Kevin Schade’s early header sealed a 1-0 victory for Brentford over Ipswich Town at Portman Road, extending the Bees’ Premier League winning streak to four games for the first time since 1939.
Schade, who has Nigerian heritage, played a decisive role, netting his 11th league goal of the campaign to keep Brentford’s European hopes alive.
The match saw Brentford, buoyed by last weekend’s thrilling 4-3 win over Manchester United, make a quick impact. It took just 20 minutes for the visitors to break the deadlock, capitalizing on a set-piece routine.
Bryan Mbeumo, after two aborted attempts to deliver a corner due to box scuffles that required a brief VAR check, finally whipped a near-post cross into the path of Schade, who rose sharply to glance a header into the far corner, marking his fourth goal in three games.
With the advantage in hand, Brentford continued to dictate the pace. Yoane Wissa came close to doubling the lead shortly after the restart, forcing Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer into a smart low save.
Moments later, Mbeumo also tested Palmer, striking a Keane Lewis-Potter cross on the volley, only for the Ipswich shot-stopper to stand firm.
Despite Brentford’s dominance, Ipswich nearly found a late equalizer. Omari Hutchinson saw his curling effort pushed onto the post by Mark Flekken, who then had to react quickly to deny Cameron Burgess in stoppage time.
The win moves Brentford up to eighth in the standings, potentially within reach of European qualification, while Ipswich remain stuck in 18th place after suffering their eighth consecutive home defeat.
For Schade, his match-winning performance highlights a breakthrough season, firmly establishing the German-Nigerian forward as one of Brentford’s most influential players this term.
