Mbeumo puts Brentford back on track as Owls are chased off

Brentford (1) 3 Mbeumo 23, Ghoddos 74, Sorensen 84

Sheffield Wednesday (0) 0

Bryan Mbeumo’s first-half strike and second half assist helped Brentford back to winning ways and ended a troubling run of three successive defeats.

The striker – sole survivor of the famed BMW triumvirate of last season - plundered the opener from close range and then laid a neat pass in for Saman Ghoddos to fire home across keeper Joe Wildsmith.

A low header from an unmarked Mads Bech Sorensen sealed the points after Ghoddos floated in a free-kick from the right.

The Bees looked far less menacing without Ivan Toney for the hour their expert marksman waited on the bench for his return from injury, but they found a way of getting their noses in front against a Wednesday side whose slickness on the ball belied their lowly status.

The win keeps the Bees in second place in the Championship table, just above nearest chasers Watford and Swansea City.

Thomas Frank’s men will not look back too fondly on their opening work as the Owls looked after the ball well – Barry Bannon the fulcrum of their calm, controlled play - and, in their anxiety to get going, the Bees rushed their passes and frittered away possession.

But they were given the vital boost of the opening goal on 24 minutes when the visitors failed to deal with a long throw from Sorensen on the left.

It reached Sergi Canos at the far stick, and the Spaniard played the ball firmly into the middle for Mbeumo to nod in his fourth of the season from no distance.

The first exchanges suggested it might be a difficult night for the promotion-chasing Bees. David Raya was called into action early on when Bannon chanced his arm from distance and the resulting corner saw a Tom Lees header go just wide at the far post.

The Bees responded with what was nearly the most spectacular goal of the season when Ghoddos lofted a perfect pass in from the right and Mbuemo’s first-time volley from the edge of the area flew just over.

Yet the Bees were laboured early on and took the lead against the run of play to calm a few nerves.

Ghoddos might have made the second half instantly more comfortable at the restart, but slid the ball wide after a cut-back from the left by a marauding Henrik Dalsgaard had created a perfect opening.

But he made amends with the goal which effectively broke the Owls’ resistance and then claimed an assist as he picked out Sorensen with a floated free-kick for goal number three.

Mbeumo nearly capped a great night for him with another goal after being set free with only Wildsmith to beat, but the keeper leapt up to claw away an attempted chip.

Had fans been present, he would surely have received a fine ovation from the stands when he was subbed off towards the end.

Bees: David Raya – Dalsgaard (Roerslev 85), Reid, Pinnock, Bech Sorensen – Jensen, Janelt, Ghoddos (Zamburek 85) – Fosu (Dasilva 75), Mbeumo (Marcondes 85), Canos (Toney 65). Subs not used: Daniels, Pressley, Gilbert, Bidstrup

Owls: Wildsmith – Palmer, Lees, Urhogide, Penney – Harris, Hutchinson (Pelupessy 88), Bannan, Reach (Dele-Bashiru 55, Brown 77) – Kachunga (Paterson 77), Rhodes. Subs not used: Borner, Windass, Dunckley, Hunt, Jackson