Igor Thiago struck a ruthless hat-trick as Brentford beat Everton 4-2 at Hill Dickinson Stadium, securing only their third Premier League away victory of the season. Everton, so organised against Nottingham Forest in the previous match, struggled badly this time, and Brentford punished almost every defensive mistake in a match packed with chances at both ends.
Everton started with purpose and pushed Brentford back early on, yet the visitors struck first and never really lost control. Nathan Collins and Thiago both scored in quick succession after half-time, Beto briefly gave the hosts hope, and Thierno Barry’s late strike arrived too late to change the outcome.
The visitors survived an early scare when Thiago cleared off Brentford’s line, then
struck at the other end. Vitaly Janelt intercepted a loose James Tarkowski pass in the 11th minute and crossed low, allowing Thiago to guide the ball past the Everton goalkeeper. Everton’s response lacked accuracy, while Thiago and Kevin Schade wasted further chances to extend the lead.
Pressure on the Brentford defence almost told just before the break when Collins diverted a cross towards his own goal, only for the ball to fly narrowly wide. David Moyes reacted at half-time with several attacking substitutions, but those changes disrupted Everton’s shape. Brentford quickly took charge of the space that opened across midfield and around the penalty area.
Collins rose highest to meet a corner in the 50th minute and powered in Brentford’s second goal. Almost immediately from the restart, the visitors regained possession and swept forward, and Thiago finished another incisive move to make it 3-0. Beto pulled one back for Everton, but Thiago completed his hat-trick on a counter-attack as Everton committed extra players forward.
A lovely first visit to the Hill Dickinson pic.twitter.com/KDOCqfntN8Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) January 4, 2026
Barry added Everton’s second goal in stoppage time, finishing calmly for a third Premier League strike of the season, but Brentford’s advantage was already secure. Everton finished with 14 attempts compared with Brentford’s 11, yet the visitors consistently produced the clearer openings and looked sharper in every decisive moment.
Shot numbers told only part of the story. Everton generated chances worth 0.85 expected goals, while Brentford produced 2.4. Thiago alone accounted for 1.72 expected goals, underlining how often Brentford found Thiago in dangerous areas and how central Thiago was to the visitors’ direct attacking plan.
| Team | Goals | Shots | Expected goals (xG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everton | 2 | 14 | 0.85 |
| Brentford | 4 | 11 | 2.4 |
Thiago had gone through December without scoring in the league, but this hat-trick moved Thiago to 14 Premier League goals for the season. Only Erling Haaland has more. Thiago also became Brentford’s third different Premier League hat-trick scorer, joining Schade and Ivan Toney, who have both produced two hat-tricks each in the competition.
Janelt’s two assists underlined Janelt’s influence from midfield, and Janelt now has three league assists, the highest total in Brentford’s squad this season. For Everton, Grealish created both home goals, taking Grealish’s tally to six Premier League assists, ending a long run without an assist that stretched back to August.
This result highlighted the difference in attacking sharpness between the teams, with Brentford clinical and Everton wasteful at key stages. Brentford gained a valuable away victory and a confidence boost, while Everton’s defensive discipline, so strong against Nottingham Forest, will come under scrutiny after a disjointed display.
