Brentford’s European dreams fell at the final hurdle despite beating Premier League champions Manchester City 1-0 in west London.
Thomas Frank’s side needed to beat City and hope Aston Villa and Tottenham failed to win against Brighton and Leeds respectively. And while Ethan Pinnock’s late strike meant the Bees held their side of the bargain, both Villa and Spurs won, meaning the Bees remain in ninth.
It was a goal that Brentford deserved after dominating the chances all afternoon, as City lost for the first time since their defeat to Tottenham on February 5.
Pep Guardiola’s side, who left Erling Haaland on the bench and Kevin De Bruyne at home, only had half-chances for most of the game but could have snatched a draw in stoppage-time.
Cole Palmer had three big chances from close range in the space of five seconds, seeing two good efforts blocked by match-winner Pinnock, before another was hacked off the line by Ben Mee.
More to follow.
Brentford season verdict
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz:
Once upon a time, Brentford were bottom of the pile when it came to the west London hierarchy.
They stood in the shadow of the glitz and glamour of Chelsea, Fulham have also stood above them as Premier League regulars since the turn of the century – and don’t forget the time QPR tried to buy Brentford out of existence through a failed takeover of their neighbours in the 1960s.
Now, no more. Brentford ended this Premier League season as the highest-ranked west London club in English football this season. In fact, title-chasing Arsenal were the only London team to finish ahead of the Bees this season in the league.
Last season, Brentford were the plucky new kids on the block in their debut Premier League campaign and many expected them to suffer from “second season syndrome” this time around.
Instead, they went to the next level.
The Bees’ top-half finish saw them become better against the lesser sides in the league, while retaining their tricky status against the top teams.
Brentford picked up four points away from home against the top two – they are the only club to win at Manchester City across all four competitions and have now done the double over them. They beat Manchester United and Liverpool at home, along with Tottenham and Chelsea away this season. They are deserved top-ten finishers.
Most importantly, Brentford have also shown they are more than Ivan Toney – who they will have to be without until the New Year after he admitted to 232 FA betting breaches.
Every time Toney doesn’t start, Yoane Wissa scores and Bryan Mbeumo comes out of his shell. The improvement of Kevin Schade and Mikkel Damsgaard next season, after acclimatisation campaigns this term, will help the blow – as well as the transfer window of course.
Ultimately, the Bees are a quirky club. Goalkeeper David Raya is one of the best playmakers, they play four left-footed players across the back four and anyone who has watched a Thomas Frank press conference knows how enigmatic he can be.
But they are improving each year under the Danish manager in terms of league position. Four years ago, they just made the top half of the Championship. This year, they were on the cusp of Europe.
With Brighton showing that you can upset the odds to reach the continental scene, Brentford are a team to watch next season.
Man City season verdict
Sky Sports’ Oliver Yew:
What more can you say about Manchester City?
Premier League champions for a third successive season. They have now won five of the last six titles and they are showing no signs of stopping.
A sensational run of 12 consecutive league wins in the final weeks of the season has seen Pep Guardiola’s side dismantle Arsenal’s charge for a first Premier League title since 2003/04. At one stage in January, City trailed the Gunners by eight points, but there was no panic from the reigning champions.
Let’s face it, City weren’t in too bad of a state last season in winning the title, but the addition of Erling Haaland’s firepower has taken this City juggernaut to another level. Throw in Kevin De Bruyne’s assists, Jack Grealish’s improved performances, Ilkay Gundogan’s leadership, Rodri’s control in midifeld, Nathan Ake’s importance in defence and John Stones’ ability to step out of defence, Guardiola has got this City machine firing on all cylinders.
The success potentially doesn’t stop there. Attention now turns to securing the treble with City now two victories away from completing a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble – a feat only achieved once in English football by Manchester United in 1998/99.
City’s sights are firmly set on the FA Cup final against Manchester United on June 3 and the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10, and it’s difficult to see how they are stopped now and in the future.
The rest of the Premier League need to find some answers.
How the season played out
When does the 2023/24 Premier League season start?
The Premier League season will kick-off on August 12 and conclude nine months later on May 19, 2024.
The start is one week later than the 2022/23 launch as the schedule returns to normal following the Covid-19 pandemic and the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which provided disruption during the previous three seasons.
However, the fixture list provides for a return of the mid-season player break which will take place between January 13-20.
Fixtures for the new Premier League season will be revealed at 9am on Thursday June 15 and you can follow the announcements on Sky Sports News and across Sky Sports’ digital platforms.
