ANALYSIS: IGOR THIAGO'S GOALS END BURNLEY FIGHT; BEES LOOK UP TABLE
Igor Thiago scored twice as Brentford beat Burnley 3-1 in a late goal blitz. The in-form striker now has 12 league goals, sparking talk of a Brazil World Cup call-up.
Igor Thiago shone at the Gtech Community Stadium again as Brentford cruised to a 3-1 win against Burnley, who are showing signs of improvement.
The game took almost 80 minutes to get going, with all four goals coming in a quick burst near the end.
Daily Mail Sport checks out the main talking points from a tough match in west London.
Brentford's Turnaround
After Keith Andrews' first game as manager ended in a rough 3-1 loss at Nottingham Forest back in August, many thought Brentford would be relegated. After all, they had just lost Thomas Frank.
But about 13 weeks later, few people think the Bees will be playing in the Championship next season.
Their style of play is very direct, and when it works, it's really hard to defend against.
Brazilian player Igor Thiago was the star once more as Brentford defeated Burnley 3-1 in London.
Only Manchester City and Arsenal have lost fewer home games than Keith Andrews' team.
A poor first half led to boos from the home crowd at halftime, but the Bees came out strong in the second half.
After Thiago's two goals, Dango Ouattara secured another win for Andrews' team with a well-taken shot with his left foot.
Only Manchester City and Arsenal have a better home record than the Bees, who are now looking up the table instead of worrying about being relegated.
Andrews hasn't changed much since Thomas Frank left. Why would he? Brentford's spot in the Premier League hasn't been in danger for a while, and it won't be anytime soon.
Thiago's Big Brazilian Dream
Andrews said this week that Brazil has contacted Igor Thiago, who has been great so far this season.
Two more goals today for the 24-year-old bring his league total to 12, which is more than any other Brazilian in Europe, even Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr.
Many thought that selling Bryan Mbeumo in the summer would be a big loss, but Thiago has easily filled that role.
Thiago scored his first goal from a penalty and his second with a nice volley with his left foot.
Dango Ouattara later made it 3-1 with a good shot with his left foot in extra time.
For Scott Parker's Burnley, it's another loss, but easier games are coming up.
After scoring the first goal from the penalty spot, the confident Brazilian scored his second with a volley that he looked certain to score.
With the World Cup coming up, it might not be long before Brentford's number 9 wears the famous yellow and blue of his home country.
An Important January for Burnley
Despite the score, Brentford's win was not easy against a Burnley side that is improving and well-organised.
This Burnley is much better than the one that was relegated under Vincent Kompany, with only 24 points. They are willing to change their game, play long balls when needed, and build up an attack when it suits them.
But Burnley needs more attacking power. Lyle Foster and Zian Flemming, who scored, were good at times at the Gtech, but Scott Parker knows he needs more.
What signings Burnley can make in January will likely decide their fate, but they have an easier set of games coming up during the holiday season.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
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Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
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