Brentford 1-1 West Ham: Bryan Mbeumo's first-minute strike not enough as Tomas Soucek earns point
Brentford scored a record third goal in the opening minute of their match, marking this as their third consecutive game with such a fast score. However, they couldn't secure a win against West Ham, as Tomas Soucek managed to equalize, resulting in a 1-1 draw.
Bryan Mbeumo's stunning acrobatic goal just 41 seconds into the game followed a 22-second opener from last Saturday's match against Tottenham, and it came right after Yoane Wissa's goal, which was scored just 23 seconds into the game against Manchester City the week before. Mbeumo's impressive volley truly stood out as he expertly hooked the ball into the net.
West Ham faced a rough beginning once again, entering this London derby on the heels of a tough defeat, having conceded five goals to Liverpool earlier in the week and losing 3-0 to Chelsea the previous weekend.
"Naturally, there's a lot of planning involved," said Thomas Frank, the manager of Brentford. "We develop a strategy for the start of each match and adjust it based on each game’s circumstances."
"We focus on training for it, and our approach is to maintain a proactive and optimistic mindset. We aim to deliver a cross, chase after the rebound, and take a shot at goal. That's precisely what we accomplished."
West Ham bounced back from their initial challenges, but it wasn't sufficient to prevent Julen Lopetegui from having his players return to the field early after halftime, where he made two substitutions.
Three of his key players connected to equalize just nine minutes into the second half. Soucek and Jarrod Bowen set up Michail Antonio, whose mishit shot turned out to be an ideal setup for Soucek to slide the ball in at the near post.
West Ham hardly seemed capable of turning the game around, but they managed to maintain their unbeaten record on the road. Although their second-half display was still short on quality, they showed enough determination to prevent the heat from increasing on Lopetegui's team.
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Brentford's performance ratings are as follows: Flekken received a score of 6, Van der Berg got a 7, Pinnock was rated a 6, Collins also earned a 6, and Ajer was given a 7. Janelt, Damsgaard, Carvalho, and Mbeumo each received scores of 7, while Schade was rated a 6.
Substitutes: Yarmolyuk (7), Konak (not available).
Visiting Team: Areola (6), Wan-Bissaka (7), Todibo (7), Kilman (6), Emerson (5), Rodriguez (6), Soucek (7), Bowen (6), Paqueta (5), Kudus (7), Antonio (6).
Substitutes: Mavropanos (7), Soler (6), Ings (6), Summerville (7), Irving (n/a).
Match MVP: Tomas Soucek.
Frank: Mbeumo Could Pursue New Opportunities
Brentford's manager, Thomas Frank:
Bryan Mbeumo is in top form right now. His skills are exceptional.
I truly believe that Bryan will end up playing for a more prominent team someday. If I were part of such a club, I would certainly want to sign him. He was a significant loss for four months last year; while I still hoped for Ivan [Toney] to be available, the abrupt absence of our star player really affected us.
This year, he's taken his game to the next level. Scoring five out of six is amazing; he's consistently generating chances, seizing opportunities, and putting in a lot of effort for the team.
"He feels really content here, and while some players might eventually move on, many of them are quite satisfied because we have a fantastic atmosphere."
Mbeumo Shines In Leading Brentford's Attack
Ron Walker from Sky Sports:
According to any reasonable perspective, Brentford would likely be facing difficulties after losing both Ivan Toney and his substitute, Igor Thiago, along with Yoane Wissa. Bryan Mbeumo now has the responsibility of leading the Bees' offense all on his own.
Kevin Schade is the closest thing they have to an established forward, but Mbeumo is the key player in the center and is excelling in that role.
Thomas Frank is one of the most enthusiastic supporters among Premier League managers. However, he genuinely believes that Mbeumo's absence due to a four-month injury last season hurt the team more than losing Ivan Toney. At the time of his injury, Mbeumo was on track to score 15 goals that season.
This time, he may actually succeed. While he’s unlikely to maintain his current pace of winning five out of six matches, he's definitely improved as a finisher compared to when Brentford earned promotion.
"In his debut season in the Premier League, he netted fewer than 50% of the goals that his expected goals (xG) indicated he should have scored. However, from the limited data available this season, he is exceeding his xG by more than double."
Hammers Escape Defeat, But Issues Persist
Ron Walker from Sky Sports:
When you're struggling and give up a goal just 41 seconds before the game ends, it's easy to think the situation is dire. Given that, West Ham's ability to recover and secure a draw against Brentford is definitely a bright spot.
"However, that’s about the best we can expect. Given the depth and talent of the Hammers team, it's still worrying that they haven’t created many memorable moments."
The Hammers' defense has raised significant alarm, but it's their lack of attacking threat that poses an even bigger problem, especially since Julen Lopetegui was brought in to implement a more offensive approach.
"It may take some time, but with a goal count that is even lower than Southampton's—despite having Lucas Paqueta, Mohamed Kudus, and Jarrod Bowen playing in every match—one would expect their individual talents to contribute to better results."
Paqueta stood out as a unique figure during a nondescript performance at the Gtech. After he was taken off the field, he walked over to the sidelines and visibly expressed his disappointment, shaking his head as he settled onto the substitutes' bench.
"There's definitely an issue with the Brazilian player, but he's not the sole problem."
