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Over the midpoint of the season, The Bees are in fantasy land.

With victories in their last five outings, and a Samba striker banging in the goals, suddenly Bees fans are envisioning thoughts of trips to Milan, Munich and Barcelona next season.

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

Only leaders the Gunners have gathered more points over the past six games.

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

No one was predicting this last off-season.

The former head coach had left for Spurs after a seven-year stint 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.

Skipper Christian Norgaard left for Arsenal and goal-scoring duo two key forwards – who scored a total of 39 goals in the previous campaign – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

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

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

So, how have they managed it?

Igor Thiago's Historic Season

The club's decision not to sign another striker was in part down to timing, with one forward's move not being finalized until the final day of the window.

But they also were aware they had a £30m striker already chomping at the bit.

The 24-year-old joined from Belgium in July 2024 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 brace against the Wearside club taking him to 16 league goals – the highest tally by a player from Brazil in a single English top-flight campaign.

Considering the countrymen who have come before him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with 17 games remaining.

"He's been a revelation," former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy said. "He is physically intimidating, fast, strong, but technically better than people think. Excellent with his feet, either foot, he can score off both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. These numbers are incredible. He must be so proud. That's a huge 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 level he is playing at.

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

His opener against the Black Cats was his 7th first goal of a game of the season. Considering how often we are told the significance 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 their opponents, no player to have attempted at least thirty efforts this season has a better shot accuracy rate than Igor Thiago's 59.1 percent.

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

Given the struggles he had in his youth, where he worked as a bricklayer to provide for 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.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of praise for the kind of players they bring in and characters," the manager said. "It is really notable. He is a really special person who has adapted to life very nicely. He has had to forge this path. He has earned his journey and toiled. He has got real determination about his personality. He is improving his abilities constantly and we are discovering more and more about him. He is a largely all-round centre-forward."

Andrews Showing Doubters 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 sum of their parts.

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

As a result, appointing Andrews, with a blank managerial CV, and just a year at the club was seen by those external observers as a huge risk.

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

But given that Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna was the only other alternative that the hierarchy looked at, they were clearly confident they had the right man.

So far, as often seems to be the case with the key decision makers at the club, it looks as if they were spot on.

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

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

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

In a league where fourth and 15th are currently separated by just eight points, they have little choice, because things could quickly look very otherwise.

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