Kevin Schade scored a superb hat-trick and provided another as Brentford sealed a fourth straight Premier League home win to defeat Leicester 4-1 in front of the watching Ruud van Nistelrooy at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.
Leicester started positively enough as Jamie Vardy raced onto a Jordan Ayew pass to outmuscle Ethan Pinnock and set up the returning Facundo Buonanotte for his fourth goal of the season (21). Brentford have made a habit of scoring soon after restarts – and they needed just four minutes to restore parity as Yoane Wissa tucked home Schades cross after good work from Mikkel Damsgaard (25).
The turnaround was complete just four minutes later as Wissa found Bryan Mbeumo on the right for his deflected cross to be swept home by Schade for his first Premier League goal since April. As it happened | Teams | Match statsLive Premier League table | Watch free PL highlightsStream the Premier League with NOW The Germany international celebrated his second on the stroke of half-time as he raced onto Damsgaards pass to coolly lift his shot over the onrushing Mads Hermansen (45+8).
Schade, who had not scored in his previous 16 league appearances, completed his hat-trick on the hour-mark as he latched onto Nathan Collins pass to slide his finish into the net. The result means Brentford have won four straight top-flight home games for the first time since 1937, rising to eighth in the table while Leicester stay in 16th place.
As one-sided a contest as you will see all season Van Nistelrooy, who has signed a three-year deal at King Power Stadium, spoke of how impressed he was by Leicesters history after being unveiled as their new manager on Friday.
The former Manchester United striker was in attendance in west London – but the Dutchman will now be under no illusions of the size of his task keeping the Foxes afloat as he takes to the dugout for the first time on Tuesday at home to West Ham.
Some supporters turned on their club towards the end with chants against director of football Jon Rudkin and shouts of youre not fit to wear the shirt at the players. Many of those bedraggled faces kept their distance from the away section at the final whistle.
Brentford have had a relatively kind set of opening home fixtures, but the manner in which most teams have simply been dispatched here is a testament to the job Thomas Frank continues to do. There is a unity and strength – as the Bees boss led the lap of appreciation at full-time – that is severely lacking in the fragmented Leicester ranks as they dispersed down the tunnel and into the night.
Van Nistelrooy may have had a few choice words in the dressing room for his new group of players as they front up to the challenge of somehow preserving their Premier League status. It was against the run of play when Vardy was rewarded for his persistence to provide Buonanotte with the opening goal.
But either side of that lapse in concentration from Pinnock, this was about as one-sided a contest as you will see all season. Were in a dark place at the momentLeicester defender Conor Coady told Sky Sports: We werent good enough.
Were conceding too many goals and not creating enough chances. Were in a bad place but only us can get ourselves together. Were in a dark place at the moment. Weve got to pull ourselves through it and look at ourselves in the mirror.
Weve got to look at ourselves, well see new manager in training tomorrow. Theres a full season to go and the new manager is coming in tomorrow and we have to go from there. We need to get better at a lot of things.
Not doing things well enough. Cant accept that as a club, players and a team. We need to really build and get better. On the mood in the dressing room: Down. But theres a lot who need to take responsibility.
We need to speak to each other and get the best out of each other. Weve had a few team meetings this week just players. We have to do that because we have to look at ourselves and thats what good teams do.
Were not showing that we are a good team at the moment. Were giving too many chances away. The whole team. I look at myself individually and theres a lot of players need to do that too. On Ruud van Nistelrooy coming in as manager: Were looking forward to it.
Having a new manager come in and show us where we need to get better. Weve been here before and we have to responsibility and try to get better. Player of the match – Kevin Schade Kevin Schade was only the fourth German to score a hat-trick in the Premier League, along with Jürgen Klinsmann (1998), Fredi Bobic (2002), and André Schürrle (2014).
He was only the second player to do so for Brentford in the competition, after Ivan Toney (twice). Schade had just two goals in his first 41 Premier League appearances before today. Speaking to Sky Sports, the striker said: Im very pleased.
Its been a difficult time for me recently. Im even more happy now Ive scored the hat-trick. I was most pleased with the last goal. My first hat-trick in my whole career. So happy. Ive been sad recently and everyone tries to push me.
The team, the fans. Working really hard, extra sessions in the gym. To be fair, we would expect this game to be tough. They are aggressive like us. Its great to score four goals. Brentfords impenetrable fortress – Opta stats Seven of Yoane Wissas eight Premier League goals for Brentford this season have been scored at the Gtech Community Stadium (88%); no player has more home goals in the competition in 2024-25.
Facundo Buonanotte has scored four goals in 11 Premier League games for Leicester, as many as he has netted in 40 appearances for parent club Brighton in the competition.Brentford have scored 3+ goals in the first half of two Premier League games this season (also v Wolves in October), something they only achieved once in 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 combined in the competition.
Brentford became the first side to score 20+ goals at home in the Premier League this season. After seven home games, its the earliest into a league season that the Bees have reached 20+ home goals since 1982-83 (also 7), and earliest in the top-flight since 1936-37 (also 7).
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