We all really ought to have learnt by now to stop writing Brentford off. Time after time they have proved the doubters wrong since they reached the promised land of the Premier League – add this result to that collection.
Some questioned how a club self-deprecatingly known by fans as ‘just a bus stop in Hounslow’ could survive in the cut-throat, big-spending world of the Premier League. They haven’t just survived; they’ve thrived.
Some wondered if the Bees would lose their sting without star striker Ivan Toney, who is missing for eight months due to a betting ban.
Instead, this group of hard-working, talented players – led by a manager in Thomas Frank whose stock only continues to rise by the week – continue to fly.
The way West Ham played in the first half, few would have given much thought to a comeback after Brentford fell behind. Again, they proved us wrong.
Nathan Collins headed in the eventual winner for Brentford as they beat West Ham 3-2
Thomas Frank praised his team’s response to falling behind against West Ham in the first half
Mohammed Kudus scored a stunning bicycle kick to cancel out Brentford’s opening goal
‘Every win in the Premier League feels fantastic and coming back after being 2-1 down against a good team as well,’ said boss Thomas Frank.
‘In the end, I think it was a fully deserved win. Overall it was a good performance and it makes me a happy man. I love my team, I think they’re fantastic.’
After the high of beating Arsenal to progress to the League Cup quarter-finals in the week, David Moyes’s side were left with the low of defeat in a game they could have been out of sight before half-time in.
The good times looked set to keep rolling when Mohamed Kudus’s magnificent volley drew the Hammers level in the first half.
If the Ghana international’s goal in the success over Arsenal was sublime, then file this strike under ‘sensational’.
Michail Antonio’s deep cross looked to be curling away from the winger’s reach. But the Ghanaian, facing his own goal, pirouetted on his standing right leg and made the sweetest of connections with his left foot.
From the moment the ball left his laces, there was no doubting its final destination. Mark Flekken in the Brentford goal stood no chance.
But the absence of key figures in the spine of West Ham’s team – Kurt Zouma in defence and Edson Alvarez in midfield – was already clear to see before Kudus sent the travelling support into ecstasy.
