Toney and Mbeumo ‘like Yorke and Cole’
The Brentford strike force of Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo are already being compared to Premier League greats such as Didier Drogba, Dwight Yorke and Andrew Cole.
Toney – who scored the first goal after winning the penalty and set up the second for Mbeumo – led the way as Brentford earned their first top-flight away win since 1947. Toney and Mbeumo scored four goals in the first half against hapless Wolverhampton Wanderers, two of which counted, while Mbeumo hit the woodwork late on.
Team-mate Christian Norgaard said: “Bryan and Ivan did a fantastic job and are linking up very well. I heard someone in the changing room comparing Ivan with Didier Drogba. I think he looked a bit like him, actually – the way he kept the ball, his first touch and his passes. He won every single header and he is a right player.”
Thomas Frank, Brentford’s manager, rejoices in repeating the supporters’ self-deprecating chant of “We’re just a bus stop in Hounslow”, and is equally effusive about his forward pairing, who have propelled the team to ninth place.
“Ivan’s performance was 10 out of 10,” Frank said. “I’m extremely pleased with him; not just the player, but the person. He has a top mentality. He scored one and then an assist for Bryan – there is a little bit of [Dwight] Yorke and [Andrew] Cole about them.”
By contrast, none of Wolves’ 11 attempts hit the target and they are by far the most wasteful team in the Premier League. Their 82 attempts this season have yielded two goals – one of those an own goal – making them joint-bottom scorers with Arsenal and Norwich.
But Raul Jimenez is convinced his partnership with Adama Traore will flourish. “We have to keep going,” he said. “We are working and are going to get there again.”