Brentford take the derby spoils as Warburton rages
Mark Warburton had hoped this meeting with his former club would confirm Queens Park Rangers’s early progress. Instead, it was Brentford who claimed a deserved victory while the Rangers manager was left nursing a sense of injustice.
Had Warburton’s side won, they would have moved second in the Championship table, but the manner of Brentford’s derby victory confirmed Thomas Frank’s side are gathering their own momentum.
For Warburton, though, the defining moment was the decision of referee Andy Woolmer to award Brentford a 60th-minute penalty after Bryan Mbeumo went down under a challenge by Josh Scowen. At that point, Rangers were level after Grant Hall had cancelled out Ollie Watkins’s opening goal, but Brentford restored their lead when Said Benrahma converted the penalty and Watkins completed the win in added time.
“That decision changes everything,” Warburton said. “You have to be 100 per cent sure if you are going to give that. I can’t say what I think or I’ll get fined. But I am frustrated beyond belief. Josh pulls his leg away and holds his hand up.
“I thought [Burnley manager] Sean Dyche’s comments this weekend were interesting. Players will do that if they get rewards. A VAR [video assistant referee] would not have given that, but we don’t have that in the Championship.” Frank, the Brentford manager, added: “This was another strong away performance. Everybody has big dreams and we have big dreams. But we must stay humble.” Queens Park Rangers (4-2-3-1) Kelly; Rangel, Leistner, Hall, Manning; Cameron (Mlakar 72), Scowen; Eze, Osayi-samuel, Chair; Wells. Subs Lumley (g), Kane, Wallace, Pugh, Amos, Ball.
Brentford (4-3-3) Raya; Dalsgaard, Jansson, Jeanvier, Henry; Dasilva (Jensen 81), Norgaard, Mokotjo; Mbeumo (Valencia 75), Watkins, Benrahma. Subs Daniels (g), Thompson, Pinnock, Zamburek, Roerslev. Booked Norgaard, Henry, Watkins.
Referee Andy Woolmer (Northamptonshire).