Wolves 0 Brentford 2 (Norgaard 35, Toney 77)
Wolves were beaten on a frustrating afternoon at Molineux, as Brentford took all three points in the Premier League.
Goals in either half from Christian Norgaard and Ivan Toney gave Thomas Frank’s Bees the victory to inflict a second successive home defeat on the Old Gold.
Wolves thought they’d levelled early into the second period, but Craig Dawson’s header was ruled out with the defender in an offside position, before Brentford wrapped up the points through Toney’s tidy finish.
The visitors enjoyed the brighter start to proceedings and after a VAR check cleared a potential Joao Gomes handball inside the penalty area, Ethan Pinnock headed wide from a Mathias Jensen cross.
However, Wolves rode that minor Brentford wave early on and at the other end had a first sighter on goal when Rayan Ait-Nouri took aim from distance with a strike that was struck well, but always rising over the bar.
There was a huge chance for the Bees on the 11-minute mark as Jose Sa’s loose clearance was won high up by Nathan Collins whose deflection fell kindly into the path of Neal Maupay. He had the freedom of the penalty area but Sa redeemed himself to make a crucial save at his near post.
Matheus Cunha then called Mark Flekken into action as Pedro Neto carried Wolves forward and laid it off to the Brazilian who hit a low strike that was well blocked by the goalkeeper.
The hosts were dealt a blow inside 20 minutes when Cunha went down and was unable to continue, later being replaced by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde. Momentarily down to 10, the Bees conjured up another huge opening as Sergio Reguilon made strides down the left and sent in a dangerous low cross which Collins kept alive at the back post, before Mads Roerslev blazed over from close range.
Maupay should’ve punished the Old Gold with his second clear-cut opening of the first half when the visitors pressed high and won the ball back before setting the attacker on his way. Maupay jinked his way into a shooting position inside the area but was unable to trouble Sa as he toe-poked into the gloves of the goalkeeper.
The Bees took the lead after 35 minutes, and it came from a set-piece. It was away skipper Norgaard who snuck in in between Sa and Dawson to head home Reguilon’s in-swinging corner.
As the interval approached, Gary O’Neil’s men hunted an equaliser, and they almost got it through Neto. Substitute Bellegarde’s pass set Pablo Sarabia free down the left before the Spaniard chipped an inviting ball to the back post which was attacked by Neto, but he was denied by both Flekken and the post as the Bees stopper tipped the ball onto the woodwork.
Half-time | Wolves 0-1 Brentford
O’Neil made a half-time switch, bringing on 18-year-old Nathan Fraser for his second Premier League appearance as Toti made way following the change to a back four.
The woodwork was struck for a second time minutes into the half, when Neto again shaved the outside of the post with a deflected effort. From the resulting corner, Wolves recycled the ball back to Neto who whipped a delicious ball into the centre where Dawson glanced home into the far corner. However, following a VAR delay, the centre back was judged to be offside, as replays showed Dawson was a toe ahead of the Brentford backline.
The Molineux noise cranked up a fair few notches following the disallowed goal with Neto leading the attempts for a leveller from the right, again calling Flekken into action with a right-footed effort at the near post that was batted away.
Wolves were probing and after switching the ball well, Maximilian Kilman was able to drive forward from the back and all the way to the edge of the penalty area. The skipper crossed from the angle and found the head of Ait-Nouri who rose well, but was unable to keep his header underneath the crossbar.
And against the run of play, Brentford doubled their advantaged and it was through their own undoing that Wolves conceded a second. Sloppy play at the back was punished as Dawson’s pass to Tommy Doyle was overhit and the Bees pounced, as Vitaly Janelt picked out Toney in the centre who clinically side-footed a first-time effort past Sa and into the corner to seal the points with 13 to play.
Full-time | Wolves 0-2 Brentford
Wolves | Sa, Semedo (Doherty 83), Kilman, Dawson, Toti (Fraser 46), Ait-Nouri, Gomes (Doyle 62), Lemina, Sarabia, Neto, Cunha (Bellegarde 20).
Unused subs | Bentley, S. Bueno, Traore, H. Bueno, Chirewa.
Brentford | Flekken, Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Mee, Reguilon, Norgaard (Ajer 85), Janelt (Baptiste 85), Jensen (Yarmoliuk 69), Maupay (Lewis-Potter 76), Toney.
Unused subs | Strakosha, Zanka, Ghoddos, Damsgaard, Brierley.
