Bees’ season finishes with defeat by Newcastle

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Brentford 2-4 Newcastle

Brentford’s Premier League campaign ended with a home defeat.

Newcastle dominated for large spells and first-half goals from Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak appeared to be sufficient for the three points.

However the Bees replied with strikes by Vitaly Janelt and Yoane Wissa before Bruno Guimaraes settled the game late on for the visitors.

The loss means Thomas Frank’s side finished in 16th place.

Brentford started brightly and had the ball in the net through Ivan Toney with just three minutes gone, only for the goal to be ruled out by VAR.

The Magpies surprised the hosts, though, with a well-worked opening goal after 22 minutes. Barnes, eluding the Bees’ defence, headed home at the far post from an inviting cross by Guimaraes.

There was further trouble for Brentford when Eddie Howe’s team scored twice inside two minutes. Murphy prodded in from a couple of yards out from a finely-weighted low cross from Isak on the counter-attack in the 36th minute.

And almost from the restart, Isak turned from provider to scorer when the Newcastle forward took advantage of a vulnerable defence before drilling the ball past Bees’ keeper Mark Flekken.

Brentford responded following the break when they pulled a goal back in the 48th minute. Midfielder Janelt was well placed inside the Magpies’ penalty area to take a touch and place the ball into the corner of the net from a Wissa pass.

In the 70th minute the Bees scored again, courtesy of a superb bending shot from Wissa which sailed past Newcastle keeper Nick Pope.

Nevertheless, the Magpies made the contest safe seven minutes later when Guimaraes was alert to tuck home a rebound when Flekken could only parry a Toney free-kick.

Brentford: Flekken, Pinnock, Reguilon (Schade 73), Roerslev (Ghoddos 63), Norgaard, Jensen (Damsgaard 63), Wissa (Yarmoliuk 83), Zanka, Janelt (Maupay 73), Toney, Mbeumo