Ivan Toney responded to being overlooked for England’s World Cup squad by delivering a match-winning two-goal performance in Brentford’s thoroughly deserved Premier League win at Manchester City.
Toney missed out on a place in Qatar but demonstrated his vital importance to Brentford with an outstanding all-round display that left the reigning Premier League champions stunned as the Bees took all three points with a 98th-minute winner.
It was fully merited for Brentford’s positive approach as they refused to take a backward step from the first whistle, even after Manchester City’s Phil Foden restored equality with a crisp left-foot half-volley seconds before the interval.
City, inevitably, turned up the tempo after the break, Ilkay Gundogan missing a glorious chance to put them ahead, but Brentford were a constant threat on the break with Ederson twice having to save from the ever-dangerous Toney.
And it was a fitting conclusion to that added period of 10 minutes, mainly for a head injury to Aymeric Laporte, when Brentford caught City on the break for Toney to sweep home Josh Dasilva’s cross – the striker almost completing a hat-trick seconds later only for Kevin de Bruyne to clear off the line.
