Brentford 1-1 Sunderland: Enzo Le Fée's late penalty cancels out Vitaly Janelt's opener

Vitaly Janelt finished well into the top corner just past the hour mark to put Brentford in front, and for a while it looked like enough to keep the Bees' unbeaten start going. Then, with eight minutes left, referee Thomas Bramall pointed to the spot after Keane Lewis-Potter was penalised for holding Wilson Isidor inside the box. VAR confirmed the call, and Enzo Le Fée sent the penalty into the bottom corner to make it 1-1.

It is Brentford's third draw in three games, a run that leaves them unbeaten and, on this round's results, inside the Premier League's European places. Manager Keith Andrews was not entirely happy with the performance, though: "We didn't hit the levels we had. The way they played was very good."

The goal that never stood

Sunderland thought they had taken the lead in the first half when Dan Ballard turned the ball home, only to see it chalked off after a VAR review that ran past four minutes — the officials deciding Kevin Danso had strayed offside in the build-up and was interfering with play. Régis Le Bris made clear afterwards how costly he felt the delay was to his side's rhythm.

"First half, we were dominant and created four big chances. It is a shame about the disallowed goal — if you need four and a half minutes to make a decision, it means you are hesitating."

— Régis Le Bris, Sunderland head coach

A penalty that changed the afternoon

Lewis-Potter did not have his eyes on the ball when he made contact with Isidor, and the officials judged it enough to award the spot-kick after a VAR review. It was the game's decisive moment: Sunderland had the better of the underlying numbers without ever forcing Brentford's goalkeeper into a save of note before it.

Three changes at the break swing it back

Brentford made three substitutions at half-time, and Keith Andrews pointed to that reset as the difference between the two halves. Having been second-best for large stretches of the first 45 minutes, the Bees came out sharper, won more second balls in midfield and eventually forced the breakthrough through Janelt before Sunderland's penalty pulled them back level in the closing stages.

"It had a lot in it, the game. In the first half, we didn't hit the levels we had — the way they played was very good. We looked more like us in the second half and got ourselves in front."

— Keith Andrews, Brentford manager

Match facts

• 57' — Vitaly Janelt (Brentford)
• 82' — Enzo Le Fée (Sunderland) — penalty, after Keane Lewis-Potter fouled Wilson Isidor

Two very different runs since

This point has aged well for Brentford and badly for Sunderland. Keith Andrews's side followed it with a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth, having come from behind twice, and then a 3-0 win over Chelsea, stretching their unbeaten start to five Premier League matches. Sunderland's run went the other way: a 0-2 home defeat to Arsenal, in which David Raya saved an Enzo Le Fée penalty, and then a 3-5 loss away to Manchester City that has left Régis Le Bris's side on back-to-back defeats.

By Matchweek 5, that gap shows up clearly in the table: Brentford are 4th on 9 points from five games, two wins and three draws without a defeat, having scored 10 and conceded just 4. Sunderland have slipped to 14th on 4 points, with one win, one draw and three losses, and a goal difference of -4. The draw at the Gtech is the only point Sunderland have taken from a Premier League away trip so far this season.

What's next

Brentford sit 5th on 5 points, in the Europa League place and one spot outside the four Champions League places, and travel to AFC Bournemouth on Saturday 12 September. Sunderland are 12th on 4 points and make the trip to Arsenal the same afternoon.