BRENTFORD boss Thomas Frank believes debutant referee Matt Donohue “did well” during his side’s 2-1 win over AFC Bournemouth, with the Bees boss stating: “I think he got the key decisions right”.

Cherries had two Dominic Solanke goals ruled out in the first half, the first for handball by Antoine Semenyo in the build-up, the second nullified for a soft foul on Brentford defender Nathan Collins.

There was further controversy after Brentford were awarded a penalty after Ivan Toney went to ground inside the box, before a VAR check overturned the decision.

After all the polemics, late goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa sandwiched a legitimate Solanke effort, giving Brentford a 2-1 win at Vitality Stadium.

It was Donohue’s first-ever Premier League game as a referee, the 35-year-old rising through the ranks of the EFL.

Whilst Frank might have been impressed by Donohue’s display, his counterpart Andoni Iraola clearly was not, the Basque boss booked for his complaints during the first half.

Discussing the referee’s performance, Frank shared: “I think actually the ref, Matthew, did well, I must admit.

“His first Premier League game. I think he got the key decisions right, I must say so. The disallowed first goal for Bournemouth, also the penalty.

“Even though you can discuss that VAR should intervene.

“That’s the thing. I think it’s a 50-50 situation in the box, that we’ve seen given before, where clearly Ivan is in front, he slips. Then there is clear contact and you can discuss if that is enough or not. But when it is given, it is very rare we see it overturned.

“Then when he’s called to the screen, you can discuss it and there is a decision to make, which I can understand, if we have a higher threshold.”