Brentford 0-1 Manchester City: Report, result and goals as Guardiola’s side mark hard work of Bees
It was a gritty win for City on a tough day out in London.
Manchester City returned to winning ways with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, with Erling Haaland’s early strike proving enough to seal three vital Premier League points.
The champions were dominant in the first half, suffocating Brentford with their possession-heavy approach.
Their early pressure told in the ninth minute when Haaland, inevitably, made the breakthrough. Collecting a superbly weighted pass from Josko Gvardiol, the Norwegian turned Sepp van den Berg smartly before firing past Caoimhin Kelleher.
It was Haaland’s ninth league goal of the season, continuing his remarkable run of form and extending his streak to five consecutive games on the scoresheet.
City’s midfield orchestrated the tempo with typical authority, led by Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders. Foden and Bobb constantly interchanged in the half-spaces, tormenting the Brentford defence with sharp movement and quick passing.
Foden, in particular, was a constant threat, forcing Kelleher into an excellent save midway through the half before narrowly missing the target on two further occasions.
The visitors’ control, however, was slightly undermined by an injury blow just before the half-hour mark. Rodri, so often City’s metronome, pulled up clutching his hamstring and had to be replaced by Nico Gonzalez.
The setback didn’t disrupt City’s flow before the break, though Brentford offered little resistance – recording no touches in the opposition box during the first 45 minutes, an unwanted first in their Premier League history.
City went into half-time with 73% possession and an expected goals (xG) of 0.80 compared to Brentford’s meagre 0.06, fully deserving of their 1-0 lead.
Disciplined second-half display
The second half told a different story. Brentford emerged with more intent, their pressing sharper and their attacks more direct.
Just minutes after the restart, a mix-up from Gvardiol gifted Igor Thiago a golden chance to level, but Gianluigi Donnarumma stood tall and denied the forward in a crucial one-on-one.
Andrews’ side continued to grow in belief. Schade and Kayode both had half-chances as Brentford finally tested City’s defensive composure, while substitute Mathias Jensen added much-needed creativity from midfield.
City, unusually for a Guardiola side, struggled to assert any control and resorted to a more pragmatic shape as the game wore on.
Guardiola made changes to steady things, introducing Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku to provide fresh legs and a counter-attacking outlet. Brentford, meanwhile, threw on Dango Ouattara and Fabio Carvalho in a final push.
The Bees’ best chance came in stoppage time when Schade charged down Donnarumma’s delayed clearance – the rebound flying agonisingly wide of the post. It summed up their afternoon: brave, but lacking the killer edge.