Brentford manager Thomas Frank has admitted that his team is “dreaming” of qualifying for European competition after a 1-0 victory over Ipswich at Portman Road. Kevin Schade’s first-half header, which came from Bryan Mbeumo’s precise corner, was the only goal of the game and secured Brentford’s fourth consecutive Premier League win. The result pushed the Bees into a strong position to finish in eighth place, a position that could potentially secure a spot in next season’s Conference League, depending on the outcome of the FA Cup final.
Schade’s header in the 18th minute was his fourth goal in three matches, demonstrating his fine form in recent weeks. The ball was delivered to the near post from Mbeumo’s corner, and Schade rose to direct a looping header over the Ipswich defenders and past goalkeeper Alex Palmer. Despite a lack of clear-cut chances in the first half, Frank was pleased with the quality of the goal. “Sometimes you need a top delivery and a top finish, and we got that,” he said.
While Brentford’s win was a crucial one in their pursuit of European football, Frank was quick to acknowledge that they still face a tough challenge. “We need a perfect run-in,” he said, referring to their remaining matches. Brentford will host Fulham next weekend before finishing their season away to Wolves. The team is in contention for a top-ten finish, and securing a place in the top half of the table in two out of four Premier League seasons would be a significant achievement for the club.
At present, Brighton are the Bees’ closest rivals, with both teams level on points, while Bournemouth remain in contention despite a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa. Fulham’s defeat to Everton has left them four points behind Brentford, meaning that the race for the Conference League spot has narrowed to three teams.
Ipswich, who have already been relegated from the Premier League, came close to equalizing in the latter stages of the match. Omari Hutchinson had a powerful shot that hit the near post, and Mark Flekken produced a superb save to deny Cameron Burgess’s volley. Frank was full of praise for his goalkeeper’s performance: “A big save from Mark took it over the line. Fantastic. It’s very rare you play any game in the Premier League and give no chances away. We gave one away in the end. That was a big save.”
The match was not without controversy, as Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna expressed his frustration with the video assistant referee (VAR). There were a number of stoppages for incidents involving players grappling at corners, which led to lengthy delays. McKenna felt that the technology was taking away from the flow of the game. “I don’t want to sound like the manager of the team who lost moaning about VAR,” he said. “It’s not that. I understand what it’s due to give, but I think it’s taking away more from the game in its current usage. The amount of long stoppages for things that cannot be clear and obvious. Things are being microanalysed from different angles that don’t need to be microanalysed.”
Despite these frustrations, Brentford’s victory continued their strong run of form as they push for an unlikely European spot. Frank remains hopeful that his team can finish the season strongly and secure a place in European competition, though he knows that they will need two more top performances to make their dream a reality.
