Analysis: Flekken shows his worth with clean sheet and crucial saves in Ipswich win | OneFootball

A soaring Kevin Schade header from a controversial thrice-taken corner kick moved Brentford up into eighth in the Premier League on Saturday, as the Bees beat Ipswich 1-0 at Portman Road to fuel their hopes of European football next season.

The west Londoners' fourth straight success means they are now on their longest-ever Premier League winning streak, and they have amassed an impressive FIVE points more than any other team in the top flight away from home in 2025.

In fact, Brentford (5) have conceded fewer away goals than any team in the division since the turn of the year, and an eighth clean sheet of the season helped secure victory in Suffolk.

The Bees stood firm at the back after Schade had given the visitors the lead with a flicked header from a twice-retaken Bryan Mbeumo corner, which saw the latter notably reach 25 goal involvements (18 goals and seven assists) for the season - the most ever by a Brentford player in the Premier League.

After the game, however, head coach Thomas Frank highlighted goalkeeper Mark Flekken's part in a "well-deserved" victory, after the Dutch stopper pulled off a crucial late save from Ipswich defender Cameron Burgess to safeguard the win.

Across the season as a whole, only Arsenal (16) have conceded fewer goals on the road than the Bees (21) and Flekken's form between the sticks has been a huge factor behind that.

In an interview last September, Flekken stated: "I’m not the person that seeks out to be decisive in a game; if the boys keep everything away from me, that’s better.

“But I want to save those one, two, three shots or headers on target where the team needs me. That is my goal, to be that person they can rely on."

It's fair to say the 31-year-old is upholding his end of the bargain, and he has an array of statistics this season that back up just how big a player he has become for the Bees.

Currently ranked first for saves made in the top flight this term, with 141, Flekken also boasts a save percentage of 74 per cent and the former Freiburg keeper's elite distribution is underlined by his 325 accurate long balls (second in the Premier League) - not to mention two assists!

Flekken has also shown his ability to confidently collect crosses with 45 high claims this season, a number only Aston Villa's Emiliano Martínez (53) and the Dutchman's predecessor in TW8, Arsenal's David Raya (48), can beat.

For those who like to delve into Expected Goals data, it is also telling that the Netherlands international is out-performing his xG by +1.3 at the moment (meaning he has conceded 1.3 fewer goals this season than the metric would predict).

There's no doubt the Bees' excellent defensive numbers away from home are a collective effort, but Flekken's shot-stopping and distribution - in addition to his ability to make match-defining saves - lay a very solid foundation from which to build.

Curiously, Flekken kept his first-ever Premier League clean sheet against Fulham - and the Dutchman will hope for another shutout against the Cottagers next Saturday when the Bees host their west London rivals in their final home game of 2024/25.