Mbeumo double helps Brentford move on from Toney and see off Southampton

Aaron Ramsdale’s Southampton debut was spoiled after a double from Bryan Mbeumo and a Yoane Wissa goal lifted Brentford to victory. Ivan Toney, whose departure to the Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli was announced in the early hours of Saturday morning watched from the stands to see how his former side would get on without him.

Mbeumo issued a promising answer with his second goal of the new Premier League campaign just before the break, before scoring his third after the restart. Wissa then bundled home to hand the hosts a comfortable lead, with Yukinari Sugawara ending Southampton’s wait for a Premier League goal late on.

Toney made a farewell address to the squad and Thomas Frank, the Brentford manager, said: “Even I was a little bit emotional. I said a few things and then he said something to the players.

“He has been a great player for Brentford, a Brentford legend, and I mean that. When you are in a club like ours and you score 72 goals in 141 games that’s incredible, incredible numbers.

“He’s been on a fantastic journey with us over the last four years. I enjoyed working together with him on and off the pitch. It says a lot about Ivan that he wanted to come here and say goodbye to his friends and teammates, staff members and everyone around the club.

“Ivan has been a key player for us, especially the first three years, and then there was disruption with the ban.

“He’s been one of our best players, if not our best player in that period, consistently with the amount of goals for us and we played some fantastic football with him.”

It was also a new start for Ramsdale and the former Arsenal goalkeeper was called into action early in his debut when Mbeumo drove into Southampton’s six-yard box, patiently controlling the ball before picking out Mikkel Damsgaard, who forced a good save from Ramsdale.

The visitors won their first corner in the seventh minute, nearly making it count when Joe Aribo clipped the woodwork after directing the ball goalwards with the small of his back. Brentford enjoyed more deep drives into the visitors’ final third as the halfway point in the opening period approached. However, they lacked a clinical finish, with Wissa twice looking likeliest to break the deadlock.

A timely Sugawara intervention denied the onrushing Kevin Schade a shot, and an alert Joe Aribo clearance prevented Wissa’s effort from the ensuing scramble from opening the scoring.

Frank was forced into a change in the 39th minute when Kristoffer Ajer went down and was replaced by Mads Roerslev.

Brentford were in front two minutes before the break when Schade went close to scoring just before the interval, pinged an effort off Ramsdale’s left post after some loose defending from Taylor Harwood-Bellis and the rebound fell perfectly into the path of Mbeumo, who took full advantage with a low finish.

The lead somehow remained intact at the break after Adam Armstrong missed a presentable chance from close range.

Russell Martin made two changes for the second half, replacing Armstrong with Cameron Archer and bringing on Mateus Fernandes for Will Smallbone, and 10 minutes later introducing Tyler Dibling for the booked Harwood-Bellis. Ramsdale conceded his second goal in the 65th minute after his side once again gave the ball away deep inside their own half. The hosts quickly worked it to Mathias Jensen, who picked up the assist for Mbeumo’s low, 65th-minute finish.

Wissa got his name on the scoresheet four minutes later from a throw-in, flicked on by Vitaly Janelt for the Congo international to bundle home. Saints rarely looked like

breaking their duck but and just when it seemed Southampton were going to be shut out for a third straight top-flight contest, Dibling lifted the ball to the 36-year-old substitute Adam Lallana, whose nodded delivery enabled Sugawara to score with a bouncing effort off a post.

A goal was welcome, a point would be even more so for Southampton.