A ‘masterclass’ gets a 9/10 and an ‘underwhelming’ 5/10 in Brentford v Fulham player ratings

Brentford came out on top in the battle of the unexpected European hopefuls as Thomas Frank’s side battled their way to a 3-2 home win against London rivals Fulham.

The Bees made a quickfire start to the contest and got their rewards when Ethan Pinnock fired them in front with just six minutes on the clock. In-form Cottagers forward Manor Solomon got the visitors back on level-terms when he continued his fine form in front of goal by finding the net six minutes before half-time.

But their hosts would not be denied as Ivan Toney restored their lead with a penalty eight minutes into the second-half before Mathias Jansen settled the contest with a neat finish after good work from substitute Kevin Schade.

Fulham substitute Carlos Vinicius set home nerves on edge when he scored in the eighth minute of injury-time - but there was little time left to grab an equaliser as the full-time whistle was blown just seconds later.

LondonWorld gives our players ratings as the Bees moved to within one point of their visitors and the European places.

Brentford

David Raya - 6

Will be annoyed to have conceded twice and won’t look back on Vinicius’ late strike with any pride.

Aaron Hickey - 7

Fairly solid defensively and got forward to support the midfield and attack whenever it was possible.

Ben Mee - 8

Stood up well to the challenge of facing the ever-physical Mitrovic and seemed to relish the battle.

Ethan Pinnock - 8

Got things underway with his early goal and helped Mee with a solid display defensively.

Rico Henry - 8

Always dangerous when providing support to his more attack-minded team-mates but also produced some intelligent defending when it was required.

Mikkel Damsgaard - 7

A reliable part of Frank’s side and didn’t let anyone down with a solid display.

Christian Norgaard - 7

Another hardworking display that laid the foundations for a fully deserved win for his side.

Mathias Jensen - 8

Deserved his goal as reward for an energetic display. Seemed to really enjoy the battle and more than played his part in the win.

Ivan Toney - 9

Is there a better penalty taker in the Premier League? Or even world football at this rate? A masterclass in leading the line and a real threat throughout the game.

Yoane Wissa - 7

There was always plenty of energy given to Toney and Wissa was a key part in that as he made sure the striker was not left isolated against the Cottagers defence.

Bryan Mbuemo - 8

Started the game so well and probably should have given the Bees an early lead. Still looked dangerous and supported Toney well.

Substitutes

Mads Roerslev (on for Hickey) - 5

Vitaly Janelt (on for Damsgaard) - 6

Josh Dasilva (on for Mbuemo) - 5

Kevin Schade - 7

Fulham

Bernd Leno - 6

Couldn’t really do anything about the goals and made a couple of impressive saves.

Issa Diop - 5

A careless piece of defending led to Toney’s penalty and was given an uncomfortable night.

Kenny Tete - 6

Showed flashes going forwards without really creating too much.

Antonee Robinson - 6

Similar to Tete as he failed to make the most of some promising moments in the Brentford half.

Tim Ream - 6

Had a really awkward night with the lively Toney.

Harrison Reed - 6

Continued to work hard throughout the game but it felt like a losing battle against an impressive Bees midfield.

Andreas Pereira - 6

Tried to provide a spark and was unlucky not to score with a fine free-kick that led to Soloman’s goal.

Willian - 6

Found it difficult to make a real impact as he has on so many occasions during the season.

Sasa Lukic - 5

Really should have been shown a second yellow card during the first-half and didn’t influence in the way he can.

Manor Solomon - 7

Turning into a real star and he was impressive once again to keep his goalscoring record going.

Aleksander Mitrovic - 5

Very underwhelming as he came out second best in the battle of the strikers with Toney.

Substitutes

Cedric Soares (on for Tete) - 5

Harry Wilson (on for Solomon) - 6

Bobby De Cordova-Reid (on for Lukic) - 6

Carlos Vinicius (on for Willian) - 6