Analysis: Defensive brilliance defines classic Brentford performance in Aston Villa win | OneFootball

Brentford’s display in a stunning 1-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday offered a timely illustration of the core values that have underpinned the club’s rise to the Premier League.

And head coach Keith Andrews was unequivocal in his belief that his side’s first-ever league win at Villa Park carried all the hallmarks of a classic Bees performance.

Rolling with the punch of Kevin Schade’s first-half red card, the visitors struck in first-half injury time through Dango Ouattara’s rasping finish, before an immense defensive effort after the interval secured a sixth league clean sheet of the campaign - and three invaluable points.

That result lifted Brentford up to seventh in the Premier League table and, since the turn of the year, only Manchester United (11) have collected more Premier League points than the west Londoners (10). Small wonder, then, that Andrews reflected afterwards: “If ever there was a performance to typify us, and what we’re about, it was that.”

Blending brilliance with resilience is a recipe for success - and Brentford’s latest victory contained both.

On his first start since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, Ouattara provided a devastating strike that flew past two-time Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez.

Hailed by his head coach as “a really talented individual”, the Burkina Faso international is a difference maker in the final third - and Villa will no doubt be glad to see the back of him after his match-winner in the reverse fixture back in August too!

Brentford have now won all four of the games in which Ouattara has found the net since joining from Bournemouth last summer. Tied with Kylian Mbappé as the player to win most penalties (four) across Europe's top five leagues this season, the 23-year-old adds real menace to the Bees’ attack - while his five aerial duels won against Villa were the most of any player on the pitch.

Yet an emphasis on the collective has long been the driving force behind Brentford’s Premier League evolution, and Sunday’s win embodied that team ethic.

Forwards gamely chased lost causes, midfielders shuttled tirelessly, and defenders - goalkeeper included - threw their bodies on the line, while Andrews and his staff tweaked systems to cope with everything their hosts threw at them.

While Igor Thiago’s scintillating form and Brentford’s cutting edge in attack have rightly drawn plaudits this season, the Bees are beginning to make notable strides defensively. Thiago himself contributed in this regard on Sunday, with the Brazilian striker helping to limit the influence of compatriot Douglas Luiz in Villa’s midfield.

Only Manchester City (11), Arsenal and Everton (10) have conceded fewer Premier League goals since the start of December than Brentford (12), and the calm and composed manner in which the Bees defended their goal in the Midlands was outstanding.

At the heart - literally and figuratively - of that colossal defensive effort was centre-back and Man of the Match Kristoffer Ajer. The towering Norwegian was a rock at the back throughout, finishing clear of his peers for both clearances (eight) and shots blocked (three).

Villa were left to rue a marginal VAR decision that saw a second-half effort from Tammy Abraham chalked off, but even Unai Emery was quick to reserve praise for Brentford’s resilience.

The hosts attempted 27 shots over the course of the contest, yet only five tested Bees goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher. Eleven missed the target entirely, while a further 11 were blocked, with Ajer punching the air in delight after deflecting Abraham’s goal-bound effort over the bar late in the first half.

Discussions around a club’s philosophy and identity are often one-dimensional, leaving little room for growth or change.

It is, however, less of a struggle for Brentford to define themselves. Defensive zeal, goal threat and plenty of hard yards: the key strands of Brentford’s modern-day DNA were all on show on Sunday.