12 Shots for Brentford, 14 for Sunderland in a 1-1 Draw

Brentford and Sunderland drew 1-1 at Brentford Community Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday, September 5, 2026. Vitaly Janelt put the hosts ahead in the 57th minute before Enzo Le Fée equalised from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute, ensuring the points were shared.

Janelt breakthrough followed by Sunderland response

Both teams lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Keith Andrews leading Brentford and R. Le Bris in charge of Sunderland. The opening half produced no goals, although the match was interrupted by an early change for Brentford when Jannik Schuster replaced Nathan Collins in the 17th minute.

Brentford moved in front 12 minutes after the interval. Janelt scored a normal goal in the 57th minute and later added a yellow card to his contribution, being booked in the 62nd minute. The home side also made three changes at half-time, with Aaron Hickey, Jaidon Anthony and Yehor Yarmoliuk entering for Michael Kayode, Dango Ouattara and Mamadou Sangare respectively.

Sunderland’s pressure eventually produced an equaliser. Le Fée converted a penalty in the 82nd minute to make it 1-1. Sunderland had introduced Trai Hume and Wilson Isidor in the 64th minute, and Hume finished with the visitors’ second-highest match rating at 7.2 after 26 minutes on the field. Granit Xhaka was booked in the 88th minute, while Noah Sadiki had received Sunderland’s first yellow card in the 14th minute.

Sunderland held the statistical edge

The numbers indicated a closely balanced game, but Sunderland had a slight advantage in several areas. The visitors held 51% possession and completed 289 accurate passes from 380 total, compared with Brentford’s 49% possession and 283 accurate passes from 364. Sunderland also recorded 14 shots to Brentford’s 12 and had five shots on goal, while Brentford managed two.

That greater attacking output did not translate into a win, as Brentford scored first and Sunderland needed the late penalty to level the contest. Sunderland also had more shots inside the box, 10 to seven, while both teams recorded six shots off goal. Brentford committed 19 fouls to Sunderland’s nine, and the hosts received three yellow cards compared with two for the visitors. There were no red cards.

Janelt leads the ratings

Janelt was the standout performer, receiving a match rating of 7.7 after playing all 90 minutes. His goal, one shot on target and four tackles underlined his influence. Kevin Lewis-Potter also completed the match for Brentford and supplied three key passes.

The draw leaves Brentford listed seventh with four points from two games, a record of one win and one draw and a goal difference of three. Sunderland are listed 12th with three points from two matches, having recorded one win and one loss with a level goal difference. Brentford had entered the match with a win and a draw in their most recent results, while Sunderland’s listed form was a loss followed by a win.