Correlation FC

Bees come back to beat Newcastle 3-1

After a quiet first half that saw Brentford fall behind by a goal, the Bees were the much stronger team in the second half, scoring three goals, including another two for Igor Thiago.

Trends that continued

More goals from the front 3

Thiago, Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara have now combined for 13 of Brentford's 17 Premier League goals this season, or 76% of the total. Dango didn't score in this game, but he was highly influential in the outcome.

Starting lineup stability

Keith Andrews only made a single change to the starting lineup, replacing an injured Kristoffer Ajer with Aaron Hickey. That's four straight games with a nearly identical starting lineup.

Consistency in the back 3

Centre-back pairing Nathan Collins and Sepp van den Berg have played all 990 league minutes together this season, the only pairing in the league to do so. They've been complemented by keeper Caoimhin Kelleher who has also played every league minute. So, despite a summer of massive upheaval and change for the Bees, Keith Andrews has been able to count on these three for the core of his defensive unit.

Bees performing well against higher rated teams

We've been following Opta's Power Rankings this season, and remarkably, the Bees have been at their best this season against tougher opponents.

So far, 7 of their 11 matches have been played against higher rated teams. Their only losses to higher rated rivals have come at home to Manchester City and away at Crystal Palace.

What was different

Comeback kids

When Harvey Barnes scored in the first half for Newcastle, correlation lovers would have been concerned. The Bees had been winless this season when the opposition scores first. But this time was different, with a trio of second half goals assuring the win for the Bees.

Brentford goal kicks

In recent seasons, it's been common to see defenders make initial contact on a goal kick, frequently rolling the ball sideways to the keeper. Against Newcastle, Brentford often had Collins in that position. What was different this time around, as Collins made several long kicks from that position. In fact, goalkeeper Kelleher didn't take a single goal kick all game. It's unclear whether Kelleher had some sort of minor injury or whether this was a tactical play by the Bees.

Other data stories

A tale of two halves

The Bees went into halftime down 1-0. They hadn't played poorly – in fact, they had probably been the better team – but they certainly weren't playing at their best. In the second half, they sharpened up, typically making shorter, more patient passes, and exerted themselves on Newcastle. The numbers below show the difference between the two halves.

Stats comparison between first and second halves (Source theanalyst.com)

Foul magnets

Newcastle are known for being a physical team and sit in the top 5 of the league for fouls committed. The Bees are the least fouled team in the league. As the game played out, it was Newcastle's fouls that became central to the storyline.

Three Bees were fouled a combined 10 times by Newcastle, but it was arguably the fouls on Ouattara that proved to be most important. He was fouled by Joelinton in the first half, with the Newcastle player injuring himself in the process and leaving the game shortly after. Dan Burn, filling in at left-back, earned both of his yellow cards by fouling Ouattara as well, the second giving the Bees a penalty.

The most-fouled Bees against Newcastle (source FBref.com)

Henry's misleading stats

Rico Henry came off the bench for Hickey in the 71st minute, playing the final half hour or so of the game (including injury time). During that stretch, his defensive numbers were not impressive.

Rico Henry's defensive numbers against Newcastle (source FBref.com)

However, that "1" clearance was huge, as it came in the 87th minute and saved a sure goal. Had Henry not made that play, Anthony Elanga would have had an easy tap in from about 1 yard out, which would have tied the game. He was alert to anticipate the play, quick enough to be first to the ball, and skilled enough to pull the ball out as his momentum could have easily allowed led to an own-goal. The Bees rightly celebrated it like a goal of their own. Not long after, Henry made a smooth dribble past Kieran Trippier in the build-up to the Bees third goal.

Despite the tiny numbers in the stats column, this was an excellent contribution off the bench for Henry, the Bees longest-serving player, who just received his first senior team call-up to the Jamaican team. This is a good reminder that the numbers don't always tell the full story.

Jensen's unsuccessful passes

Mathias Jensen came off the bench for the Bees again against Newcastle. He's frequently been playing the role of Mikkel Damsgaard's finisher in the Premier League this season. He finished the game with an 80% passing success rate, having completed 8 of his 10 passes.

Mathias Jensen pass map vs Newcastle (source Opta)

Jensen's two incomplete passes, or "unsuccessful" passes as described by Opta, were arguably his best passes. His first unsuccessful pass was a dangerous cross across the box that nearly led to a goal by Sepp van den Berg. His second was the long pass to Reiss Nelson that led to the Bees third goal. Hopefully he'll have more "unsuccessful" passes throughout the rest of the season.

Brentford goal contributions