Brentford 2 – 2 Wolves

Brentford let a two-goal lead slip as they failed to close the gap to Chelsea to just a point with their 2-2 draw with Wolves.

The Bees have been one of the stories of the season thanks to their ascendancy up the Premier League table under Keith Andrews, putting them right in the thick of the European places.

Goals from Michael Kayode and Igor Thiago, off the back of his first call-up for Brazil, seemed to put them within touching distance of the Blues and Liverpool in fifth, until a resurgent Wolves hit back to secure an unlikely point.

Brentford’s climb to European contention has been one very few saw coming, highlighted by a pre-match video package at the Gtech which showcased several football influencers tipping them to go down following Andrews’ appointment.

They started with an intensity that has epitomised their campaign and were soon rewarded by one of their unsung heroes. Instead of launching a long-throw into the penalty area, Kayode popped up with a powerful header to give the hosts a deserved lead.

That advantage was soon doubled by Thiago, who celebrated his first selection for the iconic Seleção by rolling home into an empty net after some slick work from Dango Ouattara.

The two-goal cushion would be short-lived as Adam Armstrong fired home the pick of the goals, but it wasn’t without controversy. Twenty-eight seconds before it was scored, Ladislav Krejci passed the ball back to goalkeeper Jose Sa who then picked it up and rolled it out to Santiago Bueno at the start of the attack leading to Armstrong’s finish.

Ouattara was challenging Krejci at the moment he made the pass – and may have got a glancing touch on the ball. The PGMOL have said they could not intervene as the incident was not in the same attacking phase – and the ball was briefly lost before Bellegarde’s interception and subsequent assist.

That gave Wolves the lift they needed in the second half. With Armstrong having already hit the post, Tolu Arokodare equalised four minutes after his introduction to level. Things nearly got better for the super-sub sixty seconds later, but he watched as his header cannoned back off the crossbar.

Reiss Nelson missed a golden opportunity for a late Bees winner, as the result means Brentford sit three points behind Chelsea as opposed to the one they could’ve been. Meanwhile, Wolves remain bottom, but close the gap to 19th-placed Burnley to three points.

Andrews: Wolves first goal should’ve been ruled out

Brentford boss Keith Andrews speaking in his post-match press conference:

“I think the fact that I’ve been in three interviews now and I’ve been asking everyone about it would suggest that it probably was,” said Andrews in his post-match press conference.

“We can’t really affect that, and we can affect a lot of other things tonight that we didn’t. I don’t really want to go down the route of polluting my thoughts with it.

“I saw it clearly.”

Henry: Of course it’s a back pass!

Thierry Henry speaking on Monday Night Football:

“A bit of controversy? I can tell they don’t deem it a deliberate back pass, because they gave the goal.

“There is a little touch from Ouattara, but what else is he trying to do there? Of course it’s a back pass.”

Edwards: Goal on stroke of half-time helped Wolves

Wolves boss Rob Edwards speaking with Sky Sports:

“The goal did change our half-time plan a little bit. We were playing really well, they went 2-0 up but I felt like it was our fault.

“That goal allowed us to keep the same shape and the same plan, there was just a little adjustment personnel-wise.

“We were right in the game and it proved to be the right thing at half-time, the second-half performance was excellent.”

Story of the match in stats