Newcastle Beats Brentford after Toney’s Rare Penalty Failure

Brentford's Ivan Toney scores his side's opening goal from the penalty spot during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Newcastle United at the Gtech Community stadium, in London, England, Saturday, April 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Alexander Isak kept Newcastle’s Champions League charge on track with the winner in a 2-1 victory at Brentford in the English Premier League on Saturday.

The Sweden striker hit his eighth goal in 13 league appearances as the Magpies came from a goal down to make it five wins in a row and stay in third place.

A high-tempo match in west London also featured a collector’s item in the shape of a failure from the penalty spot by Ivan Toney. The England striker also slotted a spot kick and had a goal disallowed in an eventful first half.

Newcastle stayed in third place, ahead of Manchester United on goal difference and three points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham, which has played a game more than its two rivals.

Toney thought he fired Brentford ahead in the seventh minute after Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope clawed out a header from Pontus Jansson. Toney snaffled the rebound but a VAR check showed he was just offside when Jansson headed the ball.

The penalty saga began when Kevin Schade brought down a high ball superbly before racing past Dan Burn and into the area, where he was unceremoniously halted by Sven Botman.

But Toney’s effort was uncharacteristically weak and Pope saved low to his left to join Adam Davies of Barnsley in 2018 — when Toney was at Peterborough — in an exclusive club of goalkeepers to keep out a penalty from the striker.

Four-and-a-half years and 24 successful penalties later — including 22 out of 22 for Brentford — Toney’s run of successful spot kicks come to an end.

However, he is nothing if not confident about his ability from the spot, and normal service was resumed in first-half stoppage time after Isak caught Rico Henry.

Referee Chris Kavanagh was instructed by the VAR to check the pitchside monitor and, inevitably, he awarded another penalty.

Toney dispatched it to Pope’s left again but this time high enough to beat his dive.

Newcastle was poor in the first half but improved after the introduction of Callum Wilson and Anthony Gordon, and equalized in the 54th minute when Kieran Trippier found Joelinton inside the box.

The Brazilian evaded a challenge from Ben Mee before drilling in a low cross which was diverted in via the heel of Brentford goalkeeper David Raya.

Six minutes later, Wilson — unfortunate not to start after his double at West Ham midweek — squared for Isak to lash a superb effort from the edge of the box into the top corner.

Raya made a fine block to deny Isak a second before Wilson prodded the ball home from a corner, only for another VAR review to chalk it off for handball after the striker controlled the ball with the top of his arm.

Pope kept out Ethan Pinnock’s late header and Toney headed over in stoppage time as Brentford slipped to only a second home defeat. -AP

April 08, 2023