Brentford

Shamoon Hafez
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Brentford boss Keith Andrews will be left wondering what could have been had the referee brandished a red card instead of a yellow in the direction of Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov during Wednesday's Carabao Cup quarter-final defeat at Etihad Stadium.

With no VAR available until the next round, Brentford had to accept Sam Barrott's decision and Andrews' pleas towards the fourth official made no difference.

"I'm very quick to defend officials generally - it is such a difficult job, but that was one they didn't get right," Andrews said.

"The explanation - the touch being too far away from goal - doesn't quite sit well with me after watching it back because he is clean through on goal.

"If it's a red card, it's a big advantage for us obviously - but we will never know."

Mathias Jensen's resulting free-kick was well struck but batted away by goalkeeper James Trafford.

The visitors were unable to find a way past the stand-in goalkeeper, and have now lost five of their past six meetings against Manchester City.

Brentford fell at the quarter-final stage of the Carabao Cup for the second consecutive season, having lost to eventual winners Newcastle last season.

Brentford boss Keith Andrews has been speaking to the media after his side were knocked out of the Carabao Cup: "We played with a lot of courage. I had to make some changes, with Dango [Ouattara] going away and a couple of knocks to [Igor] Thiago and Jordan [Henderson].

"We had one day prepare and one day of training. We actually flipped the system, so the players showed they are so intelligent, so adaptable and so versatile. I was very impressed in terms of how we played.

"We had to play with courage in how we tried to break them down and control the play. Unfortunately, we couldn't quite get that bit of quality in the final third, but I felt we were close on quite a few occasions.

"I'm disappointed, obviously, but I thought we defended brilliantly and I'm very proud of the boys."

Brentford midfielder Mathias Jensen has also been speaking to the media following the match: "We gave it a go. We tried to play with a lot of courage.

"I think we did quite well, actually. Their goals came from a set-piece and a transition from one of ours. I don't think they had too many clear-cut chances.

"We did very well in the first phase or two, but maybe lacked a bit of quality in the final third."

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on City's performance

What did you make of Brentford's display?

Come back on Thursday for a selection of your replies

Manchester City make seven changes to the side that beat Crystal Palace on Sunday.

James Trafford starts in goal, with Rico Lewis, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nathan Ake, Oscar Bobb and Savinho coming into the side.

Academy star Divine Mukasa starts up front in place of Erling Haaland.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden all drop to the bench.

Man City XI: Trafford, Lewis, Khusanov, Ake, O'Reilly, Gonzalez, Reijnders, Bobb, Cherki, Savinho, Mukasa.

Subs: Donnarumma, Dias, Haaland, Bernardo, Gvardiol, Nunes, Foden, Gray, Mfuni.

Brentford make six changes following the weekend's draw at Leeds.

Hakon Valdimarsson starts in goal in place of Caoimhin Kelleher, while Rico Henry, Kristoffer Ajer, Mikkel Damsgaard, Yehor Yarmolyuk and Kevin Schade come into the side.

Brentford XI: Valdimarsson, Henry, Van den Berg, Collins, Ajer, Kayode, Jensen, Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard, Janelt, Schade.

Subs: Kelleher, Hickey, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter, Peart-Harris, Konak, Donovan, Arthur, Nunes.

Brentford boss Keith Andrews has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Carabao Cup game against Manchester City at Etihad Stadium (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• There "were a couple of knocks" in Sunday's draw with Leeds but everyone should be fine.

• Dango Ouattara and Frank Onyeka have left for Afcon, while Reiss Nelson remains sidelined.

• Andrews said playing Manchester City "is obviously a very difficult game" and Erling Haaland is "difficult to keep quiet".

• He said they can take some "positives" from the narrow defeat to City in October because they "grew into the game" and "restricted them to few clear cut chances."

• Andrews says Crystal Palace winning the FA Cup last season "was a great story and shows that the so called lesser teams can succeed" too.

• Despite focusing on the Premier League, Andrews said they "are going to take the game as serious as the game dictates as it's a great opportunity to get into a quarter final."

Ian Westbrook
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

It is still early in the Keith Andrews era at Brentford, but one question that is not resolved yet is 'what is our identity?'.

In recent seasons, we've been known as a fast, attacking team who are particularly dangerous from set-pieces.

This season we have been somewhat different. Obviously the loss of Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard has had an impact on that - but Sunday's lucklustre display against Leeds left us wondering what sort of team we are.

We have been very good in some games, but very poor in others - rarely has there been any middle ground.

We keep playing long balls up to Igor Thiago who, for all his many qualities, is not the best at getting on the end of these and we don't get many crosses into the penalty area.

For a team managed - as everyone keeps reminding us - by last season's set-piece coach, we have been pretty ineffective at set-pieces.

Ignoring penalties, we have scored from just three in the Premier League - all long throws - with only bottom-placed Wolves netting from fewer.

It means that we have failed to get a goal from a single free-kick or corner all season - in fact we didn't even win a corner in the Leeds game.

Meanwhile our terrible away form faces a real test this week with trips to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and then Wolves in the league.

I would love to see us win a cup - I really would - but I guess that we won't go full-strength at City given the recent league form.

Wolves on paper looks easy - but many of us Bees fans fear the worst as we've seen our side lose many similar games over the years.

We must remember the overall picture though - seven points clear of danger and only five points off fifth place give plenty of cause for satisfaction in this transition season.

Find more from Ian Westbrook at Beesotted podcast, external

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

In Sunday's 1-1 draw at Brentford, the VAR review took three minutes and resulted in Brentford's penalty against Leeds being overturned.

Referee John Brooks pointed to the spot, ruling that Dango Ouattara was pulled back by Gabriel Gudmundsson. Eventually the penalty was cancelled as Ouattara was offside.

But did the foul come before the offside?

The Ifab law states: a player in an offside position is moving towards the ball with the intention of playing the ball and is fouled before playing or attempting to play the ball, or challenging an opponent for the ball, the foul is penalised as it has occurred before the offside offence.

We have seen this a few times in recent seasons.

Most notably in March 2019, just before VAR came into the Premier League, an offside Harry Kane was pushed over by Arsenal's Shkodran Mustafi as a ball was delivered into the area. A penalty was awarded.

In February 2024, Newcastle were given a penalty on VAR review against Bournemouth. Fabian Schar was ahead of the last defender but had not committed an offside offence before he was pulled back by Adam Smith.

On Sunday, Ouattara was running towards the flight of the ball. Like Kane, you can make a case that he did not do anything to make him actively offside prior to the foul.

However, fans struggle to get on board with these situations where an offside player effectively benefits from being in that position.

It is why there was controversy over Arsenal's first goal against Wolves. That came from a corner which was awarded despite Bukayo Saka being offside.

When Toti Gomes headed the ball behind, Saka had not committed any kind of offside offence. The Arsenal player was running forwards but did not challenge Gomes or try to play the ball.

Yet Wolves would argue that Toti only attempted the header because Saka was behind him.

Gudmundsson's challenge was incredibly soft, however, and it should have led to a VAR review to be overturned if Ouattara was onside. But the evidence suggests this would not have happened.

Usually, the VAR will check the subjective element, in this case the foul. If there is to be a review the referee would be sent to the screen. While he is running over the VAR checks for any offside.

As the referee was not told to go to the monitor it indicates the foul had been cleared by the VAR, Michael Salisbury.

Leeds were denied their own penalty claim at the start of the second half when Nathan Collins tugged back Dominic Calvert-Lewin. It was a much clearer claim than the foul given against Gudmundsson.

There was probably not quite enough in it for a VAR penalty, but it certainly would not have been overturned had it been given.

We asked for your views on Sunday's Premier League game between Brentford and Leeds.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Graham: Very poor performance - lots of players look out of their depth and lots of finger pointing and blame. Not a team playing for each other, and the substitutions were negative. I think our manager has peaked and I'm worried for the rest of the season.

Mark: What a disjointed performance. Probably the worst game so far this season, despite getting a draw. Too many mistakes, gifting the ball to the opposition. Why Damsgaard didn't start is a mystery. He made the difference which resulted in the goal. We need to up our game if we want to avoid a scrappy, relegation-avoiding second half of the season.

Jen: Oh, Brentford. Need to have some good transfer business in January. Keith needs to make some positive substitutions. Keep going forward, not sideways and then backwards - and players need confidence. Take some chances, Bees! You can score!

Nicholas: Disappointing result after taking the lead. I don't understand why Andrews shut up shop by going with five at the back. Important not to lose but his ability to change things positively is a big concern. Huge game coming up at Wolves.

Leeds fans

Dan: I really thought this would be the proper test to see if we really have turned a corner after the previous three results. We have a miserable away record against London teams so to go toe to toe with an established team like Brentford and earn a decent draw was evidence enough that we really have turned that corner.

Omar: A point at Brentford is a great result and a fair reflection of the game. Tough team and tough venue. Delighted to see Calvert-Lewin continuing to prove doubters wrong. It was a beautifully taken header - he hung in the air like Michael Jordan! Hopefully this combination of grit and intensity will see us finish in the 'top 17'.

Thomas: I genuinely think Brentford had their mind on the cup match against Manchester City in the week. Leeds really should have taken advantage as they are very strong at home. Several players - Tanaka, Okafor and Calvert-Lewin - weren't at their best. Gnonto did well again as a substitute, so hopefully he can get a few games under his belt over the hectic Christmas period and show what he can do.

Robert: Leeds were the better side in the second half - good spirit and belief. Farke made good subs again. DCL worked very hard again and deserved his goal. Stach, Ampadu and Gudmundsson were great. Pleased with a point but felt three were there for the taking.

Pundits Joe Hart and Theo Walcott and Joe Hart join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Sunderland 1-0 Newcastle

• Crystal Palace 0-3 Manchester City

• Brentford 1-1 Leeds

Tottenham, Aston Villa and West Ham are all showing interest in Brentford's 24-year-old Brazilian striker Igor Thiago. (Caught Offside), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Bobbie Jackson
BBC Sport Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Following successive defeats at Arsenal and Tottenham, boss Keith Andrews made four changes to his starting line-up in the hope of getting back on track at fortress Gtech.

Brentford have picked up 17 of their 20 points this term on home soil - only Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Sunderland have enjoyed greater success on their own patch.

Keane Lewis-Potter's snap shot was their only attacking moment of note in the first half after VAR had denied the Bees a chance to score from the penalty spot.

They eventually got the breakthrough when Henderson's low effort struck visiting defender Jaka Bijol on its way to the net.

At 35 years and 180 days, he became Brentford's oldest ever Premier League scorer and marked it with a celebration tribute to former Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash, along with his brother Andre Silva, in July.

But Andrews' side were unable to build momentum and guilty of letting Leeds' talisman Calvert-Lewin rise to head in the equaliser from Wilfried Gnonto's cross.

It is just the second time this season Brentford have dropped points at home - also doing so against Manchester City.

Brentford boss Keith Andrews, speaking to BBC MOTD: "To concede pretty late after making some changes to manage the game a little bit but I have to say overall it was probably a fair result. They had a particularly good second half, I thought we controlled a lot of the first half in that they had a couple moments but we controlled it. Then in the second half, the momentum shifted a little bit in their way, we scored and it was disappointing we couldn't see it out."

On being cautious in the game: "The table doesn't lie. We faced a Leeds team who are a pretty different prospect to a team from three weeks ago, the results they've had against the big teams and the performances they've probably deserved them. We knew it was going to be very difficult, they've changed the system and the way they play so we were always very respectful but I like I said, overall I think it was probably a fair result."

On Jordan Henderson and his goal: "He played a slightly different role today slightly more advanced, I gave him the opportunity to get forward more. He finished it reasonably well with the help of a little nick."

On defending the Dominic Calvert-Lewin goal: "Always disappointing. Calvert-Lewin doesn't really need much in terms of what he's about. We knew his big strengths, everyone in our dressing room knew his strengths - so it's stopping crosses beating him and in that scenario we didn't do that."

Did you know?

• Brentford have dropped 13 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, more than any other side. Five of those points have been dropped against newly promoted sides (3 v Sunderland, 2 today v Leeds United).

• Jordan Henderson (35y 180d) became Brentford's oldest ever Premier League goalscorer, netting his first goal in the competition since December 2021 for Liverpool against Everton.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brentford's performance

What did you make of Leeds' display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Keith Andrews makes four changes to his starting lineup as Brentford look to avoid a third successive defeat.

Kevin Schade misses out through suspension with Yehor Yarmolyuk, Mikel Damsgaard and Kristoffer Ajer dropping to the bench.

Aaron Hickey, Mathias Jensen, Keane Lewis-Potter and Vitaly Janelt come in.

Brentford XI: Kelleher, Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Hickey, Henderson, Jensen, Lewis-Potter, Ouattara, Janelt, Thiago.

Subs: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Onyeka, Yamolyuk, Ajer, Damsgaard, Peart-Harris, Donovan.

Daniel Farke sticks with the 3-5-2 formation that has been integral to Leeds' recent upturn in form.

He makes just one change from the 3-3 draw against Liverpool with Ao Tanaka replacing Ilia Gruev.

Leeds XI: Perri, Rodon, Bijol, Struijk, Bogle, Stach, Amapdu, Tanaka, Gudmundsson, Okafor, Calvert-Lewin.

Subs: Darlow, Piroe, Aaronson, Harrison, Bornauw, Justin, Byram Gnonto, Gruev.

There are five games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will be bringing you every moment.

• Crystal Palace v Manchester City - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Nottingham Forest v Tottenham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Sunderland v Newcastle United - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• West Ham United v Aston Villa - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Brentford v Leeds United (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Crystal Palace v Man City" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Sunderland v Newcastle", for instance.

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This is another big game at the bottom of the table.

I am so pleased for Leeds boss Daniel Farke because I was fed up with the rubbish being talked about how he cannot manage in the Premier League.

Leeds have had a tough run of games against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool and it felt like there were people out there who were waiting and even wishing for Farke to fail, so he would be sacked.

I am delighted that it has turned out very differently. The performances, the guts, and the quality that Leeds have shown has been brilliant, even in defeat at City, and against Chelsea and Liverpool they have picked up points too.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin's goals have made the difference, and they will go into this game full of belief, and thinking they have got a real chance.

Brentford are still favourites, though, because their home form is so good - with five wins, a draw and just one defeat under Keith Andrews so far.

The Bees were pretty limp when they went to Spurs last week but on their own patch it is a different story. They have won their past three games there, against Liverpool, Newcastle and Burnley so, like Leeds, they will be full of confidence.

I remember Farke's last game as Norwich manager in November 2021, when his team beat Brentford but he was sacked a few hours later. This time, I am backing Brentford to win, but Farke's future should not be in doubt.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Henry Cowling
BBC Sport journalist

Mid-table Brentford face a resurgent Leeds side, who have won four points in their past two matches against Chelsea and Liverpool. BBC Sport looks at some of the key themes ahead of Sunday's match.

Brentford have won just one of their four Premier League games against Leeds and will be looking to avoid three straight defeats in the Premier League for the first time since February 2024, after losses to Arsenal and Tottenham.

Bees lack varied goal source

It was more away day pain for Keith Andrews' side last week in north London as they gave a toothless display at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Bees had just four shots in the match, with one on target and a measly xG of 0.29.

While their mid-table figure of 21 Premier League goals for the season doesn't ring immediate alarm bells, the spread of those goals may be a cause of concern. Striker Igor Thiago has scored over half - and five of his 11 have been from the penalty spot.

Record signing Dango Ouattara has won four of those penalties, more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues. This game will be Ouattara's last appearance before leaving to represent Burkina Faso at the Africa Cup of Nations. Brentford will need the likes of Mikel Damsgaard and Kevin Schade to fill this creative void. As it stands, veteran midfielder Jordan Henderson leads the way at the club for Premier League assists, with three.

Farke finds joy in new system

Leeds had lost four straight Premier League games going into their midweek fixture against Chelsea last week, using a 4-3-3 formation. But for the second half against Manchester City in the final fixture of those four defeats, Farke deviated from his usual four at the back to try a 3-5-2.

Despite being pipped 3-2 by Pep Guardiola's side, the performance was encouraging and Farke has since started his side in a 3-5-2 in subsequent fixtures against Chelsea and Liverpool.

The results have been stark, with four points from two matches against established heavyweight sides and three goals scored in each. It is as many times as Leeds had scored three in the Premier League across their previous 37 games.

Brentford have had mixed fortunes facing the formation. They have won just twice in the seven games they have played in the Premier League against sides using a 3-5-2.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Brentford boss Keith Andrews has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Leeds United at Gtech Community Stadium (kick-off 16:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Andrews said it was "probably" the final fixture for Dango Ouattara and Frank Onyeka before they report for Africa Cup of Nations duty.

• Meanwhile, Reiss Nelson is "doing pretty well" after picking up a knock and could be in contention to be involved on Sunday.

• On his plans for the weekend with Kevin Schade suspended: "That's football. Players will sometimes have be patient, will sometimes be frustrated with lack of minutes. You need a squad that competes on a daily basis to set the environment that's needed to play with an edge. I think we do that pretty well. There are going to be opportunities for lots of players over the coming weeks."

• He said the response from his players to defeat by Tottenham last time out has "unsurprisingly been a good one" because they have "a good group who are humble, who want to do well".

• He added: "They look in the mirror when things have not gone well and not elsewhere. The reaction has been positive."

• On only the top three teams picking up more points at home than the Bees: "I just think there is a special energy in the stadium. The connection between players and fans is pretty special really. We feed off that a little bit. Make life uncomfortable for the opposition."

• On injuries and Afcon leaving them short in attacking areas: "That does leave a void in the squad with really talented players [missing]. Stretches the squad in certain areas but opens up opportunities for other players. Gustavo [Nunes] and Romelle [Donovan] have been training really well, played well for the B-team and are building robustness and fitness levels. Romelle particularly has been learning what we do here and how we do it."

• Andrews insisted that striker Igor Thiago deserves "a lot of credit" for the amount of goals he scores from close range as a lot of "work behind the scenes has been very diligent on his movement and role". He added the Brazilian also "just has a knack for it".

• Finally, Andrews praised Leeds for being "very resilient" in their recent games: "Shown lots of character recently - in results and performances. They have alternated between two systems. We'll prepare for both of those and what they throw at us."

Listen to full BBC Radio 5 Live commentary of Brentford v Leeds United from 16:30 GMT on Sunday on BBC Sounds