So easy for Brentford as Cherries get the Toney treatment

Brentford (1) 2 Toney 39pen, Jensen 75

Bournemouth (0) 0

Ivan Toney marked a return from injury with his customary penalty to maintain his rich vein of form.

He now has 14 for the season as the Bees recorded a routine-as-you-like victory over a weak and fast-sinking Cherries outfit.

They barely had to break sweat to extend their current unbeaten league run to seven matches. They are now up to eighth and above Liverpool. The dream continues.

A first half of little excitement but obvious superiority for the home side was drifting towards 0-0 at the interval until Toney won and converted from the spot – making it nine out of nine successful pens in the top flight.

His unerring brilliance from 12 yards is taken as read, but what isn’t appreciated as much is his excellence at winning a good many of those spot-kicks.

He managed to grab the arm of defender Marcos Sensei and effectively wrestled both to the ground, making it look for all the world as if a serious felony had been committed..

It always looks like a penalty and ref Jared Gillett had no hesitation in awarding it. Why VAR did not get involved is anybody’s guess – Andre Marriner on Stockley Park duty may have been asleep.

Cherries fans who had been winding the striker up about the betting scandal he is embroiled in, had to suck up the disappointment.

There was not the fireworks of the Bees’ most recent triumph at the Gtech – that thrilling 3-1 win over Liverpool – but they were in the mood to get the job done and shut out the opponents. It wasn't too difficult.

David Raya was called into action during a brief flurry of activity from the visitors – parrying a shot from sub Siriki Dembele, who had managed to weave into the inside left channel to create a decent chance.

But the points were wrapped up when Mathias Jensen was picked out by Josh Dasilva’s cross in from the left, and the midfielder had time to steady himself and place a firm shot past Neto’s right hand.

It was probably as comfortable an outing as they have had since making it back up to the top flight.

Bees: (4-3-3) Raya – Ajer (Zanka 80), Pinnock, Mee, Janelt – Jensen, Norgaard, Dasilva (Damsgaard 82) – Mbeumo (Lewis-Potter 89), Toney (Schade 82), Wissa (Roerslev 71). Subs not used: Strakosha, Canos, Ghoddos, Bech Sorensen

Cherries: (4-4-2) Neto – Stacey, Mepham, Senesi (Rothwell 78), Kelly – Christie, L Cook (Pearson 35), Lerma, Anthony (Dembele 66) – Billing, Moore. Subs not used: Travers, Stephens, Zemura, Sadi, Gonzalez, Adu-Adjei

Attendance: 17,031