Brentford 3 West Ham 2: Nathan Collins completes epic turnaround as Bees leapfrog Hammers in thriller
TWO COMICAL West Ham cock-ups helped Brentford seal a superb comeback to make it five straight Premier League wins over the Hammers.
Konstantinos Mavropanos scored a sloppy own goal after Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma had clattered into one another with the goal at their mercy.
When West Ham’s attacking duo fluffed that chance to make it 3-1 and all but end Brentford’s hopes of getting back into it they delivered a shot of hope to the Bees, who transformed almost instantly.
Nathan Collins sealed it with his powerful header, after Neal Maupay had seen his first goal in almost 14 months cancelled out by a stunner from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen’s seventh of the season.
It saw Brentford leapfrog the Hammers into ninth, with David Moyes’ side now having won just one in seven Prem games after a bright start to the season.
With Lucas Paqueta and Edson Alvarez suspended and captain Kurt Zouma missing through injury, Moyes restored former Bee Benrahma to the starting eleven along with Tomas Soucek and summer signing Mavropanos, making his first Premier League start.
Fate works in funny ways when it comes to football, so any West Ham fan who noted that Maupay had not scored since his winner against them for Everton over a year ago will have expected what happened after 11 minutes.
There was nothing creative or clever about the opener but, after 412 days waiting, who cares? Maupay had some chaotic West Ham defending to thank for the end of his drought.
Tomas Soucek made a hash of clearing Vitaly Janelt’s cross after Yoane Wissa’s shot had been saved. His clearance fell to Frank Onyeka, whose scuffed shot pitched up for Maupay to steer in with his header.
West Ham were given a jolt by the early goal and responded emphatically.
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With their Brazilian star Paqueta sidelined, Kudus was more than happy to grab the spotlight with something special.
Michail Antonio collected a quickly taken throw-in and raced down the left to clip a ball over for Kudus.
The Ghana international opted for the spectacular, twisting to send a fine left-footed scissor kick past a hopeless Mark Flekken.
His contribution to the second goal was rather more rudimentary, but nonetheless important.
Benrahma, given a chance to impress from the off, whipped a dangerous ball towards Kudus, who was hit in the midriff and struck the post.
The loose ball fell to Bowen who controlled with his chest and prodded home from a very tight angle, becoming the first player in Premier League history to score in the first six away games of a season.
There was a tiresome wait as VAR pondered whether or not the England winger had used his arm to bring the ball down, but it was allowed to stand.
The Hammers pressed on, Kudus at the heart of their efforts to kill Brentford off.
But just as the winger was taking the role of ringmaster, Benrahma and Antonio turned into a pair of clowns.
After Kudus sent Bowen racing down the right, the No20 picked out the perfect cross to the back post where Antonio and Benrahma were racing in.
Antonio threw his foot at it ahead of the Algerian and sent a tap in wide, leaving the pair in a heap and blaming one another.
Brentford awoke immediately and could have made the visitors pay for their calamitous mix up there and then.
Bryan Mbuemo sent two dipping dangerous efforts just off target from the edge of the box and another whistling past the foot of Alphonse Areola’s post before the break.
The nifty winger continued to probe, a constant threat for Emerson Palmieri down the right.
His efforts were rewarded thanks to some more comic work at the back from the Hammers.
This time it was Mavropanos, marking a full Premier League debut for the club with a goal – just at the wrong end.
The Greek defender glanced Mbuemo’s cross past his own keeper when trying to stop Collins from meeting it.
Having just been booked for raging at the fourth official, Moyes turned his ire to the Hammers back four, exposed against a strong Bees midfield without the cover of Alvarez or the control of Paqueta further forward.
The Scot sought to regain control of a game which should have been put to bed by now with the introduction of Pablo Fornals and Danny Ings.
But Fornals is not the player he was last season and Ings is still searching for his first goal of the season. For all the sparkle Kudus and Paqueta bring, West Ham still lack a reliable striker.
Just those sent on looked to make a mark off the bench, things went awry at the back once more.
Mathias Jensen, Brentford’s precise pass-master, was given the time to pick his spot from wide right and lifted a delightful cross to the far post, where Collins rose highest between Nayef Aguerd and Vladimir Coufal to crash home the winner.
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