that Brentford deserved and had to work hard for following early pressure from the Canaries, but once Toney opened the scoring after 32 minutes, it was always going to be the Bees' day and Toney finished off a good day's work in the second half completing his hat-trick - taking the striker to nine league goals for this campaign.
Brentford reporter Uzzi Majid took a look at some of the key talking points at the victory from Carrow Road.
Terrific Toney
Where to start with the man of the moment? Toney was terrific from the first to last minute at Carrow Road, bullying Norwich's central defenders in Ben Gibson and Grant Hanley. Having been out with a calf injury, it was great to see the striker back to his best and he was.
The hat-trick will have been a special moment for him personally, becoming the first Brentford player to score a hat-trick in a top-flight game since Bobby Reid against Liverpool in 1937! The striker now has nine league goals to his name and will be hoping to add more to help Brentford consolidate their Premier League status.
Weathering the early storm
Whilst the scoreline suggests Brentford won easily, that was far from the case early on. Norwich almost took the lead after two minutes after a sloppy defensive error by Ethan Pinnock.
His pass found Billy Gilmour, who picked out Milot Rashica but the winger was superbly denied by David Raya. That was a warning sign for Brentford, who looked very edgy early on. Teemu Pukki also came very close, but Raya was alert to the Finn's effort that was creeping into the bottom right corner.
Elegant Eriksen
Yesterday saw Christian Eriksen make his first start for the Bees since the Dane joined the club back in January. He completed the entire 90 minutes without any concerns, with the midfielder making a new friend in Brandon Williams with the on-loan Manchester United defender hugging him on the deck, after he had pulled him back.
That heart-warming moment aside, Eriksen was immaculate. It was his corner that was flicked back by Kristoffer Ajer which led to Toney's opening goal, and he looked comfortable as the game went on. Thomas Frank said after the game he is fine and says his compatriot will help the team massively.
Step in the right direction
There was a massive feeling of relief amongst Brentford players and fans at what was a priceless victory. Brentford had not won in the league since January 2, and their last win away from home prior to yesterday was against West Ham on October 2. 2022 hasn't been a nice one for Frank, the players or supporters, but they will hope this win can be a springboard for a run of good form.
Games against Burnley and Leicester follow before the international break. Sean Dyche's side are six points below the Bees with two games in hand, so victory next week over the Clarets would be a giant step to survival. Brentford have to face the likes of Chelsea, West Ham, Watford, Spurs and Manchester United in April, so winning next week would be a huge step in the direction.
