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More than halfway through the campaign, Brentford are in a dream scenario.

With four wins in five games, and a Brazilian striker scoring the goals, suddenly Bees fans find themselves drifting off with thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A comprehensive 3-0 win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into fifth in the top flight – a position that was sufficient to secure Champions League football last season.

Solely leaders the Gunners have collected more points over the past half-dozen matches.

There is a significant distance to go yet but the West London outfit are squarely in the race for continental football.

No one was predicting this last summer.

Thomas Frank had left for Tottenham after a seven-year stint 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 their Danish midfielder left for Arsenal and attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a total of 39 goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining Manchester 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 year of difficulty, possibly even relegation, was forecast. But here we are in the new year with Brentford in the top five.

So, how have they managed it?

The Brazilian's Historic Season

The club's decision not to bring in another striker was partly down to timing, with Wissa's move not going through until the final day of the window.

But they also knew they had a £30 million striker already ready and waiting.

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 compensating for lost time this season, though, with his brace against Sunderland taking him to 16 league goals – the most by a player from Brazil in a single English top-flight campaign.

Given the countrymen who have come before him, that is some accomplishment, especially with 17 games left to play.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He is physically intimidating, quick, strong, 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. These numbers are fantastic. He must be so proud. That's a huge 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 playing at.

And it is not just the volume but the timing of the goals that have been so vital for Brentford.

His first goal against the opposition was his seventh first goal of a game of the season. Considering how often we are told the importance of the initial strike in a game, having someone you can rely on to take that early opportunity 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 percent.

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

Considering the struggles he had earlier in life, where he labored in construction to support his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

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

The Manager Proving Doubters Incorrect

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

While they had key individuals – Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen, Mbeumo and Wissa – under their previous boss, 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 sum of their parts alone might not be enough to stay up.

Consequently, appointing Andrews, with no previous managerial experience, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those outside the club as a huge risk.

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

But given that Ipswich boss one candidate was the only other alternative that Brentford looked at, they were clearly convinced they had the correct candidate.

So far, as often seems to be the case with the key decision makers at the club, it looks as if they were correct.

Andrews won just one of his first 5 league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, the Reds and the Magpies have followed.

Results that, following their excellent recent form, could prove increasingly important in the race for Europe.

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

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just eight points, they have no other option, because things could quickly look very different.

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