Two goals inside the opening four minutes set the tone for an incredible opening half hour in West London as Brentford found themselves just seconds away from becoming the first team in PL history to score four consecutive first-minute goals.
The quick-fire Bees missed out on that unlikely feat by a grand total of 16 seconds as defender Nathan Collins coasted into the Wolves box completely unchallenged, before heading home Mikkel Damsgaard’s byline delivery.
The early opener triggered a memorable opening period with Wolves requiring just two minutes to find a response when Nélson Semedo’s cutback allowed Mateus Cunha to snipe from 12 yards, as an end-to-end encounter ensued.
Brentford regained the ascendancy on 20 minutes when VAR ruled that Mario Lemina had unfairly held back Collins, resulting in Brian Mbeumo casually dispatching from the penalty spot. But the hosts’ lead would again be short-lived, this time lasting four minutes before Jørgen Strand Larsen burst ahead of his marker to steer in Ait-Nouri’s low cross.
The flow of goals showed no sign of letting up and 90 seconds later, Sam Johnstone was hapless to prevent Christian Nørgaard finishing from close range. Wolves’ leaky defence continued to creak with every delivery into the box leaving Johnstone repeatedly exposed.
And after twice being relied upon to deny Kevin Schade, the Wolves goalkeeper was unable to prevent Brentford from gaining a 4-2 lead after Ethan Pinnock was afforded space to power a header back across goal in first-half added time.
Despite resisting making wholesale changes at the break, O’Neil saw his team prevent Brentford from further extending their advantage until the closing stages. In parts, Wolves offered some encouraging passages of play with the Bees inclined to drop off and preserve their defensive structure.
Late goals saw Brentford substitute Fabio Carvalho tap in a fifth before Ait-Nouri fired in a late consolation. Thomas Frank’s side extended their unbeaten stretch at the Gtech Community Stadium whilst Wolves did little to dispel fears of getting drawn into a long relegation battle.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford)
