Brentford win incredible seven-goal thriller at Burnley
Burnley 3Kayode (45’+3)
Anthony (47′)
Flemming (60′, 79′)
Brentford 4Damsgaard (9′, 90’+3)
Thiago (25′)
Schade (34′)
Brentford lost a three-goal lead but still won an extraordinary game at Turf Moor, where Mikkel Damsgaard netted a late winner.
The Bees took advantage of some appalling Burnley defending to score three times in the opening 34 minutes, with Damsgaard, Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade netting.
Michael Kayode, back after injury, scored an own goal in the final moments of the first half to give the beleaguered hosts hope.
That hope increased dramatically with Jadon Anthony’s deflected strike a couple of minutes after the restart.
After Zian Flemming equalised and then had a goal disallowed, Damsgaard restored Brentford’s lead in stoppage time.
And there was more drama to follow, with Ashley Barnes appearing to equalise before the goal was disallowed for handball following a lengthy VAR check.
Damsgaard headed in the opener from Dango Ouattara’s corner and then set up the second with a perfect ball through to Thiago, who slotted into the far corner.
And when Burnley failed to deal with Kayode’s long throw, Schade pounced from close range to make it 3-0.
It was one-way traffic, but when Anthony fired across goal, Kayode stumbled and turned the ball into his own net.
When Anthony’s shot deflected in off Kayode early in the second half, the home fans believed the comeback was on.
Brentford, without keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who missed the game to be at the birth of his child, were suddenly under huge pressure.
Burnley pushed forward in search of an equaliser and got it courtesy of Flemming’s header from Hannibal Mejbri’s cross.
The Clarets then appeared to have gone ahead when Flemming headed in Anthony’s cross – but a VAR check showed that Anthony was marginally offside before delivering the ball.
There was no room for doubt when Damsgaard controlled Rico Henry’s cross and finished emphatically.
But Burnley appeared to have rescued a point when Barnes fired past stand-in keeper Hákon Valdimarsson.
However, VAR again came to Brentford’s rescue.
Brentford: Valdimarsson, Kayode, Ajer, Van den Berg, Henry, Jensen, Yarmoliuk (Henderson 73), Damsgaard, Ouattara (Donovan 73), Schade (Lewis-Potter 73), Thiago.
Subs not used: Balcombe, Pinnock, Collins, Furo, Bentt, Shield.
