Dango Ouattara celebrated his record £42.5million move to Brentford with the winner and Keith Andrews claimed his debut win in charge against Aston Villa at the Gtech Community Stadium.
After a disappointing Premier League defeat to Nottingham Forest on their opening day, the home side showed signs of recovery under Thomas Frank, playing the tough, calculated football that has become their calling card in recent seasons. A convincing 1-0 win over Villa, who had lost the initiative well before the final whistle, confirmed that progress.
The decisive goal came in the first half, thanks to a finely-tuned performance from goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, striker Igor Thiago, whose career at the Bees is slowly gaining momentum, and the ever-present Ouattara, and it was a moment that underlined why the club broke the transfer record to sign him from Bournemouth.
Aston Villa were too late to get going and by the second half Brentford were in control of the game, with the visitors only managing two shots on target to fail to open their scoring for the season.
Morgan Rogers was beaten twice in the first half by Mikkel Damsgaard, who fired wide from a good position to add to the nervousness of the opposition defence.
Ouattara struck after just 12 minutes. Thiago, fresh from his first Premier League goal against Nottingham, made a spectacular run from Kelleher's long ball, cut inside past Matty Cash and Pau Torres and finished off Emiliano Martinez's deflected shot.
The Bees started the season without Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, but the arrival of Ouattara and Michael Kayode, a £17.5m Fiorentina signing, marked the start of a new chapter for the club. Full-back Kayode immediately stood out with his involvement down the right flank.
Kelleher, another new signing, made a strong showing with a confident parry from John McGinn as he smashed through the defence.
Brentford could have doubled their lead before the break but VAR ruled out Nathan Collins' goal for a foul on Martinez and Damsgaard later hit the crossbar.
Villa piled on the pressure early in the second half, with Morgan Rodgers and Emiliano Buendia creating a number of dangerous chances but their finishes were off target, but even that was a sign of renewed vitality in Unai Emery's side.
The visitors' best chance was squandered by poor coordination between Amadou Onana and Ollie Watkins, the former trying to shoot with his right foot when the ball was in an awkward position, while the latter was late with his left foot in the danger zone.
Jordan Henderson, making his first Premier League start since May 2023, received a standing ovation when he was substituted in the 69th minute. The 2020 champions' Liverpool captain, even at 35, showed the skills that have previously made him a key player for club and country.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
