The primary spherical of Premier League matches for 2025 provided up a traditional at Anfield, controversy on the Amex and a mauling at Molineux.
However our Participant of the Week is …
Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford)
📸 Dan Istitene – 2025 Getty Photographs
It is not usually that we give flowers to Brentford on this column. As ever with this stuff, the “huge” golf equipment can usually hog the limelight and gamers from these supposed lesser sides are relegated to also-rans.
After all, we attempt our greatest to offer everybody a good shake however in terms of a crew just like the Bees, the truth that they have been so persistently well-run since their promotion in 2021 can usually work in opposition to them within the media ecosystem.
This weekend although, it was merely not possible to disregard the west London outfit.
Regardless of a traditional at Anfield and spectacular wins for Manchester Metropolis and Bournemouth, matchweek 20 belonged to Thomas Frank’s males.
Admittedly their opponents, Southampton, have been bordering on abysmal this season however earlier than Saturday’s conflict, there was an argument to be made that the south coast membership have been beginning to work out their points.
New boss Ivan Jurić was employed over Christmas and regardless of dropping to West Ham and Crystal Palace, there have been particular indicators of enchancment.
All that was fully blown out of the water at full time in opposition to Brentford, nonetheless.
It was a efficiency so good that coach Thomas Frank was nearly misplaced for phrases on the closing whistle.
“The away win is good,” stated boss Thomas Frank. “However once we take a look at the efficiency, I believe it is one in all my greatest moments with this Brentford crew
“To come back down right here, in opposition to Southampton, a crew preventing to remain within the league with a brand new supervisor, is at all times troublesome.
“To win in the best way we did with full management and dominance, giving nothing away, scoring 5 targets, I am more than happy and pleased with that.”
It was a five-star efficiency from the entire squad however one man stood head and shoulders above the remaining, as he has because the begin of the marketing campaign.
Bryan Mbeumo, with two targets and an help, was on the coronary heart of the whole lot Brentford did effectively at St Mary’s and, alongside Mohamed Salah, is among the gamers of the season up to now.
The truth is, solely Salah and Erling Haaland have outscored the 25-year-old this time period with Mbeumo having netted 18 in his final 22 top-flight appearances.
His goalscoring output has been so good in actual fact, that Ivan Toney’s exit over the summer season has been nearly completely ignored.
With the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle believed to be eager on his providers nonetheless, this might very effectively be one of many closing occasions we see Mbeumo linking up together with his outdated mate Yoann Wissa and terrorising Premier League defences.
So it is about time we gave them their flowers.
📸 Dan Istitene – 2025 Getty Photographs
