August 18, (THEWILL) – Brentford kicked off their English Premier League season with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday, despite the absence of star striker Ivan Toney. Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa scored for the Bees, who left out Toney amid speculation about his future.
The match saw controversy when Eberechi Eze’s free-kick goal for Palace was disallowed due to a foul by Will Hughes. Palace equalised in the second half through an Ethan Pinnock own goal, but Wissa’s late strike sealed the win for Brentford.
Brentford Manager, Thomas Frank, had expressed confidence in his team’s ability to perform without Toney, who has less than a year remaining on his contract and is attracting interest from Saudi clubs. The England international’s absence follows his impressive performance in helping the national team reach the Euro 2024 final.
Crystal Palace, under Oliver Glasner, showed promise but were unable to capitalise on their chances. Odsonne Edouard had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside, while Eze was denied twice by Brentford goalkeeper, Mark Flekken, in the closing stages.
The result continues Brentford’s strong record in London derbies on the opening day of the season, following their victory against Arsenal in 2021/2022 and a draw with Tottenham in 2023/2024. Meanwhile, defending champions Manchester City begin their title defence in the ongoing away tie against Chelsea in more London action.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
