BRENTFORD 2-1 WATFORD
- Goals: Pontus Jansson (£4.6m), Bryan Mbeumo (£5.5m) | Emmanuel Dennis (£5.7m)
- Assists: Marcus Forss (£5.3m), Saman Ghoddos (£5.3m) | Tom Cleverley (£4.8m)
- Bonus: Dennis x3, Mbeumo x2, Jansson x1
BACK-TO-BACK RETURNS FOR MBEUMO
He left it late, but Bryan Mbeumo’s (£5.5m) dramatic last-minute penalty means that he has now produced attacking returns in back-to-back Gameweeks, with tonight’s nine-point haul – courtesy of a goal and two bonus points – his best of the season so far.
In the absence of Ivan Toney (£6.6m), the out-of-position Frenchman was Brentford’s brightest spark on the night, running the channels effectively and, in addition to his winner, forcing a good first-half save from Daniel Bachmann (£4.2m). He ended the match with three goal attempts, while his positioning meant that he was once again the Bees’ most advanced player.
“Mbuemo deserves a lot of praise. I think he was unplayable today. I’ve said before I have the world’s best penalty taker in Ivan Toney and now maybe I have number two as well.” – Thomas Frank
Brentford’s average position map v Watford in Gameweek 16
It was a much-needed three points for Thomas Frank’s side, who went into tonight’s clash with just one win from eight games. However, they now sit in the top-half, though it is worth noting that their fixtures from this point onwards do toughen considerably:
DENNIS ON TARGET AGAIN
Following tonight’s opener, Emmanuel Dennis (£5.7m) is now Fantasy Premier League’s (FPL) top-scoring forward on 84 points. The 24-year-old arrived at Vicarage Road in the summer as a relative unknown, but has since been directly involved in 13 Watford goals, a total only Mohamed Salah (£13.1m) can trump.
For the majority of tonight’s tie, it was surprisingly Dennis who took up more of a central role, with King operating off the left. They did sometimes switch, but it was notable just how much wider King was for large periods.
Josh King’s touch heatmap v Brentford in Gameweek 16
Dennis is now surely set for further price rises, with over 20k FPL managers already transferring him in tonight, though it is worth noting that he could be set to miss games in the New Year due to his involvement in the Nigeria AFCON squad.
WATFORD DENIED FIRST CLEAN SHEET LATE ON
It’s now seven defeats in nine matches for Watford under Claudio Ranieri, a period which has seen them concede a league-high 21 goals since he took charge.
The schedule, which has been particularly testing of late, has of course played a part, but the fact they are the only Premier League side yet to keep a single clean sheet all season is a huge cause for concern.
FEWEST PREMIER LEAGUE CLEAN SHEETS 2021/22
| Team | Clean sheets |
| Watford | 0 |
| Leicester City, Newcastle United | 1 |
| Burnley | 2 |
| Everton, Leeds United, Manchester United, Norwich City, West Ham United | 3 |
“I was very happy (in the first half), we weren’t playing how we usually play but we were winning the match. Then, in the second half, slowly we went too deep. We gave some chances to them.
My frustration has passed, now my mind is on the next match. There are other battles and we are stronger than tonight. That was my message to the players: it’s very important to react immediately.” – Claudio Ranieri
Brentford XI: Fernandez, Goode, Jansson, Janelt, Roerslev, Baptiste, Norgaard, Jensen (Ghoddos 69), Henry (Onyeka 77), Mbeumo, Wissa (Forss 69)
Watford XI: Bachmann, Femenia, Troost-Ekong, Cathcart, Ngakia, Kucka, Sissoko, Cucho (Sema 77), Cleverley (Joao Pedro 58), King, Dennis (Tufan 90+1)
