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Over the midpoint of the campaign, The Bees are in dreamland.

Following four wins in their last five outings, and a Samba 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 Keith Andrews' side into the fifth spot in the Premier League – a position that was good enough to secure European football last term.

Only table-toppers the Gunners have accumulated more points over the past six games.

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

Few was envisioning this last summer.

Thomas Frank had departed for Spurs after seven years in charge, a period in which he had not only guided the club promoted but also established them in the elite division.

Skipper 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.

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

A season of struggle, possibly even the drop, was forecast. Yet here we are in January with the club in the upper echelons.

So, what is behind their success?

Igor Thiago's Historic Campaign

Brentford'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 knew they had a £30m striker already waiting to go.

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

The 24-year-old has gone about compensating for lost time this season, though, with his double 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 fellow Brazilians who have come before him, that is some accomplishment, especially with seventeen matches left to play.

"He's been a revelation," pundit an analyst said. "He is a physical specimen, fast, strong, but more skilled than people think. Excellent with his feet, either foot, he can score off both. You can see he's brimming with confidence. His statistics are incredible. He must be so pleased. That's a huge compliment to him."

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

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

His opener against the opposition was his 7th first goal of a game of the season. Given 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 overstated.

Before the game against Sunderland, no player to have attempted at least 30 shots this season has a better shot accuracy rate than Igor Thiago's 59.1 percent.

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

Considering the hardships he had earlier in life, where he labored in construction to provide for his family following the passing of his father, perhaps it should be no surprise that pressure on the pitch is something he handles with ease.

"The recruitment team 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 unique person who has adapted to life very nicely. He has had to earn this path. He has earned his journey and toiled. 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 complete centre-forward."

Andrews Proving Doubters Wrong

Their star striker is the man of the moment but the team 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 concern was that once the manager 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 Andrews, with no previous managerial experience, and just a twelve months at the club was seen by those external observers as a huge risk.

A first managerial job is a challenge for anyone, let alone when it comes in the world's toughest league and having made the leap from specialist coach to the manager's office.

But given that Ipswich Town manager one candidate was the only other option that Brentford looked at, they were clearly convinced they had the right man.

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

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

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

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

In a league where the European spots and the lower mid-table are currently separated by just a handful of points, they have little choice, because things could quickly look very different.

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