Brentford beat Manchester United 4-3
A pair of headed goals by Kevin Schade pushed the team ahead of Manchester United. A pair of late goals made the scoreline close, as the game finished 4-3 Bees.
Let's check the pre-game Correlation FC predictions:
Prediction #1
If Brentford holds United to one goal or less, the Bees will win the game.
Nope. Brentford did hold United to 1 goal for most of the game, but eventually conceded 3 so this prediction has gone up in smoke.
Prediction #2
Thomas Frank will choose same starting lineup that won at Nottingham Forest earlier in the week.
Correct. Same starting lineup, same result. Will he stick with the same lineup three games in a row?
Trends that continued
Kayode's long throws
Michael Kayode made several positive contributions to Brentford with his throws against United, taking 11 throw-ins before being substituted off in the 74th minute. His first throw directly led to a Brentford corner. His third helped set up a goal, and he very nearly contributed to two others in the second half. After several 30-35 yard throws, he opted for some shorter throws – in the 39th and again in the 40th minute he threw short to Keane Lewis-Potter, giving the team possession in a dangerous area, which allowed Lewis-Potter to make uncontested crosses into the box.
Positive outcomes from Michael Kayode's throw-ins against Manchester United (source Correlation FC)
Quick goal pairings
Brentford's 4 goals came through 2 quick goal pairs. The first pair was scored just 6 minutes apart (27' and 31') while the second came even quicker at just 4 minutes apart (70' and 74'). These represented the 7th and 8th time this season that the Bees have scored two goals in close succession.
Brentford has scored pairs of goals in quick succession 8 times this season (source Correlation FC)
| Date | Opponent | Goal times |
|---|---|---|
| 31st August 2024 | Southampton | 65', 69' |
| 26th October 2024 | Ipswich Town | 44', 45'+1 |
| 30th November 2024 | Leicester City | 25', 29' |
| 4th January 2025 | Southampton | 62', 69' |
| 4th January 2025 | Southampton | 90'+2, 90'+4 |
| 21st November 2025 | Leicester City | 27', 32' |
| 4th May 2025 | Manchester United | 27', 33' |
| 4th May 2025 | Manchester United | 70', 74' |
No, you kick off
This season, the Bees have been remarkably good at picking up points in games when the opposition kicks off in the first half, having a record of 11 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses. The Bees have only won 4 of 16 games when they've kicked off the first half.
What was different
First own goal of the season
The official statisticians today had to take a goal away from Mikkel Damsgaard, and instead record it as an own goal for Luke Shaw. As a result, Michael Kayode also lost what would have been his first Premier League assist. Nobody wins in a situation like that, so Correlation FC will record it as a goal for Damsgaard and an unofficial assist for Kayode. This was the first own goal for Brentford this season. Vitaly Janelt has been credited with two own goals against this season. All 3 have been scored in the East Stand goal of the Gtech Community Stadium.
Other data stories
Three 10 goal scorers
Schade's goals today pushed his league total to 10, joining teammates Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo in the 10+ club. Prior to this game, Brentford was the only team in the league with a pair of 10+ goal scorers. Needless to say, they are also the only team with a trio 10+ goal scorers. Wissa, Mbeumo and Schade's combined goal total sits second in the league behind Liverpool's trio of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo.
Top 3 goal scorers per team, as of 5th May 2025 (source FBref.com)
| Rank | Team | Top 3 scorers | Top 3 Total | % of team goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | Salah, Diaz, Gakpo | 49 | 61% |
| 2 | Brentford | Mbeumo, Wissa, Schade | 46 | 75% |
| 3 | Newcastle | Isak, Barnes, Murphy | 40 | 63% |
| 4 | Manchester City | Haaland, Foden, Marmoush | 34 | 52% |
| 5 | Chelsea | Palmer, Jackson, Madueke | 32 | 54% |
Kayode makes his mark
We've already discussed Kayode's long throws. His impact went far beyond that against United as he made both attacking and defensive contributions all around the pitch.
Michael Kayode's leading performance for Brentford (source FBref.com)
| Category | Total | Team rank |
|---|---|---|
| Shot-creating actions | 4 | 1 |
| Goal-creating actions | 2 | 1 |
| Assists | 1 | 1 (tie) |
| Carries | 30 | 1 |
| Progressive carries | 4 | 1 |
| Progressive carrying distance | 121 | 1 |
| Pass completions | 38 | 2 |
| Take-ons | 9 | 1 |
| Throw-ins | 11 | 1 |
| Loose ball recoveries | 7 | 1 |
| Tackles | 3 | 2 (tie) |
| Interceptions | 2 | 1 (tie) |
| Touches | 63 | 2 |
Kayode + Henry = Win
Kayode started his third consecutive game at right back (and impressed throughout). Also for the third consecutive game, Rico Henry came off the bench to play at left back. The team has won all three games where this duet has played out.
This story was published on 05 May 2025. It was written by Dennis Flood. The image at the top of this story was generated using AI.
