Igor Thiago scored a late brace as Brentford overcame Burnley 3-1 in dramatic fashion at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Thiago, who missed a last-gasp penalty against Brighton & Hove Albion last week, was in the thick of the action in a thrilling conclusion to Saturday’s contest.
It was another Thiago spot-kick that sparked the frantic finale, with the Brazilian coolly finishing after Axel Tuanzebe’s desperate lunge on Dango Ouattara.
However, Burnley were awarded a penalty of their own after Michael Kayode left a foot in on Jaidon Anthony, with Zian Flemming slotting into the bottom-right corner in the 85th minute.
Just 72 seconds later, though, Thiago volleyed in to put Brentford back in front, as he moves up to 11 Premier League goals for the season, just three behind leader Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.
Ouattara then wrapped up the three points in stoppage time as Keith Andrews’ team moved into eighth, while Burnley remain in the bottom three.
How the match unfolded
The best chance of the first half fell to former Burnley defender Nathan Collins, who headed wide. Brentford also went close to opening the scoring, but Thiago slammed over from Mikkel Damsgaard’s cutback.
Thiago had the ball in the net after half-time, only for the goal to be disallowed for offside after he had smashed in on the rebound from a well-saved effort by Ouattara, who also saw a close-range header go wide.
Yet the drama started when Ouattara raced in behind and was brought down by Tuanzebe, with the penalty swiftly awarded and then confirmed after a VAR check.
Thiago made it five Premier League penalty goals for the season as he shot calmly beyond Martin Dubravka, but Burnley quickly fought back – Flemming from the spot made no mistake as the Clarets capitalised on Kayode’s lapse in concentration.
But just over a minute later, Brentford were celebrating again as Jordan Henderson’s right-wing cross caused Burnley’s defence problems, with Thiago on hand to lash in from a cute angle, paving the way for Ouattara to add gloss with a calm finish when he raced through in the second minute of stoppage time.
Thiago bounces back
Thiago was coming into this game having scored nine league goals this season, though his penalty miss last time out had cost Brentford dearly.
His performances, though, have attracted the attention of Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who Andrews revealed has been in touch regarding the striker’s form.
Thiago might have given the hosts the lead in the 18th minute, but he blazed his eight-yard effort over the crossbar after good work from Damsgaard on the byline.
He then thought he had scored in the second half, but his goal was ruled out for offside after Ouattara had strayed beyond the last defender.
But Thiago showed his class and composure to step up and convert the penalty to break the deadlock, putting last week’s miss firmly behind him, and he was in the right place, at the right time, to restore Brentford’s lead five minutes later, showing great skill to acrobatically volley in, even if it did take a deflection.
Thiago is now on 11 league goals for the season, and will hope to show what he can do against the league’s best defence when Brentford take on leaders Arsenal on Wednesday.
Clarets’ winless run rolls on
The pressure is ramping up on Scott Parker’s 19th-placed team – they have now succumbed to four consecutive league defeats.
The Clarets defended resolutely right up until giving away the penalty, with Tuanzebe getting caught on the wrong side of Ouattara and then fouling the attacker in his desperate attempts to rectify the situation.
The visitors showed bravery to not cave in and instead claw themselves back into the contest through Flemming’s leveller, but poor defending from Kyle Walker at the far post then allowed Thiago to fire into the roof of the net.
But from then on, their resolve was punctured, and the lively Damsgaard got the better of three players before finding Henderson 25 yards out, with the former Liverpool captain allowed to stroll forward before teeing up Ouattara.
Parker has much to work on heading into a crucial December, with a home match against Crystal Palace next up for Burnley.
Club reports
Brentford report | Burnley report
What the managers said
Keith Andrews: "We had to keep doing the right things consistently. I never doubted the character of our team.
"Not surprised by his [Thiago's] response [after missing penalty against Brighton last week]. He is a top human being, personality and character. Everything we stand for can be seen in abundance in Thiago. I just love the way he plays the game."
Scott Parker: "We knew how difficult this fixture would be. They've got some big results against big, big teams here - Liverpool, United, Villa and Newcastle, so we knew the challenge ahead of us.
“I thought during the first half the game ebbed and flowed and we defended our moments. They can create huge pressure and stress on a team from set plays, balls coming in your box and we defended that really, really well. We had some opportunities as well. Second half it's fair to say that the pressure comes even more on us and we can't get a foothold in the game."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Thiago scored his 10th and 11th Premier League goals of the season, the earliest in terms of matches (13) a Brentford player has reached double figures in a single campaign in the competition.
Brentford have won nine of their last 10 Premier League games against newly promoted sides (L1), scoring 32 goals in these matches (3.2 per game).
Burnley have lost four consecutive Premier League games in London for the first time since December 2018 (a run of six).
Brentford have been awarded seven penalties in their 13 Premier League games this season (scored 5), the highest rate per game in a single season in the competition (0.54 per game).