Brentford produced one of their most complete performances of the season to brush aside Sunderland 3–0 at the Gtech Community Stadium, with Igor Thiago once again stealing the spotlight as the Bees tightened their grip on the European places.
The Brazilian forward arrived in the fixture in red-hot form and showed no signs of slowing down. After opening the scoring midway through the first half, he added a second shortly after the break to underline his growing influence in west London and to continue a remarkable scoring run that has propelled Brentford into the league’s top five.
From the outset, Brentford looked sharper and more aggressive. Their pressing forced errors, their movement stretched Sunderland’s back line, and it felt only a matter of time before the pressure told. The breakthrough came when Thiago timed his run perfectly, collected a clever pass from Vitaly Janelt, rounded the goalkeeper and calmly rolled the ball into an empty net.
Sunderland attempted to reset after the interval and were handed a lifeline when Brian Brobbey was brought down in the area. But that moment quickly turned into a costly missed opportunity. Enzo Le Fée’s attempted panenka penalty lacked conviction, allowing Caoimhín Kelleher to stand firm and make a straightforward save.
That miss proved decisive.
Barely minutes later, Brentford struck again. Kevin Schade crashed an effort against the woodwork, and when the ball was recycled, he turned provider, floating a cross that Thiago met with authority to head home his second of the afternoon.
Any remaining resistance from Sunderland disappeared soon after. Yehor Yarmoliuk capped the performance with his first senior goal for the club, smashing a close-range finish into the roof of the net to complete a dominant display and send the home crowd into celebration.
Beyond the result, Thiago’s night carried historic significance. His brace took him to 16 league goals for the season — the highest total ever achieved by a Brazilian player in a single Premier League campaign — a remarkable achievement given it is still only January.
Brentford head coach Keith Andrews was glowing in his praise afterwards, describing Thiago as irreplaceable and highlighting not just his finishing, but his work rate, movement, aerial threat and selfless approach. Andrews also stressed how quickly the striker has adapted to the league after early injury setbacks, calling his development “ahead of schedule”.
On the other side, Sunderland boss Régis Le Bris defended Le Fée following the missed penalty, emphasising collective responsibility and the importance of learning from moments of risk rather than retreating into caution.
For Brentford, the bigger picture is becoming increasingly exciting. Having already navigated major changes in recent seasons, they now find themselves firmly in the conversation for European qualification — something that once seemed a distant ambition. For Sunderland, the defeat halts momentum and drops them into mid-table, though the season remains firmly in their control.
With Thiago in this form, Brentford’s ceiling continues to rise.
