The Bees scored a first-half goal, only to have Villa respond with a goal of their own less than two minutes later. Roles were reversed in the second-half, with Villa scoring first and then the Bees scoring shortly after.
Trends that continued
Andrews still undefeated against Emery
Keith Andrews has now gone four matches head-to-head against Villa coach Unai Emery without a loss. Only Oliver Glasner, currently at Nottingham Forest, has done better, staying undefeated against Emery in 8 matches (6 wins, 2 draws).
Kelleher stopping the shots
Last season, Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher finished with 110 saves, second to Burnley's Martin Dubravka.
That trend has continued this season. After 6 games, Kelleher has made 22 saves, second in the league behind only Leeds' (and former Burnley) keeper James Trafford.
Below, we look at the shots that Kelleher has saved this season.
Kelleher saves in 2026-27 Premier League after MW6 (source: Correlation FC, Sofascore)
Barely behind
As mentioned above, while the Bees were only ahead in the game for about two minutes, they were also only behind for about two minutes.
Remarkably, the Bees have only been behind on the scoreboard for six minutes this season
Second best is Manchester City, who have trailed for 58 minutes. Ipswich Town is at the other end of the table, having trailed for 239 minutes (a total of 259 minutes if you include stoppage time). It's remarkable that they've managed to win three games in that stretch.
What was different
Goals from Yarmoliuk and Ajer
Brentford's goals came from unlikely sources against Villa. Yehor Yarmoliuk scored only his second goal in 101 Premier League games. His celebration was much more subdued this time compared to his first goal.
Defender Kristoffer Ajer hadn't scored for the Bees since March 2024. However he did score goals in back-to-back games then, so maybe he'll be on the scoresheet again this weekend against Liverpool.
Goals from everywhere
Goals from players like Yarmo (midfield) and Ajer (defender) are a difference that we're seeing in 2026-27 compared to recent seasons. Goal totals in those seasons were dominated by the forwards, but this season things have been much more evenly distributed.
Brentford goals by position in Premier League seasons (source: Correlation FC)
Not only are more positions getting involved, but more individuals are scoring too. In 2024-25, only 10 different players scored for the Bees. In 2025-26 that rose to 12 players. In just 6 games so far this season, 9 different players have already scored in the league.
Other data stories
Hickey's versatility
Coach Andrews loves versatile players that can play in different positions and situations. Aaron Hickey ticked a new box against Villa, playing at centre-back for the first time at Brentford, coming on for Jannik Schuster at half-time. Hickey has now played at left-back, right-back, centre-back as well as playing in midfield last season.
Brentford goal contributions
| Goal | Goal scorer | First assist | Second assist | Goal scenario | Time of goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yarmoliuk | Igor Thiago | Schade | Open play | 10' |
| 2 | Ajer | Anthony | El Hadji Malick Diouf | Open play | 79' |
This story was published on 13 October 2026. It was written by Dennis Flood. The image at the top of this story was generated using AI.
