It was another defeat for Brentford yesterday evening as they went down to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City, who went 12 points clear at the top of the league as a result.
Goals from Riyad Mahrez and Kevin de Bruyne proved enough to give Pep Guardiola's side victory over a Bees side, who did not disgrace themselves by any means.
Unsurprisingly, they had to do a lot of defending in the first half and it looked like they would go into the break on level terms, but Mads Roerslev gave away a penalty five minutes before the interview which Mahrez converted.
It was harsh on Thomas Frank's side who defended with their lives, but were ultimately beaten by a better team with too much quality. Here are some of the talking points from last night's clash in Manchester.
Mistakes costly
Whilst City were the better side, the manner of both their goals would have frustrated Thomas Frank to a tee. Mahrez's penalty was courtesy of Raheem Sterling's burst of acceleration, in which the winger had too much speed for Roerslev who ended up taking him down, leaving referee Darren England little choice but to point to the spot.
Brentford had to weather the storm with Joao Cancelo going close, but Guardiola's side were gifted their second goal. Raya played a goal-kick straight to Sterling, who initially saved his effort but the rebound fell to Kevin de Bruyne who finished with aplomb to all but confirm City's victory. That will have served as a harsh lesson to Frank and Brentford who were still in the contest at the time.
Heroic Henry
One player who can certainly hold his head high is Rico Henry. The left-back was magnificent and arguably Brentford's best player on the night. He was up against Mahrez and certainly held his own against the Algerian; he came close in the first half with a cross-shot which he perhaps felt he should have done better with.
Henry is into the last 18 months and it is quite bewildering how he hasn't been given a new contract especially given he has been one of Brentford's best performers in the league this season.
Squad down to bare bones
Whether Thomas Frank had one eye on last night and another against Crystal Palace this Saturday is another question, but his team selection certainly raised plenty of eyebrows. Ivan Toney missed out with a calf injury, but neither Bryan Mbeumo or Yoane Wissa were chosen for selection despite making the bench.
Frank decided to play Sergi Canos and Saman Ghoddos as an attacking duo. Canos' performance left an awful lot to be desired and Ghoddos put in a hard-working shift despite playing in a very unfamiliar role. Ultimately, doing no transfer business in January when new bodies were needed, is why Frank had one hand tied behind his back.
Massive February schedule
Brentford's season was never going to be defined on what happened last night, but they've got three massive games between now and March in what is a huge time for Frank and the players. They don't get much bigger than a London derby at home against Crystal Palace, who drew 1-1 with Norwich yesterday night.
Patrick Vieira's side are two points ahead of the Bees, and a win for either side will be massive in the fight to avoid getting sucked in a relegation battle. Another London derby against Arsenal at the Emirates comes next Saturday before ending February with another huge clash against Newcastle, who are also fighting to survive. These next three games will show what Brentford are made of.
