SOUTHAMPTON, England (Reuters) – Brentford striker Ivan Toney sent a timely reminder of his form to England coach Gareth Southgate by netting the opener in his side’s 2-0 Premier League victory at struggling Southampton on Wednesday.
Toney reacted first in the 32nd minute to score from a Bryan Mbeumo corner and take his league tally to 16 for the season.
Bottom club Southampton dominated possession but were unable to penetrate Brentford’s defence as they missed the chance to move out of the relegation zone.
Yoane Wissa sealed their fate deep into stoppage time.
Brentford, who suffered their first defeat in 12 Premier League games at the weekend, moved into eighth place in the table with 41 points.
Southampton’s best chance came just after halftime when a Che Adams effort was blocked on the line by Aaron Hickey.
The south coast club remained on 22 points from 27 games, two adrift of 17th-placed West Ham United.
Southgate will select his England squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine on Thursday.
Only Norway’s Erling Haaland and England captain Harry Kane have scored more Premier League goals than Toney this season.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond)
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