West Ham 0-1 Brentford
by Paul Donovan
at the London Stadium

BRENTFORD ran out comfortable winners of this mid-table tussle with West Ham at the London Stadium.

The west Londoners should have had the game tied up by half time, having been denied a number of opportunities.

They were ahead inside three minutes, Yoane Wissa playing the ball in for Bryan Mbeumo to head on between defenders to the incoming Kevin Schade to get his shot away.

Home keeper Alphonse Areola parried but Schade scored following up.

The always dangerous Wissa, then had a header stopped by Areola.

Another chance for Brentford came when Carlos Soler was dispossessed. Schade broke clear but hit the post.

A slick move from Brentford saw Mbeumo, Kristoffer Ajer and Vitally Janelt combine to set up Wissa but again the goal was ruled out for offside.

The final chance of the half saw Mbeumo, set up, but fire wide.

West Ham woke up in the second half, with substitutes Evan Ferguson, James Ward-Prowse and Oliver Scarles bringing a new urgency to matters.

Debutant, Ferguson, broke down the right to cross back but Mohammed Kudus, who put his effort over, when well placed.

Scarles then fired over from the edge of the penalty area.

A nice West Ham move saw Jarrod Bowen flick on a Paqueta pass but Ferguson saw his shot saved by keeper Mark Flekken.

Brentford’s quick-breaking mobile football was too much for an often ponderous West Ham.

The quick interchange of Mbeumo, Wissa and Schade kept West Ham at full stretch. In contrast, West Ham lacked ideas, often knocking over crosses, especially in the first half, for a centre forward who was not there.

West Ham head coach Graham Potter felt his team played to Brentford’s strengths. In the first half he felt the team were nowhere near where they want to be.

“The second half was a positive response,” said Potter, who was really pleased with the substitutes who came on. “The first goal shouldn’t have happened from our perspective,” he added.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank was pleased with his team’s third away win in a row. He felt Brentford should have been three up by half time.

“There were six or seven big moments when we need to do better,”said Frank, who felt his team controlled the second half, with the Kudus chance being the main threat.