Southampton on Saturday endured a third straight defeat on their Premier League return, falling 3-1 to Brentford in London.
Bryan Mbeumo capitalized on two defensive lapses from Saints, one in each half, to secure a comfortable victory for the Bees.
Adam Armstrong missed a crucial chance to equalize before halftime, completely misfiring on an open goal during added time.
Brentford’s Yoanne Wissa netted their third goal just four minutes after Mbeumo’s second, sealing the match in the 69th minute following a long throw-in from the home side.
Yukinari Sugawara spared Southampton from a third consecutive 3-0 loss at Brentford’s new stadium, delivering a fine finish in added time.
Aaron Ramsdale made his debut for the Saints, having joined the club just 24 hours earlier in an £18 million transfer finalized on deadline day.
Ryan Fraser, another new recruit, was not registered in time to play but traveled with the team to the Gtech Community Stadium.
Manager Russell Martin opted for an unchanged lineup despite the team’s impressive 5-3 victory over Cardiff City in the midweek cup.
However, Martin made slight tactical adjustments, aiming to get Armstrong more involved in the penalty area, after taking responsibility for their recent 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.
Ramsdale was called into action within the opening minute, making a low save to deny Mikkel Damsgaard after he had just acknowledged the fans. Joe Aribo came close to giving Southampton an early lead when his inadvertent flick from a corner hit the woodwork.
Brentford continued to press, keeping Ramsdale busy, and the England international did well to block Wissa’s close-range chip.
Though the Bees launched several attacks, they struggled to create clear-cut opportunities, with Mbeumo missing the target with both a cross and a shot.
However, Brentford was gifted two excellent chances just before the break as Kyle Walker-Peters and Taylor Harwood-Bellis lost possession in dangerous areas.
Mbeumo took advantage of Harwood-Bellis’s error in added time, slotting home after Kevin Schade’s shot fell to him in the box.
Armstrong should have leveled for the Saints before halftime, but when Sugawara’s effort landed perfectly for him, he ended up striking the ball into his own foot.
At halftime, Martin made two changes, bringing on Cameron Archer and Mateus Fernandes for Armstrong and Will Smallbone. Harwood-Bellis was then substituted in the 55th minute, with Tyler Dibling replacing him after the defender’s risky play led to several close calls.
Despite showing some improvement, Southampton failed to seriously test Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken. The momentum swung back to Brentford after Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens, who had just made a crucial block, were caught out trying to play from the back.
Mbeumo seized the opportunity, playing a one-two with Mathias Jensen before slotting a low shot past Ramsdale in the 65th minute.
Less than five minutes later, Wissa tapped in Brentford’s third goal after Ramsdale parried a Nathan Collins header straight to him on the goalline.
Dibling’s dribbling skills led to a shot on goal, Sugawara came close with a free kick, and Flekken denied Fernandes inside the box.
In the final moments, Dibling lofted a pass to Adam Lallana, who headed down for Sugawara to score a well-taken consolation goal in added time.
