Key events
Half time: Brentford 2-1 Wolves
It is a deserved lead for the Bees but Wolves have set up the second half thanks to Armstrong.
It transpires that Sa picked up a backpass in the buildup to the Wolves goal. I assume people will be talking about it for the next 15 minutes.
45 mins: Two minutes added on.
GOAL! Brentford 2-1 Wolves (Armstrong, 44)
It is a lovely touch and finish to reduce the deficit. The striker gets the ball 25 yards from goal, he takes a sublime touch and pings the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box. GAME ON!
42 mins: Kayode rockets in a long throw, which is flicked on at the front post to Thiago who heads against the bar.
There is a quick VAR check for a penalty but it’s just the usual in-box grappling.
Wolves have not looked too bad but have zero threat in the final third.
40 mins: Wolves have a corner on the left. Mane sends it to the back post and the ball goes behind for a goal kick off a blue head.
39 mins: Shaun pens: “(Good goal wasn’t it).
“Anyway, I was just looking at the Wolves squad in the hope of cobbling together a really rubbish punny thing.
“And have to say that despite Wolves’ varied squad having players who are English, Scottish, Portuguese, Brazilian, Uruguayan, Norwegian, Colombian, Czech, Spanish, Haitian, Cameroonian, Scottish, South Korean, Nigerian and Paraguayan (the multiculturalism of modern football is rather lovely isn’t it), but I am disappointed to report that there isn’t a single player from the USA, and therefore, late in the game when he’d have been playing possibly very tired, I could have suggested that he was an American weary wolf in London. But I can’t now can I? It’s Agutter alright.”
GOAL! Brentford 2-0 Wolves (Thiago, 37)
Upsettingly, Kelleher will not get the assist but it is his stunning pass over the top of the Wolves defence that does the damage. Outtara takes down the goalkeeper’s ball and lays it on a plate for Thiago to tap into an empty net.
36 mins: Wolves have a chance in the box but Andre’s strike is blocked, not that it matters because the assistant is flagging for offside.
34 mins: Mane whips in the free-kick from the left but a home head gets rid.
32 mins: Jensen fouls Joao Gomes and inures himself in the process. The Brentford gets back up gingerly and play can resume with a Wolves free-kick. It is lumped into the box and cleared. Wolves come straight back at them, resulting in Bellegarde being tripped by Kayode just outside the box.
30 mins: Wolves are knocking the ball about but are struggling to get up the pitch and head backwards to Sa.
28 mins: The resulting long throw comes to nothing. Wolves take a clever free-kick, releasing Armstrong down the left, he pulls a cross back into the box and Brentford clear.
Kári Tulinius emails: “It’s not a factor tonight, given that Wolves are in their away strip, but ever since I noticed it, I’ve been bothered by the fact that their home kit isn’t old gold-coloured, but orange. According to the Historical Football Kits website, they haven’t worn old gold since the 1930s. Which is a shame, because “Old Gold” is one of the great club nicknames.”
26 mins: Outtara has room on the right and picks out Thiago around six yards. from goal but the cross is a little too high for the Brazilian, who cannot control his header which drifts wide.
24 mins: Van den Berg is on the deck holding his neck and Armstrong is booked for putting his elbow into the defender’s Adam’s apple.
GOAL! Brentford 1-0 Wolves (Kayode, 22)
A corner is whipped in from the left, it looks like Thiago will head home but Kayode is waiting behind him to do the business.
20 mins: I can remember watching Wolves when they were a complete rabble earlier in the season. Amazing what they have become. Andre, Joao Gomes and Mane will all get good moves when they go down.
18 mins: Wolves move up the pitch quickly and Hugo Bueno gets into a good position on the left, from where he wins a corner. Mane whips it to the back post, Brentford win the first header and eventually get the ball out for a throw. Mosquera winds up his arms and launches in a rocket but Brentford get rid and break quickly. The reach the Wolves box but can’t get a cross into the box.
16 mins: Wolves get a corner on the right but it is headed clear. They come back at Brentford soon after, with Bellegarde putting in a clever cross but the ball is diverted wide.
14 mins: Justin Kavanagh writes: “Several years ago, I discovered that our yellow Lab, Lucy, was mesmerized while watching the golden shirts of Wolves on the TV screen. However, I can now report that she cares little for these bluefangeled away shirts. So her loyalty is not of the canine/lupine variety but purely fashion-based.” Took me a second to realise you were talking about a dog.
12 mins: Wolves lose the ball in their own half, Brentford pounce and Outtara picks out Damsgaard inside the box but he thrashes over.
Chris emails: “Watching from South Africa and it occurs to me Wolves don’t look at all phased and could be up against a million Bees and still give it a good go.” This feels significant.
10 mins: Schade and Mosquera have a good battle on the right touchline. It feels like either could be awarded a free-kick but it ends up being a throw to Brentford. Kayode … takes it short. The ball belatedly goes into the box and it looks a simple take for Sa but he drops it, leading to panic. The danger end when Van den Berg is penalised for handball.
8 mins: Mane gets beyond the Brentford defence but is held up, he slips the ball out to Hugo Bueno, only to see his cross cleared. It is a sign of positivity from Wolves, at least.
6 mins: Wolves are trying to get some much-needed possession but a throw-in immediately ends up at Kayode’s feet.
4 mins: Brentford are dominating the early possession. They are happy to knock it about to see if they can open Wolves up.
2 mins: Lee Hendrie announces: “Wolves have turned a massive corner.” Do corners massively vary in size?
Nothing has happened on the pitch.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
The teams are on their way out …
The supremely optimistic Julian Scott Yeomans emails: “Wolves are going to win all of their remaining games – which will give them 40 points and guarantee survival. Based on the Leicester precedent, they will be the 2026-27 Premier League champs. The Great Escape starts today!”
It is another opportunity to see Mateus Mane in action. He seems like the sort of player who would thrive at Brentford but I suspect he might be too expensive from them.
It’s already been a good day for Igor Thiago, who has received his first call-up for Brazil. The striker has scored 18 goals in the Premier League already to make it a fully deserved inclusion from Carlo Ancelotti.
I’ve been to four Wolves games this season and I am yet to see them lose. Must be a record. I am available if the club want to hire me.
Pre-match reading.
Starting lineups
Brentford (4-3-3): Kelleher; Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter; Damsgaard, Henderson, Jensen; Outtara, Thiago, Schade
Subs: Valdimarsson, Pinnock, Yarmoliuk, Nelson, Ajer, Donovan, Furo, Bentt, Shield
Wolves (5-2-2-1): Sa; Tchatchoua, Mosquera, S Bueno, Krejci, H Bueno; Andre, J Gomes; Bellegarde, Mane; Armstrong
Subs: Bentley, Doherty, Wolfe Moller, Hwang, Arokodare, Lima, R Gomes, Toti, A Gomes,
Referee: Stuart Attwell
The Wolves squad have arrived in west London.
Preamble
Plenty of the game’s finest critics assumed Brentford would be in a relegation battle with Wolves come this stage of the season. Keith Andrews, however, could go to within one point of sixth-placed Chelsea with a win over his former club tonight.
The Irishman has done incredible work after being promoted to head coach when Thomas Frank left. It shows what can happen when a club has a strong ethos and structure, allowing them to move seamlessly between coaches.
Wolves might well be bottom but they have won their past two Premier League games against Champions League-chasing Aston Villa and Liverpool no less. They will make things very difficult for the Bees, at least, having come a long way from the miserable side they were in the first half of the season.
Kick-off: 8pm GMT
