Ivan Toney took centre stage in Saturday afternoons encounter between Manchester City and Brentford at the Etihad Stadium in which Brentford came out victorious after a last gasp winner from Toney.
Brentford took the lead early with Toney’s first goal of the game. A free-kick from deep in Brentford’s half was launched into the box where Ben Mee headed the ball across goal to find Toney who beat Aymeric Laporte in the air and looped a header over a helpless Ederson.
City bounced back just before half-time with a corner from Kevin De Bruyne evading both sets of players in the box and falling kindly to a waiting Phil Foden whose sweetly struck volley left David Raya with no chance, with the ball crashing into the top right corner and the youngster wheeling away in celebration.
However, in the eighth minute of second half stoppage time Brentford won the game after a City corner was picked up by Yoane Wissa who set Brentford away on the counter attack. He managed to play the ball across the pitch to Josh Dasilva who worked the ball into the box where Ivan Toney was lurking to tap the ball past Ederson and steal a shock win for Brentford.
This was a statement performance from Ivan Toney who was left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad that was announced on Thursday afternoon ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar that begins this Sunday.
After the game the 26-year-old said “Obviously it’s a disappointment but listen I know what I’m capable of and I won’t let it put me down, just got to keep going and keep doing well for Brentford.” His manager Thomas Frank commented after the game saying “can’t praise him (Toney) enough.”
City manager Pep Guardiola admitted after the game that “the best team won” and “they (Brentford) did really well in the plan they had and were better.”
This was the Citizens first loss in just under a month across all competitions with the previous loss coming at the hands of Liverpool. City now drop 5 points behind Arsenal in their race for the title. On the other hand, with this result
