In a Premier League classic at the Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford battled back from a two-goal deficit to snatch a 2-2 draw against Manchester City.
The match delivered non-stop excitement, as City appeared to be heading for victory before Brentford’s spirited fightback, proving once again why they have one of the division’s best home records.
The first half ended goalless, but it was far from uneventful. Both sides displayed intent, with Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa causing problems for City’s defence early on.
Mbeumo came close in the 16th minute, forcing City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega into a fine save.
Moments later, City’s Erling Haaland squandered a golden chance, heading just wide after a pinpoint cross from Kevin De Bruyne.
City enjoyed 62% possession in the opening half, with De Bruyne creating five chances – more than any other player on the pitch.
Despite this, the visitors were wasteful in front of goal, with Savinho hitting the post and Haaland’s efforts failing to trouble Mark Flekken in the Brentford net.
WE NEVER QUIT 💪 pic.twitter.com/QjcfmRwsJW
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) January 14, 2025
The hosts, meanwhile, showed promise on the counter-attack but lacked precision in the final third.
City finally broke the deadlock in the 66th minute through Phil Foden. De Bruyne, instrumental all evening, delivered a perfectly weighted cross into the box, and Foden redirected the ball past Flekken to make it 1-0.
Just 12 minutes later, Foden doubled City’s lead. Savinho’s initial effort was saved by Flekken, but the rebound fell kindly to Foden, who slotted home to give City a seemingly commanding 2-0 lead.
However, the Bees refused togive up. Brentford pulled one back in the 82nd minute, courtesy of Wissa. Mads Roerslev delivered a teasing cross into the box, and Wissa capitalised on a missed clearance by Nathan Ake to power his shot into the top corner. The goal energised the home crowd and set the stage for a grandstand finish.
The drama reached its crescendo in stoppage time. In the 92nd minute, Keane Lewis-Potter worked his way down the right and delivered a cross for Christian Norgaard, who rose above the City defence to head the ball towards goal. Ortega got a hand to it but could not keep it out, and the ball nestled in the net to spark wild celebrations.
Brentford nearly snatched all three points moments later when Mbeumo’s shot beat Ortega, but Ake made a heroic clearance off the line to preserve a point for City.