Everton 2-4 Brentford: Igor Thiago's hat-trick moves Bees into top seven as David Moyes' Toffees concede three in second half
Report and free highlights as Brentford won 4-2 at Everton; Igor Thiago put the Bees in front, with Everton booed off at half-time; Nathan Collins and Thiago put Brentford 3-0 up after 52 minutes, Beto pulled one back but Thiago completed his hat-trick before Thierno Barry's consolation
Sunday 4 January 2026 17:52, UK
Igor Thiago's hat-trick helped Brentford to a 4-2 win over Everton – just the Bees' third away win of the season – to move Keith Andrews' side into the Premier League's top seven.
The Brazilian forward produced a brilliant display which started with him heading James Tarkowski's early goalbound header off the line at one end, then putting the Bees in front from Vitaly Janelt's superb cross on 11 minutes at the other end.
Everton - who saw Dwight McNeil and Thierno Barry denied by excellent Caoimhin Kelleher saves in the first half - were booed off at Hill Dickinson Stadium at the interval as Brentford should have been two or three goals to the good.
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Thiago and Kevin Schade saw two massive chances saved by Jordan Pickford before the break - but Brentford got the goals their performance deserved in a blistering start to the second period.
Five minutes after the break, Nathan Collins headed in Janelt's whipped corner from close range for 2-0 - Brentford's first goal from a corner this season, becoming the last top-flight team to manage one this term.
And 94 seconds later, Brentford had a third as the excellent Mathias Jensen slipped in Schade for a chance and while he was stopped in his tracks, Thiago picked up the ball to poke past Pickford.
Everton were stunned by the early second-half flurry but did find a goal back as half-time substitute Beto nodded in Jack Grealish's cross.
But after he had threatened to complete his hat-trick earlier in the game, Thiago eventually broke clear all alone to chip Pickford and claim the match ball.
Barry pulled one back for Everton moments later, but there was no doubt as to who was the best striker on the park.
WATCH: Thiago's brilliant hat-trick
Andrews: Thiago is impressive even without the goals
Brentford head coach Keith Andrews to Sky Sports:
"Pride. It's not an easy place to come even though it's our first time here. Everton away in general is a very difficult fixture, with the manager they have, coaching staff they have, level ability in playing area. It takes real courage to come here and play the way we did.
"We could have been more than 1-0 up at half-time. We got into a groove and if we were more clinical, we could have taken our opportunities. We wanted to start the second half in a positive fashion, we knew there would be a reaction from their bench. The grit, personality and character we showed as a club was really impressive.
"Thiago's been huge. He gives us a platform to play off. He's selfless in his game. The goals get the headlines but Schade scored a hat-trick against Bournemouth a couple of games ago and Thiago was just as impressive as him in terms of allowing players to come into the game and beyond him. That relationship is constantly building. He's shown he can score goals, which is what strikers want to do, but he's been even more impressive without the goals."
Analysis: Andrews just finds a way
Sky Sports' Sam Blitz:
Brentford have this very strange phenomenon - the more you take away from them, the stronger they get.
Selling Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa for a combined £125m was meant to derail them, many thought it would limit them to relegation candidates.
But not only does Thiago now have twice as many Premier League goals (14), than Mbeumo and Wissa combined, but Andrews is threatening to go one better than Thomas Frank and qualify this team for Europe.
Still, Brentford are not at full strength. Dango Ouattara is away at the Africa Cup of Nations, Jordan Henderson cannot play every game and the likes of Fabio Carvalho and Antoni Milambo are out for the season - but still Andrews finds a way.
Jensen was placed in an unorthodox right-wing role at Everton and it brought the best out of Mikkel Damsgaard, benched for the last four games but the second-best player on the park.
Damsgaard being able to play quick passes released more space for Brentford - and Thiago benefitted.
It earned Brentford just their third away win of the season - and if they manage to get an away run to partner their Gtech threat, then maybe they - not Sunderland, who they face on Wednesday - will be the surprise package of the season.
And perhaps, Andrews could be a real contender for Manager of the Season.
Moyes not surprised by result amid poor goals
Everton head coach David Moyes to Sky Sports:
"I don't think it's really surprised me. We knew we were relatively short in some areas. But the areas I hoped we were strong in, we didn't perform in those areas as well as we should have done.
"We gave away goals, the first one was a poor one. Credit to them they crossed it early and finished it well, but from our point of view, it was a poor goal. Then the second came from a corner kick which made it really difficult.
"If you had taken out the goal, there wasn't much in the first half but the goal had such a big impact on the game itself. We found ourselves chasing and opened up the game too much. We tried to do it with more forward play and caused them a bit more trouble [by making half-time changes] but it went the opposite way.
"I don't think we did particularly well for any of the goals. We were always in the game at 1-0, when we came out at half-time, we knew were in the game, at home, and tried to be positive. But the two goals finished us off."
