Brentford 2-1 Aston Villa: Player ratings as Bees move ahead of Villans in Premier League

Brentford leapfrogged Aston Villa in the Premier League table with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at home to Steven Gerrard's side on Sunday afternoon.

A scrappy but evenly contested opening 15 minutes was lit up by the game's first moment of quality. Swivelling past Christian Norgaard, Emi Buendia pierced Brentford's backline with a pass into the path of Danny Ings, allowing the striker to fire off a first-time shot that scuttled into the bottom corner.

Villa dominated much of the opening period thereafter, limiting the hosts to their first effort almost half an hour into the contest - though without creating a wealth of openings to add to their tally.

Out of seemingly sterile possession, Brentford struck back just as Villa threatened to wind down a largely comfortable (and forgettable) first half. Zig-zagging their way down the right hand side, Mads Roerslev picked out Yoane Wissa on the edge of the area.

A perfectly cushioned first touch teed him up for a crisp finish that made it 1-1 after 42 minutes. The club's first ever Premier League goal from outside the box was so good there was a faint, but audible, collective intake of breath from the Brentford Community Stadium crowd rewatching the move on the big screen.

The second half swiftly sank back into the familiar pattern of Villa holding onto the ball but the Bees keeping the visitors at arm's length.

Roerslev went from provider to scorer with less than ten minutes on the clock, forcing Brentford ahead at the culmination of a move laced with more determination than dexterity. A pair of loose balls bounced back to the Bees, including Emi Martinez's initial save from the wing-back, in the build up to the hosts' second of the afternoon.

Villa provided a late flurry but it proved too little too late on a day when the visitors didn't capitalise upon their superiority when leading.

Brentford player ratings

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Alvaro Fernandez (GK) - 6/10 - Helpless when faced with Ings' clinical finish.

Ethan Pinnock (CB) - 5/10 - Coming off second best more often than not in a fiercely contested battle with Buendia.

Pontus Jansson (CB) - 5/10 - Often beaten by a sharp touch from Ings, Jansson repeatedly hauled himself back into position to block an attempt or pass.

Mads Bech Sorensen (CB) - 6/10 - Managed to quell the threat of Bertrand Traore more so than his teammate with the opposite winger.

2. Midfielders & wingbacks

Mads Roerslev (RWB) - 8/10 - Instrumental as the architect of Wissa's equaliser before becoming the 11th different scorer of a home goal for Brentford this season.

Frank Onyeka (CM) - 6/10 - Roaming around in search of the ball, Onyeka dropped very deep to try to ease Brentford's struggles playing through Villa.

Christian Norgaard (CM) - 6/10 - All too easily bypassed in the build up to Ings' opener but littered his performance with a usual flurry of crucial tackles and touches otherwise.

Mathias Jensen (CM) - 5/10 - Surreptitiously involved in Brentford's equaliser but skirted around the fringes for much of the match.

Sergi Canos (LWB) - 5/10 - Started the game brightly by taking on Matty Cash though faced problems when forced to go the other way before limping off in the second half.

3. Forwards

Yoane Wissa (ST) - 7/10 - Afforded barely a sniff of the ball before producing a moment to savour.

Ivan Toney (ST) - 5/10 - When Brentford directed a rare pass towards their attacking fulcrum, Toney didn't hold the ball up as well as he often does.

4. Substitutes

Saman Ghoddos (LWB) - 6/10

Shandon Baptiste (CM) - 5/10

Vitaly Janelt (CM) - N/A

Aston Villa player ratings

5. Goalkeeper & defenders

Emi Martinez (GK) - 6/10 - Unable to do much about Wissa's finish, Martinez produced a crucial fingertip around the corner before denying Roerslev's first attempt.

Matty Cash (RB) - 5/10 - Struggled to provide much impact going forward.

Ezri Konsa (CB) - 7/10 - Dealt with Brentford's direct play without much fuss.

Kortney Hause (CB) - 4/10 - Endured some shaky touches on a rare start, notably shanking a back pass into his own side-netting.

Matt Targett (LB) - 6/10 - Caught out of position for Brentford's equaliser but regularly found himself in the right place at the right time, especially inside his own box.

6. Midfielders

John McGinn (CM) - 5/10 - Tearing around the pitch, Villa's captain for the day was a little too eager to pull the trigger from range.

Douglas Luiz (CM) - 5/10 - Sitting behind his fellow midfielders, Luiz didn't have much sweeping up to do.

Jacob Ramsey (CM) - 6/10 - Boisterous on the ball, an early yellow card didn't add any reluctance to his eagerness to win possession back.

7. Forwards

Bertrand Traore (RW) - 5/10 - On his first Premier League start of the season, Traore flittered in and out of the contest.

Danny Ings (ST) - 7/10 - A regular threat when speeding into the channels, Ings was razor sharp when picked out by his teammates.

Emi Buendia (LW) - 7/10 - Bristling with confidence throughout, Buendia continued his record of providing a goal or assist on every appearance against Brentford in one of his best performances for Villa.

8. Substitutes

Morgan Sanson (CM) - 5/10

Trezeguet (RW) - N/A