Toney-less Brentford Edge Past Crystal Palace

Brentford secured a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday, marking a strong start to their Premier League season despite the absence of Ivan Toney.

Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa scored for Brentford, who chose to omit Toney due to ongoing speculation about his future. Toney, whose contract with Brentford has less than a year remaining, is attracting interest from Saudi clubs following his contribution to England's Euro 2024 final appearance.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank mentioned before the match that his team had demonstrated their ability to cope without Toney last season, during his betting ban.

Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi captained the team despite interest from Newcastle. Guehi had an outstanding Euro 2024 but was at fault for Brentford's opening goal. Mbeumo capitalized on a pass from Wissa, cutting inside Guehi to score.

Palace, who ended last season in strong form under Oliver Glasner, felt unlucky not to secure at least a point. Eberechi Eze had a near-post free-kick ruled out for a foul by Will Hughes while the score was still 0-0.

In the second half, Palace's bright start was rewarded when Ethan Pinnock inadvertently scored an own goal from a Daniel Munoz header. Odsonne Edouard's subsequent goal, following a pass from Eze, was disallowed due to a marginal offside decision.

Brentford sealed the win with their second goal when Dean Henderson parried a shot from Nathan Collins directly to Wissa, who scored. Eze was twice denied by Brentford's Mark Flekken in the closing stages, but Brentford maintained their lead to secure the three points.