Southampton left rock bottom after Ivan Toney sparks Brentford win

There is something charmingly special about Ivan Toney, whose influence was once more decisive for Brentford. An abundance of quality, yes, but also a mental moxie that his teammates must find awe-inspiring.

Faced with uncertainty, with 262 alleged breaches of Football Association betting rules, with the prospect of an enforced absence during his peak, Toney continues to excel. A first-half tap-in was Toney’s 16th league goal of the campaign. That set up a victory sealed by substitute Yoane Wissa deep in injury time. Toney, naturally, provided the assist.

“I don’t think I have any more [superlatives] for him,” Thomas Frank said of Toney. “A big character, a big player for us.” On hearing that Toney had jokingly suggested that Arsenal were catchable, Frank laughed: “He is a fantastic player to work with. That optimism and belief – he transmits that to his teammates. An unbelievable winning mentality.”

On Thursday, Gareth Southgate names his squad for England’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine. Toney has been called up previously but is yet to make his debut. Footballing reasons were cited for his World Cup omission: “I don’t expect anything in football,” Frank said. “It is up to Gareth, but Ivan has done more than enough to give him a positive headache. If you look at pure English goalscorers, he has the second most goals after Harry Kane. I think Gareth should be thinking about calling him.”

Brentford remain hot on the top seven’s heels, while Southampton remain without a team to glance down at. Rubén Sellés claims never to have been in his “comfort zone” but he must clamber out of another zone now. “We didn’t manage the key moments of the game,” he admitted. “We need to work on keeping the structure, on