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More than halfway through the season, The Bees are in dreamland.

Following four wins in five games, and a Brazilian striker banging in the goals, suddenly Bees fans find themselves drifting off with thoughts of trips to European capitals next season.

A convincing 3-0 win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into fifth in the Premier League – a position that was sufficient to secure European football last season.

Solely leaders the Gunners have gathered more points over the past half-dozen matches.

There is a significant distance to go yet but the West London outfit are squarely in the fight for continental football.

No one was predicting this last off-season.

Thomas Frank had left for Spurs after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club to the Premier League but also cemented them in the elite division.

Club captain Christian Norgaard left for Arsenal and attacking duo two key forwards – who scored a combined of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were out the door, joining Manchester United and Newcastle respectively.

Specialist coach Andrews was elevated to replace Frank, while there was no striker among the off-season arrivals.

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

So, how did they pull it off?

Igor Thiago's Record-breaking Season

The club's decision not to bring in another striker was partly down to timing, with one forward's move not being finalized until deadline day.

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

Igor Thiago joined from Club Brugge in the summer for a then club record fee, but was hindered by injury in his debut campaign, going without a goal in his initial outings.

The 24-year-old has set about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his double against the Wearside club taking him to sixteen league goals – the highest tally by a player from Brazil in a single English top-flight campaign.

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

"He has been a breath of fresh air," former Liverpool midfielder an analyst said. "He is physically intimidating, fast, powerful, but technically better than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score with both. You can see he's full of confidence. These numbers are fantastic. 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 Europe's top five leagues to this point underscores the standard he is playing at.

And it is not just the quantity but the crucial nature of the goals that have been so important for Brentford.

His first goal against the Black Cats was his seventh opener of the season. Considering how often we are told the importance of the first goal in a game, having someone you can depend on to take that first big chance cannot be underestimated.

Before the game against Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least thirty efforts this season has a better shot accuracy rate than the striker's 59.1%.

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

Given the hardships he had earlier in life, where he labored in construction to provide for his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that pressure on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of credit for the type of players they bring in and characters," Andrews said. "It is really impressive. He is a really unique person who has fitted into life very well. He has had to forge this path. He has earned his journey and grafted. He has got real determination about his personality. He is developing his skill set constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty complete centre-forward."

The Manager Proving Sceptics Wrong

Igor Thiago is the headline act but the team are not and have never been a one-man band.

While they had star players – a host of talent – under their previous boss, they were always seen as a team stronger than the individual components.

The fear was that once the Dane left, that may not be the case, and that the collective quality of their parts alone might not be enough to stay up.

Consequently, appointing their set-piece coach, with a blank managerial CV, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those outside the club as a gamble.

A maiden role is a test for anyone, especially when it comes in the world's toughest league and having made the jump from specialist coach to the manager's office.

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

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

Andrews won just one of his first five league games in charge but significant home victories against United, the Reds and the Magpies have since occurred.

Wins that, following their excellent recent form, could prove all the more important in the pursuit for European qualification.

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

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have little choice, because things could rapidly look very different.

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