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More than halfway through the campaign, Brentford are in a dream scenario.

With four wins in their last five outings, and a Samba striker banging in the goals, suddenly Bees fans are dreaming of thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A convincing 3-0 win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into fifth in the Premier League – a place that was good enough to secure Champions League football last season.

Solely table-toppers Arsenal have gathered more points over the past half-dozen matches.

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

No one was forecasting this last off-season.

Thomas Frank had departed for Tottenham after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club to the Premier League but also established them in the top flight.

Skipper their Danish midfielder left for Arsenal and goal-scoring duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a combined of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle United respectively.

Specialist coach Andrews was promoted to replace the Dane, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the summer signings.

A season of difficulty, possibly even the drop, was widely predicted. But here we are in the new year with the club in the top five.

So, how have they managed it?

Igor Thiago's Historic Campaign

Brentford's decision not to bring in another striker was in part down to timing, with one forward's move not being finalized until deadline day.

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

The 24-year-old joined from Belgium in July 2024 for a then club record fee, but was plagued by fitness issues in his debut campaign, going goalless in eight appearances.

The 24-year-old has gone about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his double against the Wearside club taking him to sixteen league goals – the highest tally by a Brazilian in a single English top-flight campaign.

Given the countrymen who have preceded him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games remaining.

"He has been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He is physically intimidating, quick, strong, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, both feet, he can score off both. You can see he's full of confidence. His statistics are fantastic. He must be so pleased. That's a huge compliment to him."

That only a trio of global superstars have scored more in any of the continent's major leagues to this point underscores the standard he is playing at.

And it is not just the volume but the crucial nature of the goals that have been so important for his team.

His first goal against the Black Cats was his seventh first goal of a game 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 their opponents, no player to have attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shot accuracy rate than Igor Thiago's 59.1%.

He finds the target. Do that consistently and the goals will – and have – come.

Given the hardships he had earlier in life, where he worked as a bricklayer to provide for 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. "This is really notable. He is a really unique person who has fitted into life very nicely. He has had to forge this path. He has earned his journey and toiled. He has got serious grit about his personality. He is improving his abilities constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a largely all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Doubters Incorrect

Their star striker is the headline act but the team are not and have never been a one-man band.

While they had star players – a host of talent – under Frank, they were always seen as a team more effective than the individual components.

The fear was that once the manager left, that may not be the case, and that the collective quality 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 twelve months at the club was seen by those outside the club 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 jump from specialist coach to the manager's office.

But given that Ipswich boss one candidate was the only other alternative that Brentford looked at, they were clearly convinced they had the right man.

To date, as often seems to be the case with the brains trust at the club, it looks as if they were correct.

Andrews won just one of his first 5 league games in charge but significant home victories against United, the Reds and Newcastle have since occurred.

Results that, following their brilliant recent form, could prove all the more important in the pursuit for European qualification.

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

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just eight points, they have no other option, because things could quickly look very otherwise.

But, for now, Brentford are defying the predictions. And the longer that continues, the closer to reality those aspirations of Europe will become.