Frank sees room for improvement despite give-goal rout

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank insisted it “was not a top performance” from his side despite their 5-2 demolition of in-form Blackburn.

But he hailed his team’s body language, mental strength and willingness to learn that saw them come from two goals down inside eight minutes to shatter Rovers four-game winning run.

“When we went behind so early I looked at the players’ body language and they didn’t panic, and in the last 15 minutes of the first half we got more into the game,” he said.

“At half-time, all of us felt we could turn it around and that it was an opportunity to show how we’ve improved as a team. But I was also disappointed at how we’d defended.”

Brentford’s second-half showing was a scintillating display of attacking football as Neal Maupay, Sergi Canos and Ollie Watkins with two added to Said Benrahma’s first-half strike.

But Frank said it was far from the complete performance as his young side had “started flat” and were caught cold by two early goals from Bradley Dack and Danny Graham.

He said: “It was an untidy first half and throughout the game not a top performance like our last home game against Stoke was, but they have learned the mental side of the game and didn’t let the early setback affect them.

“After half-time we controlled the game very well and defended well, but even when we were ahead we pushed on and that’s the mentality I want us to have.”

But Frank refused to talk up hopes of a play-off charge, adding: “I have two dreams. To go on a good cup run starting on Tuesday against Barnet and as always to look no further ahead than the next game.”

Angry Rovers boss Tony Mowbray cited “ridiculous decisions” from referee Andy Davies as he explained his side’s rout at Griffin Park.

“There were some ridiculous decisions today but I don’t want to blame the ref because in the end we lost the game against a very good football team,” he said.

Mowbray said prior to the game that he had prepared his side for the challenge by likening the Bees to Real Madrid, and in a one-sided second half he was not far wrong.

He said: “Brentford are a very good team and we knew had to prepare well for them, which we did. We got the early goals, went in ahead and at half time we said it would be decided in a five minute spell

“They are a good team and you have to be really organised against them but we ended up with four players off the pitch that we rely on.”

Blackburn lost Dack with a sharp looking Achilles injury on 51 minutes and from then on Rovers were barely in it.

“We got way too stretched and gave away bad goals. Their third goal where our keeper has lost it changed the game and we got more and more stretched after that. For long spells we managed them well, scored couple and could have scored more,” he said.

“Then from looking good in possession and on the turnover the game went away from us, we lost players and that makes it hard. There are not many sides who move the ball like Brentford do, yet we manged it well.”

Mowbray felt the Brentford equaliser from a free-kick just after half-time was pivotal and insisted the referee should never have given it: “That changes the game to be honest. Most of the game we managed them no problem but it’s interesting how football swings.”