Brentford got back to winning ways yesterday evening, winning 2-1 against Cardiff City at Griffin Park courtesy of goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Ollie Watkins.
Thomas Frank was handed a welcome boost going into the clash, bringing back Henrik Dalsgaard and Pontus Jansson back into the defence, with the pair both missing last Saturday's game against Sheffield Wednesday.
The Bees took the lead within the first 25 minutes, as Mbeumo latched on to a deft pass into his path from just outside the box by Said Benrahma, slotting the ball calmly past Bluebirds goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.
Ollie Watkins then doubled the home side's advantage just after the break, heading in Bryan Mbeumo's lofted cross from the right flank to take his goal tally to 13 for the season.
Cardiff came back into the contest twenty minutes later, as Marlon Pack sent a 20-yard effort sailing past David Raya Martin from a short free-kick routine.
The Bluebirds almost snatched a point at the death, but Raya was on hand to tip Lee Tomlin's speculative effort over the bar, as Brentford held on to take the three points.
The win moves Thomas Frank's side up to 7th in the table, and the Brentford Head Coach admitted in an interview with the club website post-match that the last twenty minutes of the game were nervy.
"It got a little bit tricky in the end because they got that goal a little bit out of nothing, and then they [Cardiff] threw everything up there," Frank said.
However, the Dane was pleased with the character his side showed.
"This Brentford team just showed that desire and willpower to defend everything that was thrown against them, so I must praise them for that."
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The Verdict
It is an important victory for Brentford, as it ends their three game losing streak against the Welsh side, and also puts the Bees right on the cusp of the play-offs.
The attitude of Frank's side to defend Cardiff's tirade of attacks and put bodies on the line in the dying embers of the game will please the Brentford boss, as it showed that his players fight for each other and have a good team spirit.