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Over the midpoint of the campaign, Brentford are in fantasy land.

With four wins in their last five outings, and a Brazilian striker netting 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 their manager's side into the fifth spot in the Premier League – a position that was good enough to secure Champions League football last term.

Solely table-toppers the Gunners have collected more points over the past half-dozen matches.

There's a long way to go yet but the West London outfit are firmly in the race for European football.

No one was envisioning this last summer.

Thomas Frank 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.

Club captain their Danish midfielder left for Arsenal and goal-scoring duo Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa – who scored a total of thirty-nine goals in the previous campaign – were also sold, joining United and Newcastle respectively.

Set-piece coach Andrews was elevated to succeed Frank, while there was a notable absence of a centre-forward among the summer signings.

A season of struggle, possibly even relegation, was widely predicted. Yet here we are in January with the club in the top five.

So, how did they pull it off?

The Brazilian's Record-breaking Season

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

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

The 24-year-old joined from Club Brugge in the summer 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 sixteen league goals – the highest tally by a Brazilian in a single Premier League campaign.

Considering the fellow Brazilians who have come before him, that is a remarkable feat, especially with seventeen matches remaining.

"He's been a revelation," pundit an analyst said. "He is a physical specimen, quick, strong, but technically better than people think. Excellent with his feet, both feet, he can score off both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. These numbers are fantastic. He must be so proud. That's a huge compliment to him."

That only a trio of global superstars have scored more in any of Europe's top five leagues to this point highlights the level he is playing at.

And it is not just the volume but the timing of the goals that have been so pivotal for Brentford.

His opener against the opposition was his 7th opener of the season. Considering how often we are told the significance of the initial strike 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 finds the target. Do that often enough and the goals will – and have – come.

Considering the hardships he had in his youth, where he worked as a bricklayer to support his family following the death of his father, perhaps it should be unsurprising that high-stakes situations on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"Our scouts deserve a lot of praise for the kind of players they bring in and personalities," Andrews said. "This is really notable. He is a really unique person who has fitted into life very well. He has had to earn this path. He has earned his journey and grafted. He has got serious grit about his personality. He is improving his abilities constantly and we are learning more and more about him. He is a pretty all-round centre-forward."

The Manager Showing Sceptics Wrong

Their star striker is the man of the moment but Brentford are not and have never been a one-man band.

While they had star players – a host of talent – under Frank, 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 Brentford's parts alone might not be enough to avoid relegation.

As a result, 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 first managerial job is a test for anyone, let alone when it comes in the world's toughest 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 Brentford looked at, they were clearly confident they had the correct candidate.

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

The new boss won just a single of his first five league games in charge but big home victories against Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle have followed.

Wins that, following their brilliant recent form, could prove increasingly important in the race for Europe.

"We're in fine fettle and playing really good. We are playing with bravery and belief in everything we do with and without the ball," Andrews added. "We're happy with how we are going but we want to keep striving."

In a league where the European spots and the lower mid-table are currently separated by just eight points, they have no other option, because things could quickly look very different.

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