Dean Smith was pleased but frustrated after Brentford claimed a 2-0 win at Sunderland.

Kamo Mokotjo and Neal Maupay found the net inside the first half hour as the Bees put Chris Coleman's side to the sword.

The Black Cats rallied in the second half but the Bees were able to withstand the pressure and claim the victory.

He said: “I thought in the first half we came out of the blocks really well. I thought our performance was as good as it has been in a while.

“In the second half, I didn't think it was great but if you score two and keep a clean sheet on the road you're happy.

“I thought it could have been more than two goals with the chances.

“We knew they'd change something at half-time and the two substitutes upped their tempo.

Dean Smith

Smith, though, felt Brentford could have turned their dominance into a more comfortable half-time lead.

“The disappointment for me was we were only 2-0 up as we got into good areas and the final ball and finish didn't quite make the scoreline as comfortable as you'd like, Smith added.

“We need to turn the transitions when we win the ball back and counter into goals. I thought we were poor in the second half. There was a doggedness and willingness to keep the ball out of the net.”

Mokotjo grabbed his first goal for the Bees with a fine finish from 20 yards and Maupay found the net with a cheeky backheel from Ollie Watkins' cross.

“Kamo's quite a popular guy. I'm not sure he used any of his renowned dance moves in celebration. It was a good finish,” Smith explained.

“That's his second backheel of the season. I thought he had an iffy first 10 minutes and was caught in possession and then he cut his touches down and he looked very good for us. He made it stick and brought others into play.”

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