Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp labelled the decision to leave Roberto Firmino out of the Brazil World Cup as "madness" before netting in Saturday's 3-1 win over Southampton.

Firmino missed the cut for Tite's 26-man Brazilian squad in midweek despite being in their squad for friendlies against Ghana and Tunisia in September.

The Brazilian put aside that disappointment to open the scoring against the Saints with a crafty header - his 18th headed goal in the Premier League.

But Klopp revealed prior to the game that the decision had impacted Firmino and taken the German by surprise too.

"A blow, definitely," Klopp said. "You couldn't see it in training, but definitely.

"It was [a blow] for me to be honest. I'm happy we have Bobby, but he deserves it. I think he deserves everything, to be honest.

"It just shows how incredibly good and talented this Brazilian squad is if you can leave a player like Bobby Firmino out. Madness.

"Of course, we will talk; we did already, and will maybe do again. He's fine but, as everyone can imagine, very disappointed."

Firmino has netted nine goals and provided four assists for the Reds this season including seven strikes in the Premier League.

Klopp also confirmed the club and 31-year-old Firmino are in talks to discuss a new deal, with the Brazilian's current contract expiring in June 2023.

"Normal conversations are happening as well so we will see what happens there," Klopp said.

Mikel Arteta would rather Arsenal's momentum not have been checked by the upcoming break for the World Cup after seeing his side go five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Captain Martin Odegaard scored twice as the Gunners secured a 2-0 victory against Wolves at Molineux in their final game before the mid-season break, meaning they will sit top of the pile at Christmas for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

With Manchester City having lost to Brentford earlier the day, Arsenal now have a buffer heading into the hiatus while they stand as the only side in the Premier League to have scored in every match this season.

Arteta will hope his side can pick up where they left off after the World Cup, though he concedes it is not the ideal situation for his in-form team.

"It's great to be where we are and we are enjoying that moment. Now we have a big break and we have to reflect on what we're doing and be prepared for after the World Cup," he said in his post-match press conference.

"Our aim is to play better as a team every day, to have better tools to do what we want to do. I can say it's been phenomenal to work with these players and staff.

"When a team is in that moment you want to carry on playing of course, but that's not possible. We have to use that time as best as possible.

"For those not participating in the World Cup they will have some time off which they fully deserve, and the rest can just fulfil a dream that every kid has to have the chance to represent their team in a national cup. It doesn't get better than that."

While many of the Arsenal squad will be competing at the World Cup, Odegaard will not and Arteta outlined the importance of keeping those staying at home fresh and competitive before the return to action on Boxing Day.

"He's got two internationals before that so he’s going to be more committed to the national team. After that, we will try to prepare him in the best possible way, but we don't know," he added.

"Sometimes when you are in a rhythm and competing it's much better. The players who are here are going to need to compete and have enough fitness to play in the right way against West Ham. We'll try to prepare them in the right way."

Odegaard's brace against Wolves took his tally in the Premier League this season to six, just two shy of his career total in England's top flight prior to the start of the season and Arteta praised his improvement in the final third.

"That's what you want - for your attacking midfielders to win games not only by assisting but by scoring goals," he stated.

"He's changed that mentality and he's practising a lot and he wants to get to his best and we don't know where his limit is like many of the other kids that we have.

"That's what we want – embrace the good moments and support them when they're not that good."

The final round of Premier League fixtures before the World Cup break produced a huge shock at the Etihad Stadium.

After missing out on England's World Cup squad, Ivan Toney struck twice to give Brentford a sensational 2-1 victory over Manchester City.

That result confirmed Arsenal would be top heading into the World Cup interval, and they increased their lead to five points by cruising past Wolves at Molineux as Martin Odegaard scored both goals in a 2-0 triumph.

Tottenham and Leeds United played out a seven-goal thriller at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the hosts eventually running out 4-3 winners.

Elsewhere, Chelsea fell to a third straight league defeat as they were beaten 1-0 by in-form Newcastle United.

Here, Stats Perform looks through the best facts of the day.

Manchester City 1-2 Brentford: Toney double stuns Citizens

City had previously been unbeaten for 20 home matches in all competitions since a 3-2 defeat against Spurs in February, winning their last 16 at the Etihad.

But Toney, fresh from his England disappointment, scored his 21st and 22nd Premier League goals to end City's streak in dramatic fashion.

His winner came after 97 minutes and 16 seconds, the latest winning goal scored against City in the Premier League since exact goal times started being recorded in the 2006-07 campaign.

The Bees were made to do a lot of defending to earn the three points, with City's 29 shots their most in a Premier League home game they failed to win since a 2-1 defeat to Leeds United in April 2021.

Phil Foden's equaliser in first-half injury time was his sixth home goal in all competitions, his joint-best return in a Premier League season. Six of his eight goals (75 per cent) this season have come at the Etihad, compared to 43 per cent last term (six of 14).

Wolves 0-2 Arsenal: Odegaard fires Gunners to five-point lead

Odegaard's double puts him up to six Premier League goals this season, the most of any Arsenal player, while only Kevin de Bruyne, James Maddison and Leandro Trossard have been involved in more away goals than the Norway international (five, four goals and one assist).

The three points, combined with City slipping up, gives Arsenal their biggest lead at the top of the Premier League since December 2013.

Mikel Arteta's men are the only team to have scored in every Premier League game this season and they will be top of the league on Christmas day for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign.

Another defeat for Wolves means new boss Julen Lopetegui has much work to do, with the Molineux club bottom at Christmas for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

They are seriously out of form, only winning one of their last 22 Premier League games, failing to score in 11 matches over that run.

Tottenham 4-3 Leeds United: Bentancur strikes twice as Spurs come from behind

Antonio Conte's side completed yet another turnaround to beat Leeds and have now rescued 13 points from losing positions, more than any other team.

Rodrigo Bentancur's late double was the first time he has scored twice in the same game within the main five European leagues, on what was his 164th such appearance.

Spurs were made to do it the hard way, as Rodrigo and Crysencio Summerville became the first pair of team-mates to both score in four straight Premier League games.

But Leeds ultimately succumbed to defeat, their fifth straight league loss against London sides since thumping Chelsea 3-0 in August.

Spurs meanwhile have now scored 31 goals in 15 Premier League games this season, only bettering that tally at this stage of the competition in one season, when they netted 35 in 15 to kick off the 2009-10 campaign.

Newcastle United 1-0 Chelsea: Willock wonder strike downs Blues

Joe Willock scored a superb winner to earn Newcastle a fifth straight Premier League victory for the first time since 2014.

On the flip side, Graham Potter becomes the first Chelsea boss to lose three consecutive league matches since Jose Mourinho in 2015 as his side's poor form continues.

A key reason for the defeat was a dismal attacking display, registering just seven touches in the opposition box, their lowest since January against Manchester City.

The closest Chelsea went to scoring was Conor Gallagher forcing an acrobatic save from Nick Pope. No other goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets in the Premier League this season than Pope, with five of his seven coming at St James' Park.

The three points ensure Newcastle will be in the top three at Christmas for the first time since the 2001-02 campaign, when they were top.

Martin Odegaard says Arsenal "have to stay calm" after moving five-points clear at the top of the Premier League by beating Wolves 2-0 on Saturday.

The Gunners captain scored both goals in the second half at Molineux, with Arsenal capitalising after Brentford's surprise 2-1 win against Manchester City earlier in the day.

It leaves Mikel Arteta's side top of the table at Christmas for the first time since the 2007-08 season, with no Premier League football to be played until Boxing Day due to the World Cup in Qatar.

Arsenal will return after the tournament with a target on their backs and Odegaard urged his side to remain level headed.

"We had to dig deep today. The first half was difficult, they defended well. We were a bit slow but we know the quality we have and we always create chances. We stayed patient and it paid off," he told Sky Sports.

"We talked about some tactical things at half-time and did better in the second half. We played the ball out wide and created some overload and got the goal which helps.

"We have to stay calm, it's a long way to the end of the season, we play every game as a final and that's all."

Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale said there is little significance to Arsenal's advantage at this stage of the campaign, identifying that plenty could change during the mid-season break.

"It's a massive win going into break and a bit of a bumper but that means nothing really," he said. "Things will change over the break and we have to come back how we finished it."

Arsenal lock horns with West Ham at the Emirates Stadium on Boxing Day, their first game after the World Cup.

Martin Odegaard scored twice as Arsenal beat Wolves 2-0 at Molineux to move five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

The Gunners headed into the game looking to take advantage after Brentford's surprise victory against Manchester City earlier on Saturday but did not have it all their own way in the Midlands.

Gabriel Jesus saw an early effort chalked off for offside and struck the frame of the goal in the first half, while Wolves presented a threat on the counter.

Arsenal's patience paid off in the second half though, with captain Odegaard striking twice to seal all three points and leave the hosts rooted to the bottom of the table.

Jesus smashed home after six minutes only to be denied by the offside flag, while Granit Xhaka was replaced by Fabio Vieira due to illness.

Wolves went close to breaking the deadlock on the counter-attack but Goncalo Guedes fired his attempt over, while Jesus struck the crossbar at the other end.

The visitors finally found a breakthrough nine minutes after the restart, Jesus poking a pass through to Vieira who cut back across the face of goal for Odegaard to tap home from close range.

Gabriel Martinelli forced a fine save from Jose Sa soon after as the Gunners looked to double their advantage, with Toti then making a fine tackle to prevent Odegaard from tucking home again.

Odegaard was on hand again 15 minutes before the final whistle, though, picking up the ball in the middle of the box after Sa denied Martinelli to coolly slot home his second of the game.

What does it mean? Gunners top for Christmas

With the season halting for the World Cup in Qatar and no Premier League football to be played until Boxing Day, Mikel Arteta's side will sit top of the table at Christmas for the first time since the 2007-08 season but Arsenal must exorcise some demons to stay at the summit.

The last five times the Gunners have been in that position (1951-52, 1986-87, 1989-90, 2002-03 and 2007-08), they have not managed to go on to lift the title at the end of the campaign and Arteta will know there is plenty of work to be done.

Odegaard top billing

A brace against Wolves took Odegaard's tally for the season in the Premier League to six goals in 13 appearances, only two shy of his career total in England's top flight prior to the start of the campaign (eight).

With Jesus, Martinelli (both five) and Bukayo Saka (four) leading the line, Arsenal continue to share scoring responsibility.

Lopetegui's challenge

Defeat to Arsenal leaves Wolves with just one win in their previous nine Premier League matches, drawing one and losing seven.

Nottingham Forest's win against Crystal Palace earlier in the day saw Wolves drop to bottom of the standings, with new boss Julen Lopetegui facing a tough ask when his role begins on Monday.

What's next?

Arsenal host West Ham in a London derby on Boxing Day, while Lopetegui's first game in charge is on the same day against fellow strugglers Everton.

Graham Potter felt Chelsea lacked the quality to get themselves back in the game against Newcastle United.

Chelsea managed just two shots on target as Joe Willock's stunner earned Newcastle all three points in a 1-0 win at St James' Park on Saturday.

The closest Potter's side came was Conor Gallagher forcing a decent stop from Nick Pope, with their 17 goals in 14 Premier League this term their fewest at this stage of a season since 2015-16, when they went on to finish 10th.

Potter becomes the first Chelsea manager to lose three straight league matches since Jose Mourinho in 2015, and the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss was frustrated with his team's attacking display.

"There were too many errors," Potter told Sky Sports. "We had the quality to play through but lacked that last bit.

"Newcastle are very confident. We got back into it a bit second half with Conor's effort but then they scored. They put you under pressure with high intensity.

"We tried but in the end lacked the quality to get the goal we needed. We need to do more to come away to say we deserved anything."

Potter responded to Willock's goal by using his three remaining substitutions, bringing on Hakim Ziyech, Marc Cucurella and Kai Havertz.

Potter felt these changes were needed and that they did have a positive impact, even in defeat, adding: "We had to make the change in the second half as they were overrunning us.

"We needed an extra man in midfield. We responded quite well. As soon as we are 1-0 down it is about fresh legs.

"It was a tight game, [with] not many chances. This is a tough place to come. It is not nice for us. We are in a bad moment."

This string of losses has come in the final three league games before the Premier League pauses for the World Cup.

Potter will use the break to take stock of his opening months in the job, explaining: "There won't be many of us. A lot of the guys go away, but those that remain will work and go again.

"We have had a tough period and there have been a lot of positives but also some negatives. Sometimes you have to accept the struggles you have.

"It is about regrouping and starting again. It is the second half of the season and there is a long way to go."

Joe Willock's sensational strike was enough to earn Newcastle United a 1-0 victory over Chelsea, sending Eddie Howe's side back up to third in the Premier League.

Willock curled a wonderful first-time finish into the top-right corner to break the deadlock in the 67th minute of Saturday's encounter at St James' Park.

Newcastle had needed Nick Pope to be on top form prior to Willock's moment of magic – the goalkeeper denying England team-mate Conor Gallagher.

Tempers boiled over at the end, though while Chelsea will have to lick their wounds after a third straight league loss, Newcastle claimed another statement victory.

In-form Miguel Almiron skied an early volley over the bar in a first half devoid of clear-cut chances that Newcastle slightly shaded.

Armando Broja registered the only shot on target by either side in the opening 45 minutes by, but his tame effort was saved comfortably by Nick Pope.

Newcastle fans screamed for a penalty in injury time when the ball struck Trevoh Chalobah's arm, but referee Robert Jones dismissed those protests.

The hosts started the second half with renewed vigour – Edouard Mendy denying Sean Longstaff, who fired over from a second chance a few moments later.

Newcastle needed their goalkeeper in the 65th minute, though, with Pope brilliantly tipping Gallagher's shot wide.

Willock made Pope's excellence count, curling home past a despairing Mendy after great work from Almiron on the edge of Chelsea's box.

Kai Havertz went close to nudging in an equaliser, but Chelsea's attempts proved fruitless as their poor form under Graham Potter continued.

Jurgen Klopp said there was "no chance" James Milner was not going to be brought on for his 600th Premier League appearance on Saturday.

Milner came on as a 68th-minute substitute during Liverpool's 3-1 win over Southampton at Anfield.

That saw the 36-year-old become the fourth player in Premier League history, after Gareth Barry, Ryan Giggs and Frank Lampard, to make 600 appearances in the competition.

Klopp, who was watching from the stands as he served a one-match touchline suspension handed to him by the Football Association (FA) on Friday, knew Milner was closing in on the milestone, and said there was little chance the former Manchester City and Aston Villa midfielder would not play.

"Wow! I don't know how many have reached that mark in England. Most of the games probably for Liverpool so it's an honour to be around when he reaches that number. Even Millie is proud today," Klopp told reporters.

"It's a big number, a big career and won pretty much everything. A role model for us, for everyone in the room. I knew he was on 599 and there was no chance he wouldn't play today.

"He did well, you could see that he is still important to us. He doesn't just play to get him number 600.

"He sets the tone very often, has the right amount of aggression. He knows that at 36, he has room for improvement, it's crazy. But I'm glad to have him. Congratulations James."

Liverpool have won 10 of their last 11 league meetings with Southampton, with Darwin Nunez's double seeing off the Saints, who were playing for the first time under new manager Nathan Jones.

Roberto Firmino's opener – his 18th headed goal in the Premier League – had been cancelled out by Che Adams, whose four top-flight goals this season have come away from home.

The victory sees Liverpool go into the break on 22 points, having won their last two league games following successive defeats to Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.

"Very, very pleased," said Klopp. "Three points was the most important thing. The performance in the first half was really good as well.

"Early goal, early goal then for them but a good reaction. We got in behind and used our speed, used our football skills. 

"Second half wasn't as good. We needed Alisson. He enjoys that but as a manager I enjoy it much less. We didn't control the game well enough in the second half. Defensively we were too passive, too deep and that's how they were able to get through.

"But 22 points was the maximum we could reach before the break, we knew that for a little while and that's what we've got."

Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch said he felt "like someone has ripped my heart out" after watching his side implode in Saturday's 4-3 loss at Tottenham.

The visitors took the lead three times in north London and were ahead with nine minutes of normal time remaining, only for Rodrigo Bentancur to score a late double.

Leeds have shipped 26 goals in 14 Premier League games this season at a rate of 1.86 per 90 minutes – only Nottingham Forest (2) and Bournemouth (2.13) have fared worse.

Marsch, who had seen the pressure on him ease following back-to-back league wins prior to the Spurs loss, admits it has been a familiar theme for his side this campaign.

"I'm gutted, I feel like someone has ripped my heart out," he told BBC Sport. "I thought we had control of the match but then we let it slip.

"There's obviously positives in there because in our good moments we look like we have quality, but in our bad, we still look vulnerable and naive.

"We get leads and then we give it away immediately because we don't stick to our principles. If we can then we can be a good team.

"Mentally, the guys have invested so much, there's been ups and downs. We need to gather ourselves, have a break and then come back and keep pushing.

"A little bit of everything needs strengthening, we need to learn to manage the game as a group at all moments."

Crysencio Summerville and Rodrigo both scored for a fourth straight game for Leeds, with the latter netting twice following Harry Kane and Ben Davies equalisers.

But Argentina midfielder Bentancur scored in the 81st and 83rd minutes – his first brace in Europe's top five leagues on his 164th such outing – as Spurs returned to winning ways.

Tottenham have trailed in 14 of their 22 games in all competitions this term, including the past eight in a row, but Antonio Conte was delighted with his side's fighting spirit.

"I think this game made many people very happy," he said at his post-match news conference. "If you're in the stadium you've seen a 4-3 score, with attractive football. 

"In a lot of games we were losing and then we came back. I think we showed great character, desire and great will not to give up, to believe in the win.

"I try every day to transfer this concept. We need to fight and never give up. Never give up is our mantra. This is the positive side.

"The negative side is that we conceded three goals, which is never good. A team that wants to be competitive, to concede three goals is never positive."

Saturday's thrilling victory was Tottenham's 13th game since the beginning of October and their last until Boxing Day, with domestic top-flight football now pausing for the World Cup.

"If you want to reach a good result, you want to show stability," Conte added. "The last period was really tough for everybody, all the clubs, to play 13 games in 43 days is tough.

"It was impossible to work on the pitch on the tactical aspect. For sure, when you don't work on that you are going to lose something defensively."

Spurs have now scored 31 goals in 15 games in the Premier League this term – they have only bettered that tally at this stage of a season on one occasion, with 35 in 2009-10.

England international Kane has been responsible for 12 of those, making this his joint-best start to a campaign at this stage since the 2017-18 season.

"Harry has played a really important role in this period," Conte said. "If we finished this period in the top four and qualified for the top four, I think we have to praise Harry a lot.

"I think Harry honestly deserves great praise because he is always an important player, but in this period there was a lot of weight on his shoulders and he played in a great way. 

"He's arriving at the World Cup with lots of enthusiasm, in a great physical condition and mentally stronger. He's ready. I can see in his eyes he's ready to be the protagonist." 

James Milner joined an exclusive club as he became just the fourth player to make 600 Premier League appearances.

Milner replaced Harvey Elliott, who is 17 years his junior, midway through the second half in Liverpool's 3-1 win over Southampton at Anfield on Saturday.

In the process, the former Manchester City and Aston Villa midfielder - who made his debut in the competition for Leeds United as a 16-year-old on 10 November, 2002 - joined Gareth Barry (653), Ryan Giggs (632) and Frank Lampard (609) as the players to have played in 600 Premier League matches.

Milner hopes he can set an example for Liverpool's youngsters, as he hailed Anfield as a "perfect place to be" for developing players.

"It's a big number isn't it? It's unbelievable," said Milner said in an interview with BBC Sport.

"It's been a very long time. You see someone like Ben Doak come on the other night at a similar age and do well. Hopefully they can have a long career as I have.

"For our young guys it's an unbelievable place to be. You can learn so much. You won't go too far wrong watching these guys here and learning off them."

Darwin Nunez's double secured the points for Liverpool, whose opener had been cancelled out by Che Adams.

Rodrigo Bentancur struck twice in the final 10 minutes as Tottenham battled back from behind three times to snatch a dramatic 4-3 victory against Leeds United on Saturday.

Spurs conceded the opening goal in a game for the eighth time in a row when Crysencio Summerville scored for a fourth Premier League match running inside the first 10 minutes.

Rodrigo Moreno matched that scoring streak when scoring either side of equalisers from Harry Kane and Ben Davies to give Leeds a 3-2 lead in the 76th minute.

But Bentancur equalised in the 81st minute and earned Tottenham a thrilling victory two minutes later as Leeds, who had Tyler Adams sent off late on, imploded in north London.

Darwin Nunez scored twice as Liverpool went into the World Cup break on a winning note with a 3-1 victory over Southampton at Anfield.

With Jurgen Klopp watching on from the stands on Saturday due to his one-match suspension, Liverpool claimed a victory that lifts them to sixth in the Premier League.

It was not always easy, with Che Adams scoring Southampton's first goal under new boss Nathan Jones to cancel out Roberto Firmino's opener.

But Nunez, who will feature for Uruguay in Qatar, bookended a thrilling opening 21 minutes to make it 2-1, with his second goal late in the first half enough to secure the points.

Firmino was left out of Brazil's World Cup squad this week but continued his fine scoring form after six minutes when his looping header caught Gavin Bazunu flat-footed.

Liverpool's lead lasted only three minutes, though, with James Ward-Prowse's wonderful free-kick headed home by Adams.

Bazunu prevented Liverpool from restoring their lead with a brilliant save in the 16th minute, lunging out to deny Mohammed Salah, but could do nothing to stop Nunez making it 2-1 when he prodded in from Harvey Elliot's weighted ball.

Nunez had his second just before the break, sliding in to divert Robertson's cross beyond Bazunu.

Salah headed over from Trent Alexander-Arnold's centre and Liverpool would have been punished had Alisson not denied Mohamed Elyounoussi at the other end.

Liverpool wanted a penalty when Salah took a tumble after testing Bazunu, though another terrific Alisson stop - this time a dive down to his right to keep out Adams' header - ensured there would be no nervy finish for the hosts.

What does it mean? Reds rediscover their form

Successive defeats to teams starting the day in the bottom three (Leeds United and Nottingham Forest) had left Liverpool's season swiftly spiralling downwards, but Klopp's team have corrected course and will go into the World Cup break in the top six should Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion lose.

New Southampton manager Jones, meanwhile, will hope to use the hiatus to work on his system and approach as the Saints bid to get out of the bottom three when the league restarts in late December.

Nunez hitting his stride 

Maligned in the opening weeks of his Liverpool career, Nunez is starting to hit his stride in English football. He might lack the craft or poise of some of his fellow Reds attackers, yet it is this direct, blood-and-thunder approach that is paying dividends.

The 23-year-old now has five Premier League goals, adding to three in the Champions League. All three of his shots on Saturday hit the target, while he also created two chances.

Robertson matches Baines record

Robertson teed up two of Liverpool's goals, playing in the free-kick that Firmino turned in before supplying a crisp low delivery for Nunez to make it 3-1.

In the process, he joined former Wigan Athletic and Everton left-back Leighton Baines on 53 Premier League assists – the record for a defender in the competition.

What's next?

Both sides are in EFL Cup action after the World Cup, with Liverpool facing Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola acknowledged Brentford were worthy victors after Ivan Toney's double condemned Manchester City to a damaging Premier League defeat on Saturday. 

City approached their meeting with Brentford knowing a win would move them – at least temporarily – to the top of the table, but Toney added to his opener with a 98th-minute winner as the Bees clinched a shock victory.

The champions failed to build on Phil Foden's outstanding first-half equaliser despite subjecting Brentford to long spells of pressure, and Guardiola believes the result was a fair one.

"The best team won, the better team won," Guardiola told BT Sport. 

"We struggled a lot from the long balls, direct from [David] Raya up to the striker, and when they lost the ball, they were always behind the ball.

"We had problems up front and we didn't have our rhythm. We had more momentum, but when it was crosses, second balls... we struggled.

"It's difficult, in the small spaces, we need the quality and we struggled. But yeah, they were better, I accept it."

Toney's second strike came after 97 minutes and 16 seconds, making it the latest winning goal scored against City in the Premier League since Opta's exact goal times became available in 2006-07.

The result ended City's 20-match unbeaten run on home soil, but Guardiola does not feel the spectre of the World Cup affected his team's performance.

Asked whether his side played with caution ahead of the tournament, Guardiola said: "Who knows? I don't think so. 

"I think the problem was tactical, you saw how the guys ran and how they fought, it was more the long balls and second balls, we weren't able to do it.

"It's football, now there's a break for everyone. I congratulate Brentford. Hopefully the guys at the World Cup can enjoy it, and we'll come back."

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank struggled to find the words to describe Ivan Toney after he fired Brentford to a dramatic 2-1 win at Manchester City, declaring: 'what a striker!'

Toney was overlooked when Gareth Southgate named England's World Cup squad this week, but he responded in outstanding fashion by scoring twice in a famous win for the Bees. 

Having latched onto Josh Dasilva's cross to score a dramatic winner eight minutes into stoppage time, Toney has reached double figures for Premier League goals this season, scoring two or more goals in three separate games. 

Speaking to BT Sport after masterminding Brentford's victory, Frank hailed Toney's performance and praised his side for keeping City talisman Erling Haaland quiet.

"He's fantastic," Frank said of Toney. "I can't praise him enough. What I would say is the most important thing is how good a person he is, how emotionally intelligent he is around his team-mates.

"Then of course, what a player, what a striker! Scoring two goals, he should probably have had one more. Imagine having a hat-trick here at the Etihad, I thought that was only for Haaland!

"We spoke before the game about how to eliminate Haaland, but I think we did it perfectly. We tried to stop the sources into him, then when the ball came into the box, we defended it brilliantly."

Toney has now scored 22 Premier League goals for Brentford, more than double the tally recorded by any other player for the club (Yoane Wissa is second with 10). 

Having fired Brentford to their first win at City since 1937, Toney said he would not let his disappointment at missing the World Cup affect his displays.

"Listen, the only thing is to keep doing well, keep doing my best for the team and who knows what can happen," Toney said.

"I mean, obviously it's a disappointment but I know what I'm capable of, I won't let it put me down, I'll just keep going and keep doing well for Brentford.

"The motivation is the boys in the dressing room and the fans, as you can see. When you work hard, it's all you can do."

Ivan Toney responded to his failure to make England's World Cup squad by firing Brentford to a stunning 2-1 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, preventing the champions from going top of the Premier League.

Brentford went ahead after 16 minutes when Toney nodded beyond Ederson, but City levelled through Phil Foden's brilliant half-volley after pinning the visitors back.

However, Pep Guardiola's men struggled to break down the stubborn Bees in a stop-start second half, and Toney finished off a fine Brentford break by tapping home a dramatic winner in the eighth minute of stoppage time.

The result saw City sign off for the World Cup break in frustrating fashion, leaving them two points behind leaders Arsenal ahead of the Gunners' trip to Wolves later on Saturday.