Bees succumb to high-flying Newcastle after Toney's double penalty drama
Brentford (1) 1 Toney pen 45
Newcastle United (0) 2 Raya OG 54, Isak 61
Ivan Toney failed to convert from the spot in the Premier League for the first time as Brentford slipped to only their second home league defeat of the season.
Unbeaten since the September loss to Arsenal at the Gtech, the Bees recovered from the penalty setback to take the lead – Toney making amends by slotting home a second spot-kick of the half.
But the high-flying Magpies were a different proposition after the interval and turned it around with goals from Joelinton - via David Raya - and Alexander Isak to make it a second victory in the capital in the space of three days.
Great work down the right from Kevin Schade earned the first penalty. He flew past Fabian Schar before cutting in from the right – only for Sven Botman to fly across and upend him in an attempt to clear.
Toney did his usual trick of waiting for the keeper to move, but Nick Pope stayed upright and then fell on the kick placed low to his left.
Redemption came on the stroke of half time when ref Chris Kavanagh was persuaded to check the monitor after Isak had raised a boot into Rico Henry at a corner.
This time, Toney made no mistake, firing firmly to Pope’s left but with greater power and height.
It was a strange day all round for Toney against one of his former clubs. He had the ball in the net after eight minutes – pouncing from a yard out after Pope had kept out a Pontus Jansson header, but not diverted it far away enough to make it safe.
Alas for the Bees, a VAR check ruled Toney marginally offside, denying him the perfect start.
It would have been another set piece success as the original header was the result of a lovely flighted free-kick from Mathias Jensen wide on the left.
That was the last we were to see of luckless skipper Jansson, as he went off with a leg injury soon after, Zanka deputising.
The Magpies were very passive in that opening half, but Eddie Howe’s men raised their game, with Callum Wilson and Anthony Gordon coming on to add more potency and urgency up front.
The changes paid off handsomely. It was man of the match Joelinton who levelled it up, outfoxing Ben Mee in cutting in from the right and he kept his calm to slide the ball under David Raya, who was later 'credited' with the goal.
And the Geordies’ outstanding player had a hand in the goal that gave the visitors the lead, sliding the ball in for Wilson to square and Isak to put away with a fine first-time shot from the edge of the area.
The bit firmly between the teeth, the Magpies went in search of more goals and Isak forced a save from Raya before Wilson had the ball in the net again - only to have it ruled out for handball this time.
Toney almost glanced a header past Pope from a Jensen free-kick, but Pope got down superbly to palm it away and in spite of some late pressure, the Bees got no closer to saving the day.
Bees: (5-3-2) Raya – Hickey (Mbeumo 70), Jansson (Zanka 16), Pinnock, Mee (Wissa 82), Henry – Dasilva (Baptiste 70), Norgaard (Janelt 82), Jensen – Toney, Schade. Subs not used: Strakosha, Ghoddos, Damsgaard, Roerslev
Magpies: (4-3-3) Pope – Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn – S Longstaff (Wilson h/t), Bruno Guimaraes, Willock (Anderson 87) – Murphy (Gordon h/t) (Ritchie 90), Isak (Lascelles 87), Joelinton. Subs not used: Dubravka, Dummett, Targett, Manquillo
Attendance: 17,107
