Bryan Mbeumo has stressed on the need for Brentford to step up in Ivan Toney’s absence following their 3-1 Premier League win at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Toney was handed a eight-month suspension for breaching FA betting rules and the Bees began life without their top marksman as they came from a goal down with Mbeumo scoring a brace and DR Congo forward Yoane Wissa with the other.
“We miss a big personality and a big player,” the Cameroon international said on the club website.
“Everybody – not just me Kev [Schade] and Wissa – have to step up and take responsibility.
“I couldn’t expect better. It was a big result. After a bit of a sloppy first half, everybody raised their level. It’s a fantastic win.”
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— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) May 20, 2023
Mbeumo had the opportunity to score a hat-trick but instead passed the ball to Wissa, claiming he was in good position.
“He was in a better position than me, and he was free, so that’s why I passed,” Mbeumo stated. “I work for the team and I want to win.”
Brentford manager Thomas Frank acknowledged that filling the gap for Toney, who has registered 20 Premier League goals this season, will be difficult. He is however confident in his players doing the job like Mbeumo and Wissa did against Spurs and wants them to do more.
“They will score goals for us, we know that, no doubt about that,” Frank said.
“Of course, it’s a massive gap [to fill]. Ivan is a unique player, he has been our talisman for three seasons, he has scored 20 goals this season in the Premier League.
“So you don’t replace him, but we can hopefully do something that can be close to as good – different – and there were good signs of it [against Tottenham].
“We, of course, need to do it more and more consistently, but there were good signs of it.”
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— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) May 20, 2023
Mbeumo and Wissa have had a hand in 26 goals (16 goals, 10 assists) in the Premier League this season, the former leading with nine goals and seven assists while the latter has seven goals and three assists.
Brentford remain in ninth position on the table but are just two points behind Tottenham for the final European qualification spot.
