Nigeria midfielder Frank Onyeka was on the scoresheet as Brentford recorded an important 2-0 victory against Sheffield United in the Premier League on Saturday.
The 26-year-old came off the bench in added time and made an instant impact by scoring with just his second touch as the Bees won their first game in two months.
Brentford had failed to win any of their previous nine matches going into the game against Sheffield United, who have equally been struggling after winning just once in their last 10 matches and languishing at the bottom of the Premier League table.
Thomas Frank’s side, however, proved too much for the visitors after putting two goals past them. Despite making a bright start to the game, Brentford struggled to create any clear-cut chances, with the attacking trio of Bryan Mbuemo, Neal Maupay and Yoane Wissa often left isolated.
Frank Onyeka opens Premier League goal account
After what was a dull first half, the Bees upped the ante after the restart and opened the scoring through fortuitous circumstances in the 63rd minute, thanks to an own goal by Ollie Arblaster.
Brentford thought they had doubled their lead when Mikkel Damsgaard put the ball in the back of the net five minutes later, but his goal was chalked off for offside following VAR review.
Onyeka, who was left on the bench for Saturday’s clash, was introduced in the 90th minute when he replaced Mathias Jensen. The Nigeria international quickly got involved in the action and had one touch before the ball rolled out of play.
From the resulting throw-in, another substitute Kevin Schade, flicked the ball onto the path of Onyeka, who applied a first-time finish to give Brentford a 2-0 lead.
The midfielder’s strike marked his first goal in the Premier League for the Bees, although he already has two assists to his name this season. Meanwhile, the win over Sheffield United has lifted Brentford to 14th on the league log as the club aims to avoid the drop.
