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

With four wins in their last five outings, and a Brazilian striker netting the goals, suddenly Bees fans are dreaming of thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

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

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

There is a long way to go yet but Brentford are firmly in the battle for continental football.

No one was forecasting this last summer.

Thomas Frank had departed for Tottenham after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club to the Premier League but also established them in the top flight.

Club captain Christian Norgaard left for Arsenal and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a total of thirty-nine goals in 2024-25 – were out the door, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was promoted to replace the Dane, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the summer signings.

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

So, how did they pull it off?

Igor Thiago's Historic Campaign

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

But they also knew they had a £30m striker already chomping at the bit.

The 24-year-old joined from Belgium in the summer for a then club record fee, but was hindered by injury in his debut campaign, going goalless in his initial outings.

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

Given the fellow Brazilians who have preceded him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games left to play.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He's physically intimidating, quick, powerful, but more skilled than people think. Excellent with his feet, both feet, he can score off both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. His statistics are fantastic. He must be so pleased. That's a huge compliment to him."

That only a trio of global superstars have scored more in any of Europe's top five leagues to this point shows the level he is playing at.

And it is not just the quantity but the timing of the goals that have been so important for his team.

His opener against the Black Cats was his 7th 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 their opponents, no player to have attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shooting accuracy than the striker's 59.1%.

He finds the target. Do that often enough and the goals will – and have – come.

Considering the struggles he had in his youth, where he worked as a bricklayer to support his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that pressure on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of credit for the kind of players they bring in and characters," Andrews said. "This is really impressive. He is a really unique person who has fitted into life very well. He has had to forge this path. He has earned his journey and toiled. He has got real determination about his personality. He is developing his skill set constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Sceptics Wrong

Igor Thiago is the headline act but the team are not and have never been a single-player team.

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

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

Consequently, appointing Andrews, with a blank managerial CV, and just a year at the club was seen by those external observers as a gamble.

A first managerial job is a challenge 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 one candidate was the only other option that Brentford looked at, they were clearly convinced they had the right man.

So far, as often seems to be the case with the brains trust at Brentford, it looks as if they were spot on.

Andrews won just one of his first five league games in charge but big home victories against United, the Reds and Newcastle have followed.

Wins that, following their excellent recent run, could prove all the more important in the pursuit for Europe.

"We're in fine fettle and playing really well. We are playing with courage and conviction in everything we do with or without the ball," he added. "We're happy with how we are going but we want to keep striving."

In a league where the European spots and the lower mid-table are currently separated by just eight points, they have no other option, because things could rapidly look very otherwise.

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