Match report: Wolves remain winless as Brentford score five in eight-goal thriller

Brentford beat Wolves 5-3 in a thrilling eight-goal thriller in the Premier League, but the result extends the visitors' winless streak to 10 matches this season

Wolves' search for a Premier League victory this season continues as they suffered a 5-3 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Stadium, leaving them languishing at the bottom of the table. A thrilling first half in west London witnessed six goals before the interval, with Brentford narrowly missing out on the unprecedented achievement of scoring within the first minute of four consecutive league matches.

Nathan Collins put Thomas Frank’s team ahead just after one minute and 15 seconds, but Wolves managed to equalise twice, first through Matheus Cunha and then Jorgen Strand Larsen. However, Brentford took control with Christian Norgaard and Ethan Pinnock adding to their tally.

Fabio Carvalho and Rayan Ait-Nouri scored in stoppage time, giving the final scoreline a dramatic feel. The match started at an electrifying pace, spurred on by home fans eager for their team to extend their remarkable run of early goals.

In a frustrating turn of events for statisticians, the curfew had just passed when Mikkel Damsgaard’s cross to the near post was headed down into the bottom corner by Collins. Brentford fans were ecstatic, but their joy was short-lived.

Nelson Semedo easily broke through Wolves' defence on the right, and after Brentford failed to clear his cut-back, Cunha pounced to fire it into the corner. Despite taking the lead in their previous three matches only to fail to win, Brentford seemed determined not to let another early advantage slip away.

From a corner, Mario Lemina brought Collins down, and following a pitch-side VAR check by referee Andrew Madley, Mbeumo coolly slotted home his sixth goal of the season from the penalty spot. However, Wolves weren't finished, and the frenetic opening period took another twist.

Collins carelessly handed the ball to Ait-Nouri inside the box, who sent it low across goal towards Strand Larsen. With smart movement, Larsen got to the ball before Pinnock and angled it into the corner.

A dazzling sequence of slick, one-touch passes saw Brentford retake the lead through Norgaard, with the ball ending up at the feet of Vitaly Janelt who provided the final pass for the midfielder to drive a shot into the bottom corner. Pinnock headed in Brentford’s fourth on the stroke of half-time, given plenty of space from Damsgaard’s corner to aim and head the ball into the net while Wolves’ defence stood still.

Brentford had the lion's share of opportunities after half-time, with Kevin Schade notably missing a golden chance when he opted to shoot instead of passing to Mbeumo, allowing Sam Johnstone to deflect his effort. The Bees thought they'd had the last word when substitute Carvalho netted a fifth in stoppage time, but it was Wolves who had the final say, Ait-Nouri slotting home through Flekken's legs to the delight of the travelling fans.