Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life after Toney with comfortable win

Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.

Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.

With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.

Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.

Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.

3 goals, 3 points

Happy days pic.twitter.com/BsY9weg4zl

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) August 31, 2024

Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home

Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.