LONDON (Reuters) -Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Mathias Jensen scored to secure a 2-0 home win over Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday which left the south-coast team hovering above the drop zone.
The win extends Brentford’s unbeaten league run to seven games and takes them up to eighth on 29 points from 19 games.
Following an opening spell with few clear-cut chances, Brentford took charge of the game midway through the first half, peppering crosses into the Bournemouth area.
Their pressure told in the 37th minute when Toney cleverly won a penalty for the Bees, grabbing hold of Marcos Senesi’s arm before being brought down by the defender.
Toney picked himself up to calmly convert the spot kick in the 39th minute for his 13th league goal of the season – one more than he managed in 2021-22. He has scored all nine of the penalties he has taken in the Premier League.
Jensen made sure of the points for Brentford late on with a cool side-footed finish from a Josh Dasilva cross as the hosts secured a third straight league win.
“It’s always good to be back. It’s painful but also enjoyable watching from home when your team is winning,” Toney, who missed Brentford’s 3-1 win over Liverpool on Jan. 2 through injury, told Sky Sports.
“But I’m delighted to be back and scoring goals again.”
‘SCANDALOUS DECISION’
The decision to award the penalty left Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil fuming.
“The penalty decision is a scandalous decision. It was never, ever a penalty. I don’t know how we have VAR and that is still given,” he told Sky Sports.
“We created some chances, had some moments, but it didn’t go our way… We were let down by a terrible decision.”
Bournemouth’s Philip Billing had the only other shot on target in the first half, striking a fierce effort from outside the penalty area straight at goalkeeper David Raya.
The visitors tried to play with more attacking intent after the break and midfielder Billing was heavily involved in their few forays forward.
Their best chance came through substitute Siriki Dembele, who showed some tricky footwork before unleashing a shot from a tight angle which was parried away by Raya.
However, Bournemouth were unable to make the most of the opportunities that fell their way to find an equaliser, meaning they have now failed to score in their last four league games.
Jensen put the game beyond the visitors in the 75th.
Bournemouth stay 17th, a point above the relegation zone, after being leapfrogged by Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier on Saturday after the Midlands side’s 1-0 win over West Ham United.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India; Editing by Ken Ferris)
