True redemption, perhaps, would have been to score with a Panenka, but Enzo Le Fée didn’t quite have the chutzpah for that. His duffed dink at Brentford last season was the low point of one of Sunderland’s two worst performances of the season, but he converted from the spot with eight minutes remaining to earn a point in a battle of two physically aggressive and well-drilled teams who must look at the chaos elsewhere and be thinking again of top-half finishes.
It had seemed that it would be a tale of Brentford’s newfound strength in depth and a second-half turnaround as they overcame a rocky first period to have the better of the second after a triple change at half-time – having already lost Nathan Collins. But instead it was a Sunderland substitute who made the key contribution, Wilson Isodor being pulled down by Keane Lewis-Potter at the back post to earn the penalty.
These are not normal times. Clubs up and down the Premier League are in flux, undercooked and struggling to deal with a flurry of late signings. In that context, it’s reasonable to wonder what the ceiling for Brentford might be. They narrowly missed out on Europe last season, but with this squad and rivals wobbling, a first qualification has to be the target this time round. Business done early and wisely, Brentford are the poster club for what now seems an old-fashioned model of team-building, one that doesn’t lead to flustered final day sprees or competing private jets in the runway at Lyon airport. They may rely on algorithms and the data-led unearthing of hidden gems, but there is at least a sense of a squad being built for footballing rather than financial reasons.
