Brentford aiming for Europe after Bournemouth win, says Norgaard
Brentford rallied to beat Bournemouth and move into contention for a European place on Saturday.
Brentford feel they can gatecrash the battle for European football after beating Bournemouth 2-1 on Saturday, says captain Christian Norgaard.
Norgaard scored the decisive goal as Brentford came from behind to win at the Vitality Stadium, volleying home from a long throw into the area with 19 minutes to play.
That was the Dane's second goal in his last three Premier League appearances, and five of his last six goals in the competition have either put Brentford ahead (four times) or drawn them level (one).
The victory was the Bees' fifth in a row on their travels in the Premier League, their longest such streak on the road since they were a third-tier club in 2010.
They failed to win any of their first nine away games to start the season, but their current streak has seen them close the gap to the teams chasing European football.
Brentford are now just four points adrift of Aston Villa in eighth, which could be enough for Europa Conference League football due to the strong showings of English clubs in Europe this season.
"It was a must-win game if we want to go for something a bit bigger this season," Norgaard told BBC Sport.
"Why not go for it? We are now pretty clear of the relegation battle, which is nice because we did find ourselves in that position last year.
"There's loads of good teams going for those European spots, but we have the quality to nail one of them."
Excluding penalties, Brentford have created chances worth 11.1 expected goals (xG) from set-pieces in the Premier League this term, scoring nine goals from such scenarios including Norgaard's winner.
Head coach Thomas Frank heaped praise on set-piece coach Keith Andrews when speaking to Sky Sports, saying: "Keith is doing a very good job, the players are doing a very good job and the coaching is very good. Set-pieces are crucial and they won us the game today.
"This is our 50th Premier League win and there's only 10 clubs who have done this quicker than us.
"That's crazy. Taking into consideration our journey, our size, I think this is a day we should be proud of.
"Of course, we want to look up and aim as high as possible. Big win, a little break and then we go again."
Bournemouth, meanwhile, have only taken one point from their last four league games, with their own hopes of Europe taking a blow.
Head coach Andoni Iraola said: "Results-wise, we are in the worst moment in the last four games, and we are not being clinical enough inside the box, that is the most important thing.
"We are creating a lot, we have been like this all season, but we need to score more. You have to value every chance.
"Football is about small margins. We need to be more ruthless, definitely. We need to improve in the moments that matter more."