Improving Newcastle spoil Christian Eriksen’s return to action

Christian Eriksen completed his emotional return to football as he made his Brentford debut as a second-half substitute against Newcastle – but the visitors took the Premier League points with a 2-0 win.

The former Tottenham and Inter Milan midfielder received a huge ovation as he came off the bench in the 52nd minute, 259 days after suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch during Denmark’s Euro 2020 match against Finland.

The 30-year-old was unable to prevent Brentford being dragged further into the relegation battle following a 2-0 defeat.

But the very fact Eriksen, who revealed he had “died for five minutes” at the Parken Stadion, stepped on the pitch at all was reason enough to celebrate.

Eriksen, who joined Brentford as a free agent in January, is the first Premier League footballer to play fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator.

There was a remarkable symmetry in the fact he came on as a substitute for Mathias Jensen, the Denmark team-mate who replaced Eriksen when he left the field stricken on that harrowing day in June last year.

Eriksen was quick to get involved with his usual neat touches and the occasional incisive pass, but unfortunately the situation into which he was introduced was never likely to produce a fairytale.

The Bees were already trailing 2-0 and down to 10 men when Thomas Frank sent on the man he described as “potentially the greatest ever signing for the club”.

Now Frank must focus his attention on ensuring Eriksen’s six-month stay in west London does not end in relegation.

Another Bees midfielder, Josh Dasilva, was making his first home start in almost exactly a year following injury.

But it lasted just 11 minutes after he attempted to shield the ball only to plant his foot