October 04, (THEWILL) – The absolutely fantastic life of English Premier League newbies Brentford continued on Sunday as they won 2-1 at the London Stadium due to a stoppage-time winner from Yoane Wissa that brought the high-flying West Ham back down to earth.
The Bees came out firing against a slow Hammers side that took a good 35 minutes to get going, possibly due to their Europa League exploits in midweek.
Bryan Mbeumo fired the first warning shot, a sweeping left-footed attempt that clipped the crossbar a few minutes in, and he should have scored moments later after superb work from Rico Henry, planting a header wide from six yards out.
Brentford’s sensational forward Ivan Toney then put West Ham’s goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to the test, and the Pole demonstrated why he has so far kept Alphonse Areola on the bench this season by getting down fast to keep out a low drive at his near post.
Brentford’s domination continued, and on 21 minutes they were rewarded with the game’s first goal. Fabianski made another wonderful save on Toney’s defensive-splitting ball to Sergi Canos, but the 36-year-old keeper could only palm the ball out to Mbeumo, who turned the ball over the line from an acute angle.
Goal-line technology confirmed the ball had crossed the line, and it appeared to be the boost West Ham needed to get back on track.
After fine hold-up play from Michail Antonio, Said Benrahma had the best chance for the hosts in the first half, striking wide from outside the box, before his free kick was brilliantly turned over by Bees’ goalkeeper David Raya immediately after the break.
The Hammers then took over, pressing forward in front of a raucous crowd. Jarrod Bowen flicking a header over from Vladimir Coufal’s cross, while Pablo Fornals’ shot was superbly stopped by Ethan Pinnock following fine work by Antonio.
The hosts pressed on, but they were unable to test Raya in the Brentford goal. After Aaron Cresswell’s corner was half cleared, Bowen expertly directed a half-volley into the bottom corner with ten minutes to go.
But the drama did not end there, as Wissa, a late substitute, scored unassisted after Fabianski had saved Pontus Jansson’s header.
The result meant that Brentford leapfrogged West Ham to climb into seventh place while the hosts dropped to ninth in the league’s standings heading into October’s international break.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
