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More than halfway through the campaign, Brentford find themselves in fantasy land.

With four wins in their last five outings, and a Brazilian striker scoring the goals, suddenly supporters are dreaming of thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A convincing three-nil win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into fifth in the top flight – a position that was sufficient to secure Champions League football last term.

Solely table-toppers Arsenal have accumulated more points over the past six games.

There's a long way to go yet but the West London outfit are firmly in the fight for European football.

Few was forecasting this last summer.

Thomas Frank had departed for Spurs after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club promoted but also established them in the elite division.

Club captain their Danish midfielder left for Arsenal and goal-scoring duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a combined of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was elevated to succeed the Dane, while there was no striker among the summer signings.

A season of struggle, possibly even the drop, was forecast. But here we are in the new year with the club in the upper echelons.

So, how did they pull it off?

The Brazilian's Record-breaking Campaign

Brentford's decision not to sign another striker was partly down to timing, with Wissa's move not going through until the final day of the window.

But they also were aware they had a £30m striker already waiting to go.

Igor Thiago joined from Belgium in the summer for a then club record fee, but was plagued by injury in his first campaign, going goalless in his initial outings.

The 24-year-old has gone about making up for lost time this season, though, with his double against the Wearside club taking him to 16 league goals – the most by a Brazilian in a single English top-flight campaign.

Considering the fellow Brazilians who have preceded him, that is some accomplishment, especially with 17 games left to play.

"He has been a revelation," pundit Danny Murphy said. "He's a physical specimen, fast, powerful, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, both feet, he can score with both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. These numbers are incredible. He must be so proud. That's a big compliment to him."

That only Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe have scored more in any of the continent's major leagues to this point highlights the level he is playing at.

And it is not just the volume but the timing of the goals that have been so important for his team.

His opener against the opposition was his 7th first goal of a game of the season. Given how often we are told the importance of the initial strike in a game, having someone you can rely on to take that first big chance cannot be underestimated.

Prior to the game against their opponents, no player to have attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shooting accuracy than Igor Thiago's 59.1%.

He hits the target. Achieve that consistently and the goals will – and have – come.

Considering the hardships he had earlier in life, where he labored in construction to support his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that pressure on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of praise for the type of players they bring in and personalities," Andrews said. "It is really notable. He is a really special person who has adapted to life very well. He has had to earn this path. He has worked for his journey and toiled. He has got serious grit about his personality. He is improving his abilities constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a largely complete centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Sceptics Wrong

Their star striker is the man of the moment but Brentford are not and have never been a one-man band.

While they had key individuals – Ivan Toney, Christian Eriksen, Mbeumo and Wissa – under their previous boss, they were always seen as a team stronger than the individual components.

The concern was that once the manager left, that may not be the case, and that the collective quality of Brentford's parts alone might not be enough to avoid relegation.

As a result, appointing their set-piece coach, with no previous managerial experience, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those outside the club as a gamble.

A first managerial job is a test for anyone, let alone when it comes in the world's toughest league and having made the leap from specialist coach to the manager's office.

But given that Ipswich Town manager one candidate was the only other alternative that the hierarchy looked at, they were clearly convinced they had the correct candidate.

To date, as often seems to be the case with the key decision makers at Brentford, it looks as if they were vindicated.

The new boss won just a single of his first five league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, Liverpool and the Magpies have since occurred.

Results that, following their brilliant recent run, could prove all the more important in the pursuit for Europe.

"We are in good form and playing really well. We are playing with bravery and conviction in everything we do with and without the ball," he added. "We are pleased with how we are going but we want to keep striving."

In a league where the European spots and the lower mid-table are currently separated by just eight points, they have no other option, because things could rapidly look very otherwise.

But, for now, The Bees are defying the predictions. And the longer that lasts, the closer to reality those aspirations of Europe will become.