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Beesotted contributor The Gowler (@BeesBreakdown) gives us the tactical and statistical lowdown of Brentford’s win agaisnt Newcastle.

Thomas Frank made three changes to his starting XI after the midweek match against Aston Villa. Janelt, Damsgaard, and Schade headed to the bench, while Yarmolyuk, Carvalho, and Thiago replaced them. The Bees deployed the seemingly the same backline consisting of van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, and Lewis-Potter in a 4-4-2 out-of-possession. However, in-possession, the Bees shifted into more of a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1, with Lewis-Potter getting forward. Yarmolyuk and Nørgaard set up in a double pivot with Carvalho and Wissa ahead of them, setting up a box midfield. Mbeumo and Wissa supported Thiago, making his first start for Brentford, on the front line.

Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side came out in a 4-3-3 with Lewis Hall, Daniel Burn, Schär, and Livramento on the backline. The midfield trio consisted of Joelinton, Guimaraes, and Sean Longstaff. Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy joined Alexander Isak up top. The Magpies stocked talent on the bench, having Tonali, Gordon, and Trippier all available on the bench.

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Brentford actually lost the xG battle, 1.23 to 1.48, but made up for it with clinical finishing. The Bees ended with 2.35 expected goal on target (xGOT) from 8 shots on target. Brentford overperformed their xG by 2.8, the biggest margin so far this season.

Newcastle tried to gain a numbers advantage in midfield, but Thomas Frank’s box midfield allowed Wissa and Carvalho to slip into space, while Newcastle focused on preventing Nørgaard and Yarmolyuk getting on the ball.

Brentford also enjoyed having Igor Thiago make his first start, allowing for a variation in buildup. The Bees launched a few long balls towards Thiago, leading to one goal, and helping set up Brentford’s high press.

The Bees still need to clean up some things out-of-possession at the back, but overall did well to stymie a high-powered Newcastle attack.