Igor Thiago delivered a standout brace as Brentford eased past Sunderland 3-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium, setting a new individual Premier League record for a Brazilian while Yehor Yarmoliuk added a first goal for the club, and the result extended Brentford’s unbeaten league run to six matches as Sunderland’s away problems deepened.
Thiago struck in both halves to move to 16 league goals this season, surpassing the previous best Premier League single-season total by a Brazilian, while Sunderland’s chance to respond vanished when Enzo Le Fee’s Panenka penalty was saved by Caoimhin Kelleher after Brian Brobbey had been fouled by Kristoffer Ajer on the hour.
The night quickly became a personal milestone for Thiago, whose first effort brought
goal number 15 of this Premier League campaign before the second completed the brace and confirmed the new Brazilian scoring mark, with Yarmoliuk’s composed finish later in the contest sealing a one-sided scoreline against a Sunderland side that struggled to match Brentford’s tempo.
Keith Andrews highlighted both recruitment and character when reflecting on Thiago’s impact, saying: "The recruitment team deserve a lot of praise for the type of players they bring in and personalities. It is really impressive," Andrews told BBC Sport when asked about Thiago. "He is a really special person who has fitted into life very nicely. He has had to earn this path. He has earned his journey and grafted. He has got serious grit about his personality. He is developing his skill set constantly, and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty complete centre-forward. We played Bournemouth a couple of weeks ago and he didnt score but he was sensational. Goals are always something you are judged on as a striker, and it is fair to say on that front, he is having a special season as well. "
Brentford’s dominance went beyond the scoreline; the hosts controlled key phases before and after the interval, pressed with intensity, and looked confident once Kelleher denied Le Fee’s delicate penalty, a moment that felt decisive as Sunderland’s momentum faded and the stadium atmosphere surged following the save and Thiago’s record-breaking second strike.
The record-breaking goal Number 16 for Igor Thiago pic.twitter.com/zyTsJzRaBwBrentford FC (@BrentfordFC) January 7, 2026
Thiago described a season that has exceeded personal expectations, explaining: "I was just thinking about playing at the start of the season and then having a good moment. I wasnt expecting to score this much but I am just keeping going," Thiago said. "We are having a good season. We are doing well. We just need to keep going like this, and if we do, we can achieve a good result in the end. "
Brentford’s victory leaves the club on 33 points from 21 Premier League fixtures this season, matching their best tally at this stage from the 2022-23 campaign, and Andrews’ side are now unbeaten in six league matches, their second-longest run without defeat within a single Premier League season after a 12-game sequence between October 2022 and March 2023.
Sunderland’s evening under Regis Le Bris added to a difficult away record, with the team now without a win in six Premier League road matches this season, drawing three and losing three, their longest single-season away drought in the top flight since failing to win any of their opening six away league games in 2015-16 under Dick Advocaat and Sam Allardyce.
The 3-0 scoreline also matched Sunderland’s heaviest defeat of this Premier League season, having lost by the same margin at Manchester City in December, and the Black Cats have not suffered a bigger away loss across the top four divisions since a 6-0 reverse at Bolton Wanderers in League One in January 2022.
Le Bris acknowledged Brentford’s superiority and pinpointed the missed penalty as a turning point, stating: "It is a tough place. Well done to Brentford because they were good. We didn't start well. We had the opportunity to be back in the game but we missed it," Le Bris said. "It was like going 2-0 down because the energy of the stadium went high, and it was the beginning of the end for us. It was the main switch of the game and after that they were better than us. We have to lose as a team. We were not at the level. We won't search for excuses. We have to manage the conditions we have. "
The result left Brentford reinforcing strong league form with another controlled display, built around Thiago’s clinical finishing and Kelleher’s key save, while Sunderland departed with familiar concerns about their away record and defensive resilience, and both clubs now carry clear markers of their current trajectories into the remainder of the Premier League season.
