Brentford maintained the best home record in the Premier League with a 4-2 victory over Newcastle United.

Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, Nathan Collins and Kevin Schade were all on target as the Bees battled to a first league win over the Magpies since 1948. Saturday’s win means that Thomas Frank’s side have dropped just two points from a possible 24 at Gtech Community Stadium this season.

The big news before kick-off was Frank’s decision to hand striker Igor Thiago a first Premier League start.

Fit-again Christian Nørgaard and Fábio Carvalho also came in, while Vitaly Janelt, Mikkel Damsgaard and Schade were the three to make way.

Defender Kristoffer Ajer returned to a matchday squad for the first time since October.

Following a minute’s applause for Hall of Famer John Docherty, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 84, it was the visitors who created the first chance.

Alexander Isak shifted the ball onto Sean Longstaff on the edge of the box and the midfielder rattled the crossbar with a fierce effort.

The Bees took the lead on eight minutes, and it was a trademark Mbeumo goal.

The forward took Nørgaard’s lofted pass in his stride, skipped past Lewis Hall and Joelinton and stroked the ball into the top corner beyond Nick Pope, who was left rooted to the spot.

But Brentford’s lead was short-lived. Shortly after the restart, Jacob Murphy cut inside and whipped the ball into the box from a central area and Isak stooped low to head home.

Carvalho, fed by Mbeumo, was thwarted by Pope, before Flekken came to the rescue at the other end.

Isak capitalised on Collins’ slip, rounded the Bees keeper and had only the retreating Ethan Pinnock to beat on the goal line, but Flekken made a miraculous recovery to edge across and swipe the ball away from the striker.

Yehor Yarmoliuk, teed up by Thiago, blazed over the crossbar, while Bruno Guimarães dragged wide from 20 yards, as an end-to-end game continued at a frantic pace.

Frank’s side were back in front on 28 minutes. Wissa intercepted Barnes’ poor cross-field pass, drove forward and expertly guided the ball into the same corner as Mbeumo from the edge of the area.

For a second time, Newcastle levelled less than four minutes later.

Murphy, in an advanced position on the right, worked the ball to Barnes in the box, and the forward made amends for his earlier error by drilling low into the far corner.

Roles were then reversed as the Magpies went in search of a third. Barnes lifted a cross towards the back post and Murphy’s header landed on the roof of the net.

In the final action of a pulsating first half, Murphy’s deflected cross was turned away by Flekken at his near post.

Brentford made a blistering start to the second half. Mbeumo, Thiago and Wissa combined down the right, the latter’s cross took a deflection off Tino Livramento and Pope inadvertently turned the ball onto the post.

Barnes and Murphy both fired over before the Bees bagged a third.

Fabian Schär and Thiago competed to meet Flekken’s free-kick on the edge of Newcastle’s area but neither made contact. The ball dropped kindly for Collins, who showed the composure of a seasoned striker to poke beyond Pope.

Wissa’s swerving effort from 25 yards, after Carvalho's free-kick was cleared, was held by the keeper at the second attempt.

A Newcastle corner was then only cleared as far as the edge of the box, and substitute Anthony Gordon blazed over the bar.

Wissa’s low drive through Dan Burn’s legs after a quick Brentford breakaway was well held by Pope.

The visitors passed up a big chance with five minutes left on the clock.

A second-phase attack after Kieran Trippier’s free-kick was initially cleared, Isak hooked in a cross from the byline and Sandro Tonali’s header flew just over the crossbar.

And the Magpies were made to pay. In the final minute, Nørgaard clipped a pass into Mbeumo, the forward slipped in Kevin Schade and the Germany international lifted the ball over Pope and into the net. The assist was Mbeumo's 11th goal contribution of the Premier League season.

The Bees almost extended their lead in the final moments. Pope, a long way off his line, was robbed by Mbeumo, the forward shot from distance and Burn made a goal-line clearance to prevent the west Londoners from scoring a fifth in stoppage time.

Brentford: Flekken; van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter; Nørgaard, Yarmoliuk (Maghoma 90+4), Carvalho (Damsgaard 73); Mbeumo, Thiago (Schade 73), Wissa (Mee 87)

Subs not used: Valdimarsson, Ajer, Konak, Trevitt, Roerslev

Newcastle United: Pope; Livramento, Schär, Burn, Hall (Trippier 83); Longstaff (Wilson 73), Guimarães, Joelinton (Tonali 60); Murphy (Gordon 60), Isak, Barnes (Almirón 74)

Subs not used: Dúbravka, Targett, Osula, Kelly

Attendance: 17,078

Frank on a 'well-deserved' win

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank was delighted with his side's performance on Saturday, as they scored four times to secure what the Bees boss described as a "well-deserved win".

“I’m just so proud and pleased that, at the end of a three-game week, we performed like we did today,” he said.

“I thought we played fantastically, it was a well-deserved win. Our physicality and intensity were very good.

“With a small squad, our players showed how fit and ready they are. We also scored some fantastic goals; our front players are on fire.

“It was a very good Saturday!”

Nørgaard: Newcastle performance ‘one of my best’

Christian Nørgaard marked his 100th Premier League game with an outstanding performance against Newcastle.

Returning from injury, the Brentford captain assisted Bryan Mbeumo’s opening goal in the 4-2 win at the Gtech.

“It feels like déjà vu,” Nørgaard smiled. “Every time we play here there’s a lot of goals and it’s entertaining.

“We played two good halves; maybe the minutes after our first two goals were not good enough.”

On his own performance, Nørgaard added: “I think it was one of my best games - it felt very natural and composed. I felt like I was in the right position a lot of times. To contribute with an assist is always good.”