Enzo Le Fee has a moment to forget with his panenka penalty saved by Caoimhin Kelleher as Sunderland lose to Brentford.
Igor Thiago netted twice to continue his fine run of form, with Yehor Yarmoliuk adding a third to give the Bees a 3-0 victory.
At 1-0 down, Enzo Le Fee saw chipped penalty saved, leaving the Black Cats frustrated, and it proved to be a turning point, as moments later, Brentford went up the other end and scored.
The results means Keith Andrews’ side have claimed fourth win in five league games. to go 5th in the Premier League table, with 33 points from 21 games played, while Sunderland are in 10th with 30 points.
“Catching practice for Kelleher!” 😳
Enzo Le Fée tries a panenka… pic.twitter.com/2s4IX457A5
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 7, 2026
Sunderland’s Regis Le Bris said, per the club website: “It is a tough place to come.
“I want to say well done to Brentford because they were very good, and we knew beforehand how difficult it would be.
“We didn’t start the game very well, but at the beginning of the second half we had an opportunity to get back into the game and we missed it.
“That moment was probably like conceding a second goal in itself because the energy in the stadium was high, and it felt like the beginning of the end for us.
“The penalty miss was probably the main turning point in the game. Today, Brentford were better than us.
“It is important to repeat that we lose as a team.
“We have done well so far, but we have to accept defeat when it comes like this. We were not at the required level tonight and we were punished.
“The penalty was an important moment because they are a strong team.
“We showed good energy at the start of the second half, but we missed the opportunity to score.
“We won’t look for excuses – the result is what it is. We have to manage the conditions better, and we didn’t do enough today.”
Enzo Le Fee’s message on Instagram after last night’s missed penalty for Sunderland against Brentford…#SAFC pic.twitter.com/682WYAXaYg
— James Copley (@JamesCopley_) January 8, 2026
Brentford manager Keith Andrews, speaking to Sky Sports: “The spirit, resilience, personality and intensity [pleased me most]. I wanted to play with intensity tonight I didn’t want the time of year and the congested period to be an excuse. We want to attack every game and we did that really well tonight.”
On Igor Thiago: “We played Bournemouth a couple of weeks ago and he didn’t score but he was sensational. Goals are always something you are judged on as a striker and it is fair to say on that front he is having a special season as well.”
On Sunderland’s missed penalty: “I feel when Caoimhin [Kelleher] is in goal there is every chance he is going to save a penalty. He is a special goalkeeper and special person. It was a crucial moment but it wasn’t all on that. I thought we deserved the victory on the way we performed.
“We have grown and have more confidence in the way we are playing.”
Here’s how fans reacted as Enzo Le Fee has a moment to forget with a panenka penalty saved as Sunderland lose to Brentford…
@BackseatsmanLFC: Out of every keeper to try a Panenka against, Kelleher should be pretty much bottom of the list
@adambelll_: As much as he’s been given praise for his performances throughout last few games. That is genuinely fucking mind-boggling
@jmatipfanclub: Is this not his 5th penalty save in a row??? What the fuck
@Jack_Tomlinson2: What on earth is going through his mind doing this at 1-0 down
@fearabush24: Why do players take a panenka? It’s become too common in recent years keepers expect it. I remember when Lookman missed one for Fulham years ago and it was the first time I’d ever seen now they’re just soo common
@AnthonyM91: If I was a manager I’d ban my players from doing this shit. You’re one down with a chance to get back into the game and you do that shit.
@benjaminbland: Many say this was a terrible penalty. But that’s hindsight bias & overlooks Kelleher’s role. If he’d dived either way, people would have said it was a cool, confident penalty. If you watch view from behind, Kelleher feints a dive to lure Le Fée into striking the ball centrally.
@peter_bolster: Of all the goalkeepers to try this on… He’s a penalty master with a PL 67% save rate before tonight.
@JakeBoxeo: I’m tired of people pretending a Panenka isn’t a valid method of trying to score a penalty. Yes it’s cheeky but WHAT WAS THAT? is proper overkill, it’s no different than going down the middle in any other instance
@NCSL1892: WTF was that!😳😳😳😳 He is my favourite Mackem! What a delightful touch by their top talent! I took 3-0 and owe my gratitude to one Enzo Le Fée. What a prize clown you are son! 🤣😆😆😆🤪🎣🎣 #NUFC 🖤🤍
@rianmbfc: Genuinely might be one of the worst pens ever. Kelleher’s the best penalty saving keeper in the world, and Le Fee scored 1 against him in the reverse fixture with a slow run up and sent him the wrong way – Kelleher was never diving early this time and yet he’s tried a panenka. 💀
@AndyCantwell: This just makes me so happy
@JoshWilsonn_: At 1-0 down are you fucking serious, don’t care how good he’s been, he needs dropped next game for that, could have changed the game that goal, idiot #SAFC
@AndrewSuperDad: This was at 1-0. Trying that when you could bring the game back level is inexcusable. Daft cunt 😂😂
@Paul_O_84: He must have had Kelleher in his FPL team
@Cprksy: He clearly doesn’t know about Kelleher on penalties.
@JCoops190879: 1-0 down away from home, should’ve been dragged off straight away
@MickThomas16: Kelleher is renowned for winning penalty shoot outs in finals, and he tries this on 😅😅😅
@markmccadden: Left, right, blast down the middle, panenka… Caoimhin Kelleher’s record must really mess with the heads of penalty takers. That’s 8 career saves (club and country, excluding shootouts)/36 taken (per Transfermarkt), or a 31% save rate. Phenomenal.
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