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More than halfway through the campaign, Brentford find themselves in fantasy land.

Following victories in their last five outings, and a Samba striker banging in the goals, suddenly supporters find themselves drifting off with thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

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

Only leaders Arsenal have gathered more points over the past half-dozen matches.

There's a significant distance to go yet but the West London outfit are firmly in the fight for European football.

No one was predicting this last summer.

Thomas Frank had left for Spurs after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club promoted but also cemented them in the top flight.

Skipper their Danish midfielder left for the North London club and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a combined of 39 goals in 2024-25 – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle United respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was elevated to succeed the Dane, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.

A year of difficulty, possibly even relegation, was forecast. But here we are in the new year with the club 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 circumstance, with Wissa's move not being finalized until deadline day.

But they also knew they had a £30m striker already waiting to go.

Igor Thiago joined from Club Brugge in July 2024 for a then-record fee, but was hindered by injury in his first campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.

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

Given the fellow Brazilians who have preceded him, that is some accomplishment, especially with seventeen matches left to play.

"He's been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He is physically intimidating, fast, powerful, but more skilled than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score off both. You can see he's full of confidence. These numbers are fantastic. He must be so pleased. That's a big 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 operating at.

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

His opener against the opposition was his seventh opener 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.

Before the game against Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least thirty efforts this season has a better shot accuracy rate than Igor Thiago's 59.1%.

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

Given the hardships he had in his youth, where he labored in construction to support his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that high-stakes situations 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. "It is really notable. 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 improving his skill set constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a largely all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Doubters Wrong

Their star striker is the man of the moment but Brentford are not and have never been a single-player team.

While they had star players – a host of talent – 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 Brentford's parts alone might not be enough to stay up.

As a result, appointing Andrews, with no previous managerial experience, and just a year at the club was seen by those external observers as a huge risk.

A maiden role is a challenge for anyone, let alone 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 the hierarchy 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 a single of his first five league games in charge but big home victories against United, Liverpool and the Magpies have followed.

Wins that, following their excellent recent form, could prove all the more important in the race for European qualification.

"We're in good form and playing really good. We are playing with bravery and conviction in everything we do with or without the ball," he added. "We're pleased with how we are going but we want to keep pushing."

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 quickly look very otherwise.

But, for now, The Bees are beating the predictions. And the longer that continues, the closer to reality those dreams of Europe will become.