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More than the midpoint of the campaign, The Bees are in fantasy land.

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

A emphatic three-nil win over the Black Cats moved Keith Andrews' side into the fifth spot in the Premier League – a place that was sufficient to secure European football last term.

Only leaders Arsenal have collected more points over the past half-dozen matches.

There's a significant distance to go yet but the West London outfit are squarely in the race for continental football.

No one was envisioning this last summer.

Thomas Frank had departed for Tottenham after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only got the club promoted but also cemented them in the top flight.

Club captain their Danish midfielder left for the North London club and attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a total of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

Specialist coach Andrews was elevated to replace the Dane, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the summer signings.

A year of difficulty, possibly even the drop, was widely predicted. But here we are in the new year with Brentford in the top five.

So, what is behind their success?

Igor Thiago's Historic Campaign

Brentford's decision not to sign another striker was in part down to circumstance, with one forward's move not going through until the final day of the window.

But they also knew they had a £30 million striker already chomping at the bit.

The 24-year-old joined from Belgium in the summer for a then club record fee, but was hindered by injury in his first campaign, going without a goal in his initial outings.

Thiago has set about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his brace against Sunderland taking him to 16 league goals – the highest tally by a player from Brazil 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," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He's a physical specimen, fast, powerful, but more skilled than people think. Good with his feet, either foot, he can score off both. You can see he's full of confidence. His statistics are incredible. He must be so proud. That's a big compliment to him."

That only a trio of global superstars have scored more in any of the continent's major leagues to this point highlights the standard he is operating at.

And it is not just the quantity but the crucial nature of the goals that have been so pivotal for his team.

His opener against the opposition was his seventh opener of the season. Considering how often we are told the significance of the initial strike in a game, having someone you can rely on to take that first big chance cannot be overstated.

Before 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 percent.

He finds the target. Do that often enough and the goals will – and have – come.

Given the struggles he had earlier in life, where he labored in construction to support his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he takes in his stride.

"The recruitment team deserve a lot of praise for the type of players they bring in and characters," Andrews said. "This is really impressive. He is a really special person who has adapted to life very well. He has had to forge this path. He has earned his journey and grafted. He has got serious grit about his personality. He is developing his skill set constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a largely all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Doubters Incorrect

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

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

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

As a result, appointing Andrews, with no previous managerial experience, and just a year at the club was seen by those external observers as a gamble.

A maiden role is a test for anyone, especially when it comes in the Premier League and having made the jump from set-piece coach to the top job.

But given that Ipswich boss one candidate was the only other option that the hierarchy looked at, they were clearly confident they had the right man.

To date, as often seems to be the case with the brains trust at Brentford, it looks as if they were correct.

Andrews won just one of his first 5 league games in charge but big home victories against United, the Reds and Newcastle have since occurred.

Results that, following their brilliant recent run, could prove increasingly important in the pursuit for European qualification.

"We are in good form and playing really well. We are playing with courage and belief in everything we do with and without the ball," he added. "We're pleased with how we are going but we want to keep pushing."

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just eight 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 continues, the closer to reality those aspirations of Europe will become.