Bryan Mbeumo’s second penalty in the 66th minute and Kevin Schade’s header 10 minutes from time gave Bradford their second straight away win in the Premier League and condemned Crystal Palace to their first defeat in seven games in all competitions.
Mbeumo appeared to have suffered his first miss from the spot with his 10th career penalty when his initial effort hit the base of a post to the delight of the home fans at Selhurst Park.
defender of the palace Marc Guehi he was adjudged to have stepped inside the box when the kick was taken, giving Mbeumo the chance the Cameroon international took from the replay, placing his goal in the opposite direction of his first.
Kevin Schade returns to double Brentford’s lead! 🐝 pic.twitter.com/ZbzkWGQ5uc
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 26, 2025
Schade’s emphatic header from Mikkel Damsgaard’s eighth assist of the season looked to have given the visitors a breather, although Premier League debutant Romain Esse’s close-range reply with five minutes remaining gave Palace hope.
The result moves Brentford into 11th place four points ahead of Palacewho are immediately below them and a point ahead of Manchester United and West Ham.
Bryan Mbeumo misses the first penalty but is able to repeat as the Palace players got into the box too early!
No mistakes the second time from Mbeumo! 😤 pic.twitter.com/itU2vVXrXT
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 26, 2025
Palace vs Brentford: The bees are buzzing
An eventful contest began a controversial life when Mbeumo was given a chance to redeem himself following a Video Assistant Referee review.
It followed his 14th goal in 23 league appearances this season, as did the sight of the striker motivating the home fans, while goalkeeper Dean Henderson was nailed for flicking the ball in Mbeumo’s direction.
Schade appeared to have put the game beyond Palace, who will have enjoyed the sight of Esse – signed from Millwall on January 18 – opening his account.
What a moment for Romain Esse on his Crystal Palace debut! ✨ pic.twitter.com/otBfyl18r5
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 26, 2025
“There seems to be a bright spark,” Henderson told PLP of the 19-year-old midfielder, via BBC Sport. “I hope there are many more to come.”
Brentford defender Nathan Collins described the game as “really enjoyable” but “useless and tough” in the rain.
“We see him do it in training all the time,” Collins said of Sand’s header, which was injured while scoring. “He can jump as high as the sky. He’s a great player.”
