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More than the midpoint of the season, Brentford find themselves in fantasy land.

With victories in five games, and a Samba striker scoring the goals, suddenly supporters are dreaming of thoughts of trips to Milan, Munich and Barcelona next season.

A convincing 3-0 win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into fifth in the Premier League – a position that was sufficient to secure European football last term.

Solely leaders Arsenal have gathered more points over the past half-dozen matches.

There is a long way to go yet but the West London outfit are firmly in the fight for European football.

Few was envisioning this last summer.

The former head coach had departed for Tottenham after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club to the Premier League but also cemented them in the elite division.

Skipper their Danish midfielder left for Arsenal and goal-scoring duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a combined of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining Manchester United and Newcastle respectively.

Set-piece coach Keith Andrews was elevated to replace the Dane, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.

A season of difficulty, possibly even relegation, was forecast. Yet here we are in the new year with the club in the upper echelons.

So, how have they managed it?

The Brazilian's Record-breaking Campaign

Brentford's decision not to bring in another striker was partly down to circumstance, with one forward's move not being finalized until the final day of the window.

But they also were aware they had a £30 million striker already waiting to go.

The 24-year-old joined from Belgium in July 2024 for a then-record fee, but was plagued by injury in his debut campaign, going without a goal in eight appearances.

The 24-year-old has gone about making up for lost time this season, though, with his brace against the Wearside club taking him to 16 league goals – the highest tally by a player from Brazil in a single Premier League campaign.

Given the countrymen who have preceded him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with seventeen matches left to play.

"He has been a revelation," pundit Danny Murphy said. "He's a physical specimen, quick, powerful, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score with both. You can see he's full of confidence. His statistics are incredible. He must be so proud. That's a big compliment to him."

That only Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe have scored more in any of Europe's top five leagues to this point shows the standard he is operating at.

And it is not just the volume but the crucial nature of the goals that have been so important for Brentford.

His first goal against the opposition was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Given how often we are told the importance of the first goal in a game, having someone you can depend on to take that first big chance cannot be overstated.

Prior to the game against Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least thirty efforts this season has a better shooting accuracy than the striker's 59.1%.

He hits the target. Achieve that often enough and the goals will – and have – come.

Given the struggles he had in his youth, where he labored in construction to support his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that pressure on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for the type of players they bring in and personalities," the manager said. "This is really impressive. He is a really unique person who has fitted into life very nicely. He has had to earn this path. He has earned his journey and toiled. He has got real determination about his personality. He is improving his abilities constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Doubters Incorrect

Igor Thiago is the man of the moment but the team are not and have never been a one-man band.

While they had star players – a host of talent – under Frank, they were always seen as a team stronger than the individual components.

The concern was that once the Dane left, that may not be the case, and that the collective quality of Brentford's parts alone might not be enough to stay up.

As a result, appointing their set-piece coach, with a blank managerial CV, and just a year at the club was seen by those external observers as a gamble.

A maiden role is a test for anyone, especially when it comes in the world's toughest league and having made the jump from set-piece coach to the top job.

But given that Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was the only other alternative that Brentford looked at, they were clearly convinced they had the right man.

To date, as often seems to be the case with the key decision makers at Brentford, it looks as if they were spot on.

Andrews won just one of his first 5 league games in charge but significant home victories against United, Liverpool and Newcastle have since occurred.

Results that, following their brilliant recent form, could prove all the more important in the pursuit for Europe.

"We are in good form and playing really good. We are playing with courage and conviction in everything we do with or without the ball," Andrews added. "We're pleased with how we are going but we want to keep striving."

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have little choice, because things could rapidly look very different.

But, for now, Brentford are defying the predictions. And the longer that lasts, the closer to reality those aspirations of the continent will become.