FULHAM and Brentford played out a cracking west London derby on Saturday.
The Cottagers ultimately prevailed thanks to a trademark header from Aleksandar Mitrovic (£3.8m) to make it 3-2 in the 90th minute.
The Serbian target man banked eight points to take his overall tally to 22, a total only bettered by four other forwards.
One of those forwards is none other than Ivan Toney (£4.5m), a man who also had an eventful 90 minutes at Craven Cottage.
The Bees’ No17 scored a goal soon after having one disallowed by a matter of millimetres upon VAR review – he actually had the ball in the net three times in total but only one counted.
Defeat against local rivals may be a bitter pill to swallow but Toney has started the new campaign in impressive form.
He scored on the opening weekend as Thomas Frank’s side came from 2-0 down to draw at Leicester.
The following week, the 26-year-old provided two assists as Brentford overwhelmed Manchester United in the capital.
Add in his poacher’s effort against Fulham and Toney’s 2022/23 stats make for impressive reading – he averages a goal involvement every 67.5 minutes so far.
The only forwards with more points than Toney’s 23 at this early stage are the in-form Rodrigo (£2.5m) plus popular assets Erling Haaland (£7.5m) and Gabriel Jesus (£5.3m).
Just 3.3% of Dream Team gaffers are benefiting from Toney’s returns currently.
His relatively low ownership feels somewhat harsh considering the fact he finished as the eighth-best asset in his position last season – a remarkable effort given that Brentford didn’t have European commitments to bolster their schedule.
Toney racked up 171 points last term by virtue of 14 goals and six assists, a total that should have convinced more Dream Team managers of his credentials than were convinced to include him in their XIs ahead of Game Week 1.
Surely a few more managers in need of a reliable mid-range striker will turn to him after three productive outings to start the season?
It’s possible that Toney’s price (£4.5m currently) has perturbed gaffers, even though he’s justified his cost with his performances so far this campaign.
But honestly, what more does he have to do to prove his worth?
Brentford play Colchester in the Carabao Cup tonight although it’s likely their top scorer will be rested.
The Bees then welcome Everton to the Gtech Community Stadium before making the short trip to Crystal Palace to complete Game Week 4’s double header.
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