Brentford Secure European Dream with Victory over Fulham

Brentford edged closer to European qualification with a 3-2 home win over fellow hopefuls Fulham on Monday, extending their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 12 games. Ivan Toney's second-half penalty and an effort by Mathias Jensen in the dying minutes saw the ninth-placed Bees over the line and one step closer to their ambition of playing in Europe.

Toney calmly put away his penalty past Fulham keeper Bernd Leno in the 53rd minute, following a clumsy foul from Issa Diop on Christian Norgaard. Jensen later sealed the victory in the 85th minute, as Kevin Schade made a terrific run and pass to set up the easy tap in.

Brentford opened the scoring with a deflected attempt from Ethan Pinnock, before Manor Solomon leveled things up for Fulham on the stroke of halftime, notching his fourth goal in four consecutive league matches.

Toney is currently facing FA charges and the risk of a ban for alleged breaches of the gambling rules.

Toney calmly put away his penalty past Fulham keeper Bernd Leno in the 53rd minute, following a clumsy foul from Issa Diop on Christian Norgaard. Jensen later sealed the victory in the 85th minute, as Kevin Schade made a terrific run and pass to set up the easy tap in.

Brentford opened the scoring with a deflected attempt from Ethan Pinnock, before Manor Solomon leveled things up for Fulham on the stroke of halftime, notching his fourth goal in four consecutive league matches.

Toney is currently facing FA charges and the risk of a ban for alleged breaches of the gambling rules.

Carlos Vinicius of Fulham did manage to net a consolation goal in stoppage time, though this could not prevent Thomas Frank's Brentford from remaining unbeaten in the Premier League since October. The team now holds 38 points from 24 games, one point below Fulham in seventh place and four points behind Liverpool in fifth.

Frank spoke of his side's ambition to qualify for continental football next season, saying, "We are dreaming but we must stay focused, recover well, and train hard." Throughout the match, Brentford showed great intensity right from the first whistle, and Leno had to produce two saves before Pinnock's shot - which had looked to be going wide - was deflected by Tim Ream into the corner.

Brentford were in rampant form, and Bryan Mbeumo and Toney saw their free kicks both bounce off the woodwork. However, Fulham managed to equalise in the 39th minute, thanks to a superb effort by Andreas Pereira which rebounded off the frame of the goal allowing Solomon to head it in. Though Fulham had the majority of possession, it was Toney who emerged triumphant, having maintained his 100% penalty conversion rate since joining Brentford - he now has 22 from 22.

Frank praised his striker for being one of the best penalty takers in the world, citing his strategy, practise and coolness during the process. Additionally, he expressed admiration for the player's exceptional character and leadership qualities, which, he believes, have been instrumental in the success of Brentford, one of only three teams in Europe's major leagues that have gone unbeaten for all of 2023.