Josh Dasilva was in phenomenal touch as Brentford booked their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals at the expense of Newcastle United on Tuesday.
The hosts were the better of the two sides in a rather insipid first half that saw chances come few and far between. Nevertheless, Brentford did enough to break the deadlock, only for some suspect finishing to keep the game goalless. Newcastle United, too, had a decent opening carved out by Jonjo Shelvey, but Ryan Fraser failed to beat Luke Daniels.
The elusive goal was finally scored midway through the second half, when Josh Dasilva converted Sergi Canos’ cross from close range. Brentford continued posing the greater threat for the rest of the game, but neither side managed to score again, as the Bees reached the semi-finals of the League Cup for the first time ever. The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over both sets of players.
Luke Daniels: 7/10
Newcastle United did not create a great deal of threat despite having more time on the ball. Luke Daniels, though, was equal to whatever the visitors threw his way, with the stop to deny Ryan Fraser standing out.
Tariqe Fosu: 7/10
A solid display for the most part by Fosu, who was engaged in an intriguing duel with Ryan Fraser on Tuesday evening. The 25-year-old was dribbled past on a couple of occasions, but he managed to keep a check on his marker quite well for the most part. Did not do much going forward.
Ethan Pinnock: 7/10
Back into the starting lineup, Pinnock was solid at the heart of the Brentford defence and kept the dangerous Callum Wilson quiet. Imposing in the air, he won 5/6 aerial duels and also completed 2 interceptions, showing superb work on the ground.
Mads Bech Sorensen: 7/10
Like his central defensive partner, Sorensen did a lot of fine work at the heart of the Brentford defence against Newcastle. Cleared everything in sight to keep the danger away from Daniels while also making a crucial block.
Dominic Thompson: 6.5/10
Thompson had the measure of the tricky Jacob Murphy for the most part on Tuesday, making a couple of interceptions. However, he was wasteful on the ball on occasion, losing possession 12 times, despite hardly charging forward and playing in crosses from the left flank.
Josh Dasilva: 9/10
The clear standout on the night, Dasilva made all the difference for Brentford. For the most part against Newcastle, the 22-year-old produced an all-action performance, covering each blade of grass and winning 5 duels. Going forward, he set up a fine chance for Saman Ghoddos in the first half. Did not make an error in converting the opening that came his way to score the winner.
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How good was @joshdasilva_ tonight?#BrentfordFC #BRENEW pic.twitter.com/1jYI2CAzhX
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) December 22, 2020
Vitaly Janelt: 6/10
Stationed at the base of the midfield, Janelt endured a blow-hot-blow-cold performance against Newcastle. The 22-year-old lost a few battles versus Jonjo Shelvey but cleaned up well on other occasions. Did not see a lot of the ball, though.
Emiliano Marcondes: 6/10
An average performance by Marcondes, who lacked the imagination to create an openings for those in front of him. Did put in the hard yards off the ball, though, and made a critical block as well.
Sergi Canos: 7/10
Canos had a brilliant opportunity to open the scoring for Brentford in the first half but inexplicably missed from close range. Made amends later on in the game by setting up Dasilva for the winner before making way for former Newcastle man Ivan Toney.
Marcus Forss: 6/10
Leading the line for Brentford, Forss did not see a lot of the ball and was often left isolated for large parts of the game. However, he did set up a fine chance later in the game.
Saman Ghoddos: 7/10
Like Canos, Ghoddos had a superb opportunity coming his way in the first half when Dasilva set him up, only for him to rattle the woodwork. However, he also carried a lot of threat on his flank, playing the most key passes (4) on the night.
SUBSTITUTES
Christian Norgaard: 6/10
On for Janelt, Norgaard continued from where the German had left off, as far as the defensive work his concerned. However, he was also wasteful in front of goal and missed a top chance in the second half.
Ivan Toney: 6/10
The former Newcastle forward did not see a lot of the ball after being introduced but was thwarted by Karl Darlow with one chance that came his way.
Mathias Jensen: N/A
A late introduction, Jensen helped see the game out.
Newcastle United
Karl Darlow: 7/10
The sole bright spot for Newcastle on a frustrating evening, Darlow did all he could to keep his side in the game. Made four saves to thwart Brentford, but could not have done anything to keep out Dasilva’s effort.
DeAndre Yedlin: 5/10
Solid enough defensively, Yedlin won each of the ground duels he contested. However, on a night when he needed to make a difference in the final third, he faltered, with none of his crosses finding the intended target.
Isaac Hayden: 6/10
Deployed as a makeshift centre-back, Hayden produced a reasonably accomplished performance on Tuesday against Brentford. His defensive numbers were quite impressive – 6/7 duels won, 4 clearances, 3 interceptions, 1 block. However, he could not do enough to stop Dasilva for the winner. Least of Newcastle’s problems on the night, though.
Ciaran Clark: 5/10
Like Hayden, Clark worked extremely hard off the ball, making 4 clearances and a couple of blocks. However, he was overpowered in the air, where he lost three duels. Also should have done better to keep out Dasilva for the winner.
Jamal Lewis: 5/10
The Newcastle left-back was largely listless against Brentford, doing little with the ball at his feet while also facing some nervy moments up against Sergi Canos. Spectacularly grew out of the game in the second half.
Jonjo Shelvey: 5/10
A sub-par display by the Newcastle skipper, who did not do enough to wrestle control of the game from Brentford. Did set up a fine chance for Ryan Fraser, but was wasteful on the ball on other occasions. Booked in typical fashion as well.
Sean Longstaff: 5/10
Amid uncertainty surrounding his future at Newcastle, this was the perfect game for Longstaff to prove his naysayers wrong. The youngster created one chance, but lacked imagination for much of the game. Typically industrious off the ball, though.
Jacob Murphy: 5/10
The Newcastle attack was dreadful on Tuesday and Murphy was no different. The 25-year-old was underwhelming with his utilization of the ball, completing just over half the passes he attempted. Did play a couple of key passes, though, which bumps his rating slightly. Needed to do more.
Miguel Almiron: 4/10
Almiron’s woes at Newcastle just will not end and against Brentford, the Paraguayan international was anonymous for the most part. In fact, all through the game, Almiron had just 17 touches on the ball, which is just a ridiculous number.
Ryan Fraser: 6/10
The best of the Newcastle attackers, Fraser was thwarted by Brentford skipper Luke Daniels. Engineered a decent opening as well, but Callum Wilson did not convert. Faded out of the game in the second half.
Callum Wilson: 5/10
An underwhelming performance by Wilson, who did carry a threat with his movement, but did little to nothing when he got the ball at his feet. Could have done with some better service too, though.
SUBSTITUTES
Dwight Gayle: 5/10
On for Almiron, continued in same fashion as the player he replaced and even lost the ball thrice in his short stay on the pitch.
Joelinton: 5/10
Joelinton replaced Fraser and carried some threat on the left-wing, even setting up a late chance. However, he could not manage to get himself into scoring positions when Newcastle most needed it.
Andy Carroll: N/A
A late introduction, Carroll did not have enough time to make an impact.
