Brentford's Dominant Performance: Close To Perfection In 5-0 Win Against Southampton

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Thomas Frank expressed immense satisfaction with Brentford's performance as they secured their first away victory of the season, defeating Southampton 5-0. Kevin Schade initiated the scoring, followed by two goals from Bryan Mbeumo, including a penalty. Injury-time goals from Keane Lewis-Potter and Yoane Wissa sealed the win, ending Brentford's nine-game winless streak in away matches.

This triumph marked Brentford's largest Premier League win and their most significant league victory since a 5-0 result against Preston North End in April 2021. The team achieved an impressive expected goals (xG) total of 4.23 from 20 attempts, while limiting Southampton to just one shot on target. Frank described the performance as nearly flawless, highlighting their solid defence and numerous scoring opportunities.

"I think that was very close to perfection," Frank told BBC Sport regarding his team's display at St. Mary's. "We gave nothing away throughout 90 minutes, defended extremely well and we create chance after chance after chance. It could easily have been more than five."

Frank also commended Mbeumo and Wissa for their outstanding performances. Mbeumo has scored in ten Premier League games this season, trailing only Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak. Wissa's goal made him joint-top scorer for Brentford in the competition alongside Ivan Toney, with both having netted 36 times.

"You just run a little bit harder, you're looking a bit more for your good mate," Frank said about Mbeumo and Wissa's partnership on the field. "They've got a very good relationship on and off the pitch and I think you see that with the goals today."

Southampton's Struggles Continue Under Juric

Ivan Juric is still seeking his first victory as Southampton manager after losing all three matches since succeeding Russell Martin. Southampton has accumulated only six points from their first 20 Premier League games this season, matching Sunderland's worst points tally at this stage in the 2005-06 campaign.

Juric described Saturday's defeat as disastrous, noting any optimism from his debut match against West Ham has vanished. "We are angry. [I'm] disappointed with myself that I haven't changed the situation in these two weeks," Juric told BBC Sport. "It was a really, really bad day."

The Croatian manager acknowledged that improvements are needed: "We now have more days for work, to understand the ways to play, what we can change to be better." He apologised to fans for the poor performance and emphasised that they deserve better results.