Brentford was maybe the fairytale of the Premier League when the season started, but in February, everybody is prepared for the Bees. Thomas Frank made a compact, well organized, defensively sound team with a small budget and they hanged on for the most part of the league, but in recent times, everything went south. Brentford’s last victory came against Port Vale in the FA Cup on 8th of January and after that, defeats from Southampton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Wolves in the Premier League followed. They were even thrashed in the FA Cup by the lowly Everton 4-1. So it was no surprise they lost to the best team in England. It’s even surprising that the score was only 2-0.✅ Raheem Sterling has won the 𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗧 penalties in @PremierLeague history! (23)😅 If you can’t beat them… pic.twitter.com/8q7JCCrxXj— SPORF (@Sporf) February 9, 2022 As expected, it’s hard for any team in the world, yet alone in the Premier League to have any possession around Manchester City. So, Brentford didn’t even tried, and they focused more on their tactical approach and defending, especially after they conceded 16 goals in the last 5 matches. They managed to defend themselves for 40 minutes, before Raheem Sterling managed to provoke a penalty. The England international has officially won most penalties in league history (23) and it’s almost always the same pattern: he gets to the penalty area as quick as possible and waits for any contact so he can fall down. And it was like this against Brentford. Mahrez was spot on from the penalty spot: 1-0 for Brentford.
City continued it’s dominance in the second half as well, the hosts had the initiative, attacked, created chances, but it was a mistake by the Brentford defense which allowed Guardiola’s team to finish the match with ease, as Kevin De Bruyne scored his 7th goal of the season for the finals score 2-0. This was an easy match for the hosts, who will travel to Norwich next week before they continue their Champions League trophy quest against Sporting.Vão passar pano pro Sterling, eu sei, mas, um gol desse, numa recuperação de bola, é caixa na certa !O cara bater encima do goleiro é piada !A sorte dele é que o Kevin de Bruyne salvou a jogada.Meu Deus do céu, como o Jesus faz falta nessas horas….pic.twitter.com/BdcxANgYOZ— Gabriel Jesus Brasil 🇧🇷 (@Gabriel_JesusBR) February 9, 2022 PREMIER LEAGUE – ROUND 2418/1/22Chelsea – Brighton 1-1 (0-1)/Ziyech 28 – Webster 60/ThursdayNewcastle – Everton 3-1 (1-1)/Holgate 37 og, Fraser 56, Trippier 81 – Lascelles 36 og/West Ham – Watford 1-0 (0-0)/Bowen 68/Burnley – Man. United 1-1 (0-1)/Rodriguez 38 – Pogba 18/WednesdayNorwich – Crystal Palace 1-1 (1-0)/Pukki 1 – Zaha 60/Man.City – Brentford 2-0 (1-0)/Mahrez (p) 40, De Bruyne 69/Tottenham – Southampton 2-3 (1-1)/Bednarek 18 (og), Son 70 – Broja 23, Elyounoussi 72, Adams 82/Aston Villa – Leeds 3-3 (3-2)/Coutinho 30, Ramsey 38, 43 – James 9, 41, Llorente 63/Thursday22:45: (1.25) Liverpool (7.00) Leicester (12.0)22:45: (3.60) Wolverhampton (3.15) Arsenal (2.30)