Brentford boss Thomas Frank admitted his side were below their best as they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Brighton on Wednesday night.

Goals from Pascal Groß and Jack Hinshelwood cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s opener from the spot, with the Cameroon forward worryingly limping off before the break.

It leaves the Bees 11th after just one win in their last four matches but Frank admitted there were still parts of the performance he was pleased with despite defeat on the south coast.

“It was a game where the boys gave everything, they put a lot into the game but I don’t think we hit our highest level,” said Frank.

“We have a higher level on the ball, and I know the individual actions of each player can be at an even higher level to produce more opportunities.

“I thought we defended quite well; we didn’t give much away against Brighton. It was not the highest level on the day but even with this level we were close to getting something out of the game.”

The Bees got off to the ideal start at the Amex Stadium, as Mbeumo netted his seventh league goal of the season after Vitaly Janelt was felled in the box by Jan Paul van Hecke.

Janelt wore the captain’s armband for the first time on Wednesday, and the German midfielder admitted his pride at being given such responsibility.

“I am very proud; I appreciate the trust from the staff, and I wanted to give something back but unfortunately, we didn’t get any points.

“We tried to do something different today, playing in a 4-4-2 shape, which is what we did in pre-season.

“Today we did well in some spells but in some spells, they were on top and showed us how to play.

“We are disappointed we didn’t get any points today, but we have to look ahead.”
Frank added: “Vitaly worked incredibly hard, I think the whole team worked incredibly hard and he is named captain for a reason.

“He is one of the leaders, he is growing as a person, as a footballer and he gave everything today.”

Brentford travel to basement side Sheffield United on Saturday before welcoming high-flying Aston Villa to West London.

However, Frank may be without star man Mbeumo after he was withdrawn through injury after just 40 minutes to add further pain to the Bees’ injury woes.

“Another one on the list but that happens, another player needs to step up,” said Frank.

“Let’s not get carried away just yet, let’s assess it and see how bad it is.

“It is by far the most unlucky I have felt in my entire career, but it happens, no complaints, we will find another solution.”