Brentford missed out on the chance of playing European football next season as they were held to a 1-1 Premier League stalemate against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.
Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring with his 20th top-flight goal of the campaign on the 20-minute mark when Christian Norgaard squared the ball to him for a tap in, and his partner in crime Yoane Wissa came close to doubling the visitors' advantage just before the break.
Wolves may have had more shots in the opening 45, but the Bees' 1.23 xG in the first period speaks to the fact that they created the better chances.
However, the hosts continued to fire efforts at Mark Flekken's goal throughout the second half and eventually found a breakthrough when Marshall Munetsi struck a screamer into the top corner with 15 minutes to play.
Thomas Frank's side were not to know that Brighton & Hove Albion had made their dream of making UEFA competition impossible, and they would have felt that Jose Sa, who made six saves on the day, was out to ruin their hopes.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
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Wolves' Premier League survival has been confirmed for some time, but they will be pleased that they avoided defeat in front of their home crowd on the final day of the season.
However, Pereira's side may lose talismanic forward Matheus Cunha in the upcoming transfer window, and it remains to be seen how they will fare without him next term.
As for Brentford, they missed out on European football as Brighton won on Sunday, but they will blame themselves as they dropped five points in their last two games.
That being said, a top-half finish for the Frank's men represents an excellent achievement, though they also are at risk of losing dynamic duo Mbeumo and Wissa this summer.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS VS. BRENTFORD HIGHLIGHTS
20th min: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Brentford (Bryan Mbeumo)
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Wolves make a mess of things on the edge of their own box, and Brentford's Christian Norgaard takes advantage to drive forward on the left-hand side of the box and pick out Mbeumo, who has a simple job to give the Bees the lead!
44th min: Yoane Wissa (Brentford) chance missed
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75th min: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-1 Brentford (Marshall Munetsi)
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Jorgen Strand Larsen plays the ball over the top for Marshal Munetsi, and the right-sided forward fires a powerful strike into the top-right corner from 30 yards out to break Brentford hearts.
MAN OF THE MATCH - JOSE SA
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Despite conceding an early goal to Mbeumo, Sa made a number of important saves to deny Brentford all three points, including a notable effort near the end of the first half that prevented Wissa from doubling the visitors' advantage.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS VS. BRENTFORD MATCH STATS
Possession: Wolverhampton Wanderers 48%-52% Brentford
Shots: Wolverhampton Wanderers 18-32 Brentford
Shots on target: Wolverhampton Wanderers 6-7 Brentford
Corners: Wolverhampton Wanderers 8-3 Brentford
Fouls: Wolverhampton Wanderers 7-9 Brentford
BEST STATS
Bryan Mbeumo's 20 Premier League goals in 2024-25 pic.twitter.com/T5dPQTwnm6
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) May 25, 2025
WHAT NEXT?
Wolves may not have won their last game of the season in front of their fans, but they have another Premier League campaign to look forward to, with or without star forward Matheus Cunha.
Meanwhile, Brentford will be ruing their 3-2 loss against Fulham as well as their missed chances this weekend, but a top-half finish is a commendable result for the Bees, and sets them in good stead ahead of next term.
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