Brentford v Manchester City Live Commentary & Result, 28/05/2023, Premier League

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	MCI Manchester City	38	28	5	5	94	33	+61	89	L D W W W
2	ARS Arsenal	38	26	6	6	88	43	+45	84	W L L W W
3	MUN Manchester United	38	23	6	9	58	43	+15	75	W W W W L
4	NEW Newcastle United	38	19	14	5	68	33	+35	71	D D W D L
5	LIV Liverpool	38	19	10	9	75	47	+28	67	D D W W W
6	BHA Brighton & Hove Albion	38	18	8	12	72	53	+19	62	L D W L W
7	AVL Aston Villa	38	18	7	13	51	46	+5	61	W D W L L
8	TOT Tottenham Hotspur	38	18	6	14	70	63	+7	60	W L L W L
9	BRE Brentford	38	15	14	9	58	46	+12	59	W W W L W
10	FUL Fulham	38	15	7	16	55	53	+2	52	L D W W L
11	CRY Crystal Palace	38	11	12	15	40	49	-9	45	D D W L W
12	CHE Chelsea	38	11	11	16	38	47	-9	44	D L L D W
13	WOL Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	11	8	19	31	58	-27	41	L D L W L
14	WHU West Ham United	38	11	7	20	42	55	-13	40	L W L W L
15	BOU AFC Bournemouth	38	11	6	21	37	71	-34	39	L L L L W
16	NFO Nottingham Forest	38	9	11	18	38	68	-30	38	D W D W L
17	EVE Everton	38	8	12	18	34	57	-23	36	W D L W D
18	LEI Leicester City	38	9	7	22	51	68	-17	34	W D L L D
19	LEE Leeds United	38	7	10	21	48	78	-30	31	L L D L L
20	SOU Southampton	38	6	7	25	36	73	-37	25	D L L L L

That's all for today, goodbye!

City's Premier League campaign ends in defeat, but it doesn't affect anything. They finish with 89 points, five above Arsenal in second, but their season isn't over yet as their attention now turns to the FA Cup final against Manchester United next weekend. A strong season for Brentford sees them finish in ninth place with 59 points.

Brentford do the double over Manchester City, finishing their season with a 1-0 win over the Premier League champions. They were the better team throughout, but they really upped the pressure in the second half. Pinnock and Mbuemo both forced Ederson into saves, and it was those two who linked up for the only goal. Mbuemo knocked it down for Pinnock to drill low into the bottom corner. Despite getting the victory they needed to give themselves a chance of getting European football next season, it wasn't enough due to Villa and Spurs also winning.

90' + 6' FULL-TIME: BRENTFORD 1-0 MANCHESTER CITY.

90' + 4' Raya hooks it long upfield once more and Ghoddos gives chase, leaping high to bring it down. He fouls Laporte in the process though, and City are back in possession.

90' + 2' The Brentford fans aren't happy with the time that City are taking over a throw-in, despite the visitors losing. When Walker finally does take it, they patiently work it back upfield, but Brentford are still standing firm.

90' BLOCK! Mahrez switches it out to Gomez on the left and he cushions a header down for Palmer. His first shot is blocked by Pinnock, but it's played back to the youngster again. His second attempt hits Lewis and the third is deflected wide for a corner.

M. Rasmussen

Y. Wissa

89' And Wissa also goes off, with Roerslev replacing him.

S. Ghoddos

B. Mbeumo

89' Brentford's final change is a double one. After setting up the goal, Mbuemo is taken off and Ghoddos comes on to make his final appearance for the club in his place.

87' City are trying to quickly get themselves back level, with Mahrez leading the charge down the right. He has Henry tight to him all the way though and puts his cross straight into Raya's gloves.

B. Mbeumo

Assist

85' Mbuemo peeled off the back of his defender and wasn't picked up. City expect him to go for goal, but it's a clever header from him back to Pinnock, who is in a better position.

E. Pinnock

Goal

85' PINNOCK SCORES! It's been coming, and Brentford have finally broken the deadlock! The free-kick is sent long down the right and Schade gets the better of Gomez as he whips it in from the byline. Mbuemo nods it down into space in the middle of the box and Pinnock makes a late run onto it, drilling it into the bottom corner. 1-0 Brentford!

M. Jørgensen

Yellow Card

84' Zanka was involved in a late challenge earlier on in the move for City. Now that play has been stopped, the referee goes back to book him for it.

83' City are back to keeping possession and they're trying to keep Brentford penned in their own half. Every ball that goes into the box comes straight out again though, and the Bees break once more.

S. Baptiste

F. Onyeka

81' Third change for Brentford now, and it's Onyeka that's making way for Baptiste.

79' Dasilva has acres of space and he curls a lovely early cross into the box. Wissa wasn't ready for it though, and he can't bring it under control on the stretch.

V. Janelt

Yellow Card

77' It's Foden attempting to get City upfield again, but he's tugged back by Janelt, and the German is booked.

76' It's another clever free-kick from Brentford as Mbuemo clips it into Dasilva just inside the D. He flicks a header on, but it's too high for Wissa and straight into Ederson's gloves.

74' It's a great run from Dasilva down the right and he drills a low cross into the box, but Wissa slips at just the wrong moment. Onyeka latches onto the loose ball and tries to send it back into the middle, but it's blocked by Walker.

72' Brentford are getting more frustrated with the referee as they feel decisions aren't going their way. Mbuemo is the latest to stay down after being bundled off the ball, but City come away with it.

J. Dasilva

A. Hickey

70' And Hickey is also making way, with Dasilva on in his place.

K. Schade

M. Damsgaard

70' Brentford are making a double change here as they search for a late goal. Damsgaard is the first to go off, with Schade replacing him.

69' City just don't know how to cope with Brentford when set-pieces are put into the box. They fail to clear their lines once more and it's floated into the middle for Mbuemo. He loops a header on goal, but Ederson plucks it out of the air.

67' Brentford go for the more direct route this time, with Raya sending it long for Wissa. He cushions a header down on the edge of the box and Onyeka blasts his shot high over the bar.

M. Damsgaard

Yellow Card

65' Foden is threatening to break on the counter from a Brentford corner. Damsgaard drags him back to prevent it, and it sees him go into the referee's book.

S. Charles

N. Aké

63' City are making the first change of the game, and 19-year-old Charles is coming on to make his debut for the club. He replaces Ake.

62' BLOCK! City try to mount a quick counter, but Brentford track back with them all the way. Alvarez plays a clever one-two with Palmer to find a bit of space in the box, but his low shot is blocked by Pinnock.

60' Again, Brentford drop back into their compact shape and Mbuemo wins it back on the edge of his own box. He tries to set Damsgaard on the quick break, but he's blocked off by Gomez and Phillips.

58' WIDE! Foden knocks it to Alvarez on the edge of the box expecting to get the return pass. Instead of playing the one-two, the Argentinian carves out space for himself but then drags his shot well wide of the near post.

Yellow Card

57' Thomas Frank continues the protests about the handball penalty from the sidelines. The referee is called over by the fourth official, and the Brentford manager gives a wry smile as he's booked for dissent.

Y. Wissa

Yellow Card

55' Lewis was on the ground when he shielded the ball from Mee which is when the claims for handball started. Brentford are incensed that they don't have a penalty, and Wissa is booked for dissent.

54' SAVE! It's absolutely chaos in City's box! Mee goes to ground holding his ankle after getting caught by Gomez. Nothing's given and the Bees keep it alive. It's curled back in and Lewis goes down to block Janelt's cross. Shouts for handball before Ederson saves Wissa's shot, and this time, the free-kick goes against the hosts.

52' SAVE! It's a lovely dinked pass over the top of Brentford's defenders from Foden and Palmer brings it down before improvising a looping chip. Raya had come to close him down but tracks back to catch it.

50' City are back to dominating possession, but it's still all in front of Brentford. Phillips manages to squeeze it through to Foden on the edge of the box, but his shot is blocked by Zanka.

48' Brentford have made a bright start to the second half as Henry darts down the left and drills a low cross into the box. Wissa can't bring it under control, and Mbuemo fouls Lewis when he tries to keep it alive.

46' Brentford get us back underway for the second half!

Frank will be pleased with his side's performance so far - they've stayed compact and frustrated City while also causing a lot of problems of their own. Spurs and Villa are still winning their games, but in case that changes, they'll still need a victory here. City have struggled to get their forward players involved, something Guardiola will be keen to change.

It's goalless at the break between Brentford and City. It was an evenly-matched first half, with both sides having one great chance apiece. City's came in the fourth minute, when Palmer forced Raya into a stretching save, while at the other end, Ederson had to get down to tip Mee's close-range shot wide. Janelt also fired an effort just over the bar not long before half-time.

45' + 2' HALF-TIME: BRENTFORD 0-0 MANCHESTER CITY

45' + 1' Alvarez drops deep to get involved in the game and breezes past Mbuemo as he bursts down the left. His cross is too high, but City recycle through Walker. His looping cross is met by Alvarez but he gets caught under it and his header flies wide.

44' WIDE! Walker surges forward through the middle but chooses to switch it out to Mahrez instead of continuing his run. He cuts back to curl it into Gomez in the D, but he slices his first-time shot well wide of the near post.

42' Zanka doesn't put his throw-in into the box this time, instead picking out Henry so he can clip an early cross in. It's a poor ball from him though and Ederson lets it bounce harmlessly out.

40' OVER! Another long throw-in causes City some problems as Pinnock flicks it on at the near post and Janelt's shot from the edge of the box is blocked. It comes back to Janelt, but this shot sails just over the bar.

38' Brentford's high press is causing some real problems for City here. Twice the visitors sloppily give it away but manage to quickly recover to stop them from getting into the box.

36' GOOD SAVE! It's a long throw-in from Henry that causes City problems and Mee has time to bring it down and turn to goal. He seems to get pulled back as he fires it at the near post, and Ederson goes down to tip it wide.

34' Still, City dominate possession but they're not going anywhere with it. Walker eventually decides to go more direct, sending it over the top for Palmer to chase, but Raya comes out to collect it.

32' Brentford are still staying extremely compact and stopping City from being able to pass their way forward. The visitors are staying patient, but they can't get it into the box.

30' Brentford are enjoying a good spell of possession here and the fans are enjoying themselves as every pass is greeted by a cheer. It's sent long to Mbuemo, but he fouls Ake trying to bring it down.

28' Brentford won the reverse fixture 2-1 at the Etihad in November. Only two teams have ever done the Premier League double over City in a season where they were crowned champions, with both of them being London clubs - Chelsea in 2013-14 and Spurs last season.

26' Laporte decides to take matters into his own hand with a driving run through the middle, only to be tripped by Janelt. Foden goes long with the free-kick out to Palmer, but Henry quickly wins it back.

24' City win a free-kick on the left this time, and Mahrez goes across to take it. His cross is curling towards Laporte, but he catches Wissa with his elbow as he rises to meet it and the hosts have it back.

22' Mahrez is trying to open up space for a shot, but can't shake Mee. City switch it out to the left and back again, but can't pass their way through Brentford's compact shape.

20' City are all over the place at the back as Brentford continue to up the pressure. It's switched out to Henry on the left and he fizzes a dangerous low cross into the middle, but it's just out of Mbuemo's reach.

18' There are big shouts for a penalty from the home fans as Onyeka goes tumbling to the ground in a tangle with Laporte. It's clumsy, but the referee waves for play to continue.

16' City are looking to regain their foothold from the opening exchanges here as Laporte switches it out to Mahrez on the right. He clips an early cross into the middle, but it's collected by Raya.

14' Mee was caught in the face by Lewis as the youngster tried to hold him off on the edge of City's box. He requires treatment, but he'll be able to carry on.

12' Both Spurs and Villa have taken the lead in their respective games. As things stand, even a win for Brentford here wouldn't be enough for them to qualify for the Europa Conference League.

10' OFF THE POST! It's a brilliant lifted pass over the top from Hickey to pick out Wissa's run off the back of Ake. He's got so much space as he fires a shot over Ederson and off the inside of the far post, but he was just offside, so it wouldn't have counted anyway.

8' CHANCE! City are upping the pressure here as Palmer slides it through to Mahrez, and he's able to lay it off to Phillips as he's bundled over. He takes the shot first time from the edge of the box, but sends it wide of the near post.

6' Foden's clipped free-kick is half-cleared by Wissa and City are able to keep it alive. It's worked back out to the Englishman as he darts down the left, but can only win a corner, which comes to nothing.

4' GOOD SAVE! It's a lovely throughball from Ake as he slides it into Palmer, and he checks back to lose Zanka and open up space on the edge of the box. He hits a shot across goal and Raya stretches to push it away.

2' City are enjoying a lot of the early possession here as they knock it around confidently in their own half. Foden gifts it to Mbuemo though and he fizzes a low cross towards Wissa, but Ake cuts it outs.

1' Lewis gets the game underway for City!

The teams are out on the pitch now, with kick-off just moments away!

Brentford have alternated between victory (two) and defeat (two) in their last four final league matches of a season, losing 2-1 at home to Leeds United last term.

Pep Guardiola continues to rotate his squad, making seven changes to the side that drew with Brighton on Wednesday. Ederson is back in goal, with Ake, Laporte, Phillips, Gomez, Alvarez and Palmer also coming in. Ortega, Stones, Rodri, Gundogan, Silva and Haaland start on the bench, while Kevin De Bruyne is rested.

Thomas Frank makes just two changes from their comeback win over Spurs last time out. Damsgaard and Zanka are both brought in. Schade drops to the bench, where Ghoddos is also named as a substitute in his final game for the club. Mathias Jensen isn't included in the squad.

MANCHESTER CITY SUBS: Stefan Ortega, Shea Charles, John Stones, Bernardo Silva, Rodrigo, Erling Haaland, Ben Knight, Alex Robertson, Ilkay Gundogan.

MANCHESTER CITY STARTING XI (3-3-1-3): Ederson; Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake, Aymeric Laporte; Rico Lewis, Kalvin Phillips, Sergio Gomez; Phil Foden; Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez, Cole Palmer.

BRENTFORD SUBS: Shandon Baptiste, Saman Ghoddos, Thomas Strakosha, Josh Dasilva, Kevin Schade, Finley Stephens, Kristoffer Ajer, Ryan Trevitt, Mads Roerslev.

BRENTFORD STARTING XI (4-3-3): David Raya; Aaron Hickey, Ethan Pinnock, Ben Mee, Rico Henry; Frank Onyeka, Vitaly Janelt, Mikkel Damsgaard; Bryan Mbuemo, Yoane Wissa, Zanka.

City's title is already wrapped up, having done so with three matches left, and lifted the trophy last weekend in their final home outing of the season. The Premier League champions are playing their 1000th game in the competition and will be looking to mark it with a win and extend their current unbeaten run in all competitions to 25 (W20 D5). They were on a 12-game winning streak in the league, but that ended with a 1-1 draw against Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday. As for Brentford, they've still got something to play for as a win here, coupled with Tottenham and Aston Villa dropping points, will see them qualify for the Europa Conference League. They've lost just one of their last six outings (W4 D1) and came from behind to beat Spurs 3-1 last week.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Premier League meeting between Brentford and Manchester City at the Brentford Community Stadium!

Brentford v Manchester City Live Commentary, 28/05/2023

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