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Brentford beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 5-3 in a thrilling encounter, with six goals being scored in the first half, as Thomas Frank’s side ended a three-match winless run to move into the Premier League’s top half.
Both sides traded blows early on, with Nathan Collins heading the hosts ahead with yet another early goal – this time in the second minute – Â and Matheus Cunha levelling for the visitors before four minutes had elapsed.
Collins won a penalty that was converted by Bryan Mbeumo, before Jorgen Strand Larsen hit another equaliser for the visitors.
Some poor Wolves defending allowed Christian Norgaard to re-establish the hosts’ lead and Ethan Pinnock’s header put Brentford further ahead just before half-time.
Despite a string of second-half saves by Sam Johnstone, the Bees grabbed a fifth through Fabio Carvalho.
Rayan Ait-Nouri pulled one back for Wolves at the death, but they stay bottom with just one point, while Brentford go ninth in the table with 10.
How the match unfolded
Brentford, who had scored in the first minute of their previous three Premier League matches, needed just 75 seconds to hit the front as Collins headed in from Mikkel Damsgaard’s cross.
Wolves were level in the fourth minute, though, as Cunha swept Nelson Semedo’s cutback into the top-right corner.
Brentford inched back into the lead after Collins was hauled over by Mario Lemina at a corner, allowing Mbeumo to convert from the penalty spot, but again Wolves responded as Larsen flicked Ait-Nouri’s cross home.
Yet less than 90 seconds later, Brentford were back ahead – Norgaard drilling into the bottom-left corner. Pinnock subsequently nodded another Damsgaard cross past Johnstone just before half-time.
Johnstone was heavily involved in the second half as Brentford went in search of more goals, standing firm to deny Vitaly Janelt then making a fine one-on-one stop from Kevin Schade.
But the Wolves goalkeeper could only parry a Keane Lewis-Potter strike straight to Carvalho in the 90th minute, and the signing from Liverpool added a fifth. But the scoring wasn’t over as Ait-Nouri fired through Mark Flekken’s legs at the other end for a stoppage-time consolation.
Wolves all at sea again
Saturday’s match followed what has largely been the story of Wolves’ season, with Gary O’Neil’s men looking lively in attack, only to be undone by some woeful defending.
Brentford fired set-piece after set-piece into the Wolves area, and the visiting backline – deprived of centre-back Yerson Mosquera after an anterior cruciate ligament injury – was simply unable to cope.
Wolves have now conceded 22 league goals this season, failing to win any of their first seven Premier League matches for the first time since 2003/04, when they went on to finish bottom.
O’Neil will also be particularly concerned by Wolves’ lack of composure after getting back on terms. Within 90 seconds of drawing level at 2-2 midway through the first half, they granted Norgaard the freedom of their area to drill home the Bees’ third.
It is fair to say things do not get any easier for Wolves after the international break, with champions Manchester City visiting Molineux on 20 October.
Bruising Bees make light of injury woes
Brentford have endured some rotten luck on the injury front so far this season, with Yoane Wissa and Mathias Jensen joining Igor Thiago, Josh Dasilva, Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey in the treatment room.
Yet Frank’s side have still found a way to earn 10 points from four matches at the Gtech Community Stadium in 2024/25, and on Saturday, it was their physical prowess that did the trick.
Brentford bombarded Johnstone’s goal at every opportunity, especially from set-pieces, and just over a minute had passed when Collins – who endured one difficult season at Molineux in 2022/23 – ghosted into the area to nod home.
Fourteen minutes later, Collins was involved again as he stole a march on Lemina from a corner, the Wolves captain dragging him to the ground to concede a needless spot-kick.
Pinnock took advantage of more miserable back-post defending from the visitors to add the Bees’ fourth, and from there they could simply sit back and pick Wolves off on the break, with Janelt and Schade both close to extending their lead before Carvalho did the honours.
Frank will now hope to use the upcoming break to recover some of his absentees, ahead of a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on 19 October.
Club reports
Brentford report | Wolves report
Match officials
Referee: Andy Madley. Assistants: Nick Hopton, Wade Smith. Fourth official: James Bell. VAR: Michael Oliver. Assistant VAR: Richard West.