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 Schade’s 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.
Schade celebrates with his team-mates
The Germany international celebrated his second on the stroke of half-time as he raced onto Damsgaard’s 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 seventh in the table while Leicester stay in 16th place.
Wout Faes is powerless to stop Brentford’s third goal
As one-sided a contest as you will see all season
Leicester have won just one of their last 15 away games in the Premier League (D5 L9), keeping just one clean sheet and conceding 34 goals (2.3 per game) in this spell
Van Nistelrooy, who has signed a three-year deal at King Power Stadium, spoke of how impressed he was by Leicester’s 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 ‘you’re 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.
Leicester first-team coach Ben Dawson said: “I share the disappointment that we couldn’t put a 90-minute performance together out there for the travelling fans, who again were great. They’re entitled to voice their frustrations at times. We strive to be better so that we can have their full support for the full game.”
Facundo Buonanotte celebrates putting Leicester in front
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.
‘We’re in a dark place at the moment’
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Leciester City defender Conor Coady gives an honest review of their season stating the team must improve following defeat at Brentford.
Leicester defender Conor Coady told Sky Sports:
“We weren’t good enough. We’re conceding too many goals and not creating enough chances. We’re in a bad place but only us can get ourselves together. We’re in a dark place at the moment. We’ve got to pull ourselves through it and look at ourselves in the mirror. We’ve got to look at ourselves, we’ll see new manager in training tomorrow. There’s 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. Can’t accept that as a club, players and a team. We need to really build and get better.”
Brentford goalscorers Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa
On the mood in the dressing room: “Down. But there’s a lot who need to take responsibility. We need to speak to each other and get the best out of each other. We’ve had a few team meetings this week just players. We have to do that because we have to look at ourselves and that’s what good teams do. We’re not showing that we are a good team at the moment.
“We’re giving too many chances away. The whole team. I look at myself individually and there’s a lot of players who need to do that too.”
On Ruud van Nistelrooy coming in as manager: “We’re looking forward to it. Having a new manager come in and show us where we need to get better. We’ve been here before and we have to take responsibility and try to get better.”
Frank explains Schade inclusion
Kevin Schade fires Brentford in front against Leicester
Brentford boss Thomas Frank:
“We were in control from minute one. I expected it to be a lot more difficult than it did in the end. They changed their shape to a 5-4-1 so they were more defensive. We found ourselves 1-0 down despite complete dominance and we showed fantastic mentality to score four top goals.
“There were some very good performances but the shining star was Schade. I know how much he’s wanted to do well since his injury. I thought he has been playing well up to now despite not scoring, but he took his goals so well and also provided a fantastic assist.
“He’s trained well and he’s worked hard on his finishes. The little chip with his left foot over the goalkeeper is what he was working with with the coaches on Thursday. We thought we would have another player on the last line of the defence, so it’s nice that it paid off.”
Dawson: Copenhagen party had no impact on result
Kevin Schade plunders the first of his three goals
Leicester first-team coach Ben Dawson:
On the Christmas party in Denmark: “Not in my opinion [after-effects of the party]. Like I said yesterday in the press, they’ve had two days off. What the players do in their time off is entirely up to them. As I’ve just previously said, their work rate and application Tuesday to Friday, I couldn’t fault.
“We attack as a team, defend as a team. When we look back at the goals, we’ll look at how we gave the ball away first and foremost and then what’s the team’s reaction and then get into the tactical nuts and bolts of it after that.
“There’s a meeting scheduled tomorrow at the training ground [with Ruud van Nistelrooy]. It’ll be whatever the new manager thinks. It was already scheduled that we’d be in tomorrow morning with the quick turnaround for the game on Tuesday night.
“It’ll be up to the new manager to use that time how he sees fit.”
Player of the match – Kevin Schade
Kevin Schade celebrates after completing his hat-trick against Leicester
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: “I’m very pleased. It’s been a difficult time for me recently. I’m even more happy now I’ve scored the hat-trick.
“I was most pleased with the last goal. My first hat-trick in my whole career. So happy. I’ve 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. It’s great to score four goals.”
Brentford’s impenetrable fortress – Opta stats
Brentford have won more of their seven Premier League home games this season (6) than they managed in the whole of last season in the competition (5). The Bees have more points at home in the competition this term (19) than any other side
- Seven of Yoane Wissa’s 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, it’s 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).
