Analysis: Why Lewis-Potter's Wolves brace comes as no surprise

Every head coach dreams of a squad packed with adaptable players capable of seizing the moment.

And, with Dango Ouattara away on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Burkina Faso, Brentford head coach Keith Andrews deployed Keane Lewis-Potter to the right of top scorer Igor Thiago against Wolves on Saturday - and the prolific Brazilian no doubt admired both of his team-mate’s goals in the 2-0 success at Molineux.

Lewis-Potter and Kevin Schade had already drawn sharp stops from Wolves goalkeeper José Sá - Schade twice - before the former Hull City man opened his Premier League account this term around the hour mark.

No team has made more errors leading to a goal in the Premier League this season than Wolves (six), and Lewis-Potter made the hosts pay a heavy price for allowing Vitaly Janelt’s flighted ball to bounce through to him.

Only Man City (14) and Arsenal (13) have led in more games this season than Brentford (12), and the west Londoners remained patient after taking the lead, while retaining penetration in the final third, to finish off their struggling hosts.

After going close himself from a wonderful through-ball by Schade, playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard laid on Lewis-Potter’s second goal of the afternoon with a pinpoint cross on 83 minutes.

The Bees’ match-winner did well to control his strike on the stretch for what was his first-ever Premier League brace. The fact that he converted such a difficult chance is not surprising, however, given Lewis-Potter’s shooting statistics over the past couple of seasons.

Lewis-Potter has ranked in the top 20 across the past three Premier League seasons for shot-on-target percentage.

Back in 2023/24, the former England Under-21s international fired 20 of 43 shots on target (47 per cent accuracy), before increasing that figure to 50 per cent last term (14 of 28).

The sample size is again smaller this season but, after his decisive contribution in the Black Country, Lewis-Potter’s current shot-on-target percentage stands at 56 per cent (five of nine).

'Lewis-Potter has ranked in the top 20 across the past three Premier League seasons for shot-on-target percentage'

Bouncing back superbly from their quarter-final defeat to Man City, Brentford kept a third league clean sheet of the campaign in the win - although goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher had to demonstrate his proven ability to save penalties to secure it.

After felling Republic of Ireland team-mate Matt Doherty in the six-yard box, Kelleher dusted himself down before diving to his left to keep out Jørgen Strand Larsen’s 88th-minute spot-kick.

One of only seven goalkeepers to save a Premier League penalty this term, Kelleher is the only top-flight stopper to save two - after also denying Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes from 12 yards in September.