Brentford reach the riches of Premier League football with play-off success

Brentford's Ivan Toney celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game

BRENTFORD 2 Toney pen 10, Marcondes 20 SWANSEA CITY 0

In the land of Hans Christian Andersen, Brentford are known as the Danish club because of their multifarious connections with the country, so it was appropriate that Thomas Frank's side showed that fairytales still exist in football by finally winning promotion back to the top flight after an absence of 74 years.

Queen Elizabeth married Prince Philip, India and Pakistan claimed independence and Éamon de Valera was Taoiseach when the Bees last played top flight football, but they succeeded where they had failed last year by winning what is called the richest game in football, with a prize of up to €200m awaiting them in the Premier League.

All of Brentford's previous nine play-offs had ended in failure, but Frank's side, who come from a tiny corner of west London, are back in the big time – and deservedly so.

Leading scorer Ivan Toney set them on their way with a penalty in the 10th minute, and Emiliano Marcondes made it 2-0 10 minutes later, and they thoroughly deserved their victory over Swansea, who played the final 24 minutes with 10 men when Jay Fulton was sent off.

Bryan Mbeumo was involved in both goals as Brentford raced into a 2-0 lead within 20 minutes. For the first, he raced on to an incisive through ball from Sergi Canos and drew Swansea goalkeeper Freddie Woodman into a rash challenge, taking away the striker's feet. Referee Chris Kavanagh showed no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot, and Toney took just three steps before firing into the bottom corner of goal. It was his 33th league goal of the season, 11 of which have come from the penalty spot.

Brentford were playing neat, controlled football while Swansea struggled to get going. One rare Welsh attack in the 20th minute was ended when Andre Ayew was tackled in the Brentford area as the Bees defended a free-kick, and they then counter-attacked with devastating effect. The ball was played out to Mbeumo, ten yards inside his own half, and the striker ran towards Swansea's goal. Midfielder Mads Roerslev made a lung-busting run to overlap him on the left, and then cut the ball back across the penalty area for the onrushing Marcondes to hit it first-time into the net from 12 yards.

It could have been more. Toney struck the cross bar with a dipping volley from outside the penalty area a minute later, and Mbeumo miscued after pouncing on a defensive error.

Ayew missed a great chance to get Swansea back in the game shortly after half-time when he put a header horribly wide from close range, and his fellow forward Jamal Lowe shot high over the bar and then wide of the far post.

Still Brentford had chances to increase their lead. Mbeumo shot hurriedly over the bar, and then Ethan Pinnock's goalbound shot was inadvertently blocked by team-mate Pontus Jansson.

But Swansea's task became much harder in the 66th minute when Fulton was sent off for a lunge into the back of Mathias Jensen's legs. He protested it was accidental, but referee Kavanagh had no doubts and the Swans were down to ten men.

Steve Cooper made a rash of substitutions to try to salvage the situation, but there was no way back. There were less than 12,000 fans inside Wembley, around half of them Brentford fans, but the noise they made at the final whistle showed just what this meant to them.

A fairy-tale come true.

BRENTFORD 3-5-2: Raya 8; Dalsgaard 8, Jansson 8 (Reid 79), Pinnock 9; Roerslev 8, Jensen 8, Janelt 8 (Ghoddos 74), Marcondes 9 (Bidstrup 90+1), Canos 8 (Forss 74); Mbeumo 8, Toney 8.

SWANSEA 4-3-3 Woodman 6; Naughton 6 (Cullen 60), Guehi 7, Cabango 6, Bidwell6 (Bennett 82); Fulton 4, Grimes 6, Hourihane 6 (Dhonda 63); Roberts 6, Ayew 6, Lowe 6.

Ref: Chris Kavanagh 8/10.