BUZZ ABOUT THE PLACE
West Ham 4 Brentford 2
West Ham have yet to win a game in any competition in 2024. The East London Stattos have been busy compiling their lists of… when was it the last time Hammers had to get until March before they won a game? Having been around a while, I would have to point out that tonight’s game is a fixture in February, so we haven’t actually reached March yet. I am crossing my fingers behind my back while I consider this.
My respect and enthusiasm for the centre-back talent of Konstantinos Mavropanos, not to mention his name’s even-handed expanse of syllables, means I am delighted to see that he has made tonight’s team cut ahead of the mercurial Nayef Aguerd.
Mavropanos’ preference for throwing himself into tackles to win the ball rather than standing statically in the area with his hands behind his back as the opposition striker is poised to put his laces through it, is inspiring. So it’s his inclusion as much as the return to the side of Lucas Paquetá that bodes well for this PL fixture that we’ve yet to get a single point out of, even after five attempts.
Moyes has talked about getting a quick start against Brentford, but even he is a man in apoplexy when Bowen controls and volleys home an Emerson cross to steer Hammers into a fifth minute lead, and this just a handful of seconds after Souček has hit a great opportunity over the bar from right underneath it.
Less than seventy-five seconds later and it’s two, Kudus laying the ball out to Coufal, whose low cross is slotted home by Bowen. Seems hard to believe that these are his first goals of 2024, but that’s clearly what’s happening tonight.
Where has this swagger and pace come from? Brentford are not having a great season, but they do have Ivan Toney back tonight. He’s barely touched the ball so far tonight, though. But Brentford start to put on their hoodoo helmets, and within five minutes they have a goal back, Toney and Lewis-Potter setting up Maupay for an exquisite thirteenth minute finish.
And there could have been an equaliser a minute later when Kudus clumsily body checks Reguilon in the penalty area, but thankfully the referee decides to be old school and lets the challenge go. Phew.
The game is being played at a nerve-wracking pace, probably faster than either side would like, just so long as the unforced errors when they come, work for the home side.
By the time the first half ends, it’s a different game and Brentford have grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and though they don’t create too many chances, they can claim the majority of first half possession.
The second half delivers fifteen opening minutes of stalemate so when it comes, the timing of Bowen’s third goal cannot be underestimated, certainly not in terms of the match situation. Frank has three Brentford substitutes ready to bring on, and a mid-match approach change typical of his management style. With the game at 2-1 with 30 minutes to play it might have been very different had Kudus not put in a beautiful inswinging left foot cross which Bowen heads past Flekken to re-generate a two goal cushion.
This cushion is perhaps the reason why, eight minutes later, Emerson let fly from outside the area to score West Ham’s fourth. With the game at 2-1 he might have opted to head down the touchline and put in a cross. As it is, his decision to let fly from twenty-five yards proves the right one.
All that’s left for the game is a consolation eight minutes from time, fashioned by two of the Brentford substitutes, Yoane Wissa, and Mikkel Damsgaard, the former connecting with the latter’s pass deliciously to hit a 25 yard curling shot beyond Areola.
23 Alphonse Areola, 4 Kurt Zouma (captain), 5 Vladimir Coufal, 33 Emerson, 15 Konstantinos Mavropanos, 7 James Ward-Prowse, 10 Lucas Paquetá, 19 Edson Álvarez, 28 Tomas Souček, 14 Mohammed Kudus, 20 Jarrod Bowen
Substitutes: 9 Michail Antonio, 2 Ben Johnson
Goalscorers: Jarrod Bowen (5, 7, 61), Emerson (69)
