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Brentford buzz past West Ham to keep European hopes alive

Andy Edwards and Joe Prince-Wright
·6 min read

Brentford eased past a much-changed West Ham side 2-0 as the Bees continue to push hard for European qualification.

FULL MATCH REPLAY

With Ivan Toney out injured, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa scored in the first half to seal the win and West Ham barely threatened as Brentford put on a clinic in pressing high and making the most of set-piece situations.

With the win Thomas Frank’s side move on to 53 points and have two games left as they sit just outside the UEFA Europa League spots.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ] 

West Ham remain on 37 points and are six points above the relegation zone as their focus now switches to their UEFA Europa Conference League semifinal second leg against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday.

Bees may be fine without Toney

Yes, Ivan Toney is a wonderful player and any team would miss him. But Brentford didn’t on Sunday. The English striker missed the win against West Ham with a hamstring issue and given that he may be suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of breaching betting charges, Brentford may have to plan for playing without Toney for some time at the start of next season. Wissa, Mbuemo and Schade pulled West Ham all over the place and should have won by more than two goals. That is where Toney comes in and he would have had a field day. If one of the big boys comes in for Toney this summer then perhaps Brentford may not stand in his way because the other forwards proved they can operate effectively without him and if you replace Toney with a proper poacher then the Bees could still maintain their Premier League status and continue their top 10 charges. This game was a glimpse of life without Toney for Brentford and if that is the case, it seems like they may fare better than most thought.

Stars of the show; Brentford vs West Ham player ratings

Bryan Mbeumo: Scored the crucial opener and could have had a few more as West Ham just couldn’t handle him ghosting in off the right.

Yoane Wissa: See above. Popped up in dangerous areas all the time, got his goal and could have scored a few more.

Ben Mee: Solid defensively and such a danger in the opposition box. Flicked on corners and throw ins galore and got an assist for Wissa’s goal.

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Everton vs Manchester City

What’s next?

Brentford head to Tottenham on Saturday, May 20. West Ham head to AZ Alkmaar for the second leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League semifinal with a 2-1 lead. Then then host Leeds United on Sunday, May 21.

How to watch Brentford vs West Ham live, stream link and start time

Kick off: 9 am ET, Sunday
Online: Stream via Peacock Premium

FULL TIME: Brentford 2-0 West Ham – One of the most dominant 2-0 wins you will ever see. Without the injured Ivan Toney, Brentford didn’t miss a beat and were excellent from start to finish.

The West Ham players are just going through the motions here as Brentford stroke the ball around.

NO GOAL! Brentford 2-0 West Ham – Danny Ings heads home after Benrahma’s cross from the left hits the post, bounced off Mubama’s hand and Lanzini flicks it into the middle as Ings heads home. But VAR asked Michael Oliver to go to the monitor and he spotted Mubama’s handball. No goal.

CHANCE! It should be 3-0 to Brentford. A corner is whipped in, Mee flicks it on again and Damsgaard somehow flicks over from five yards out. It did come to him quickly but he has to finish that.

CLOSE! Angelo Ogbonna with a brilliant block to deny Mbeumo scoring a header at the back post. This is dominant from Brentford.

The second has followed the same flow as the first as Wissa curls wide when he really should have scored. Brentford are winning the ball in midfield time and time again.

HALF TIME: Brentford 2-0 West Ham – Totally dominant from the hosts as they scored from pressing high and winning the ball back and then from a long throw. Textbook Brentford and even without the injured Ivan Toney the Bees are buzzing all over this much-changed West Ham side.

At the other end Danny Ings almost makes it 2-1 right away but David Raya saves his shot down low.

GOALLL! Brentford 2-0 West Ham – It is 2-0 to Brentford now. A long throw is flicked on by Mee and Yoane Wissa heads home. Way too easy for Brentford.

WOW! How is it not 2-0 to Brentford? From a long throw an almighty scramble ensues as plenty of blocks are made, Wissa nearly scores and then Ben Mee looks certain to score but his shot is deflected off the line and wide by Fabianski. West Ham’s goalkeeper then celebrates that defensive stand like it was a goal.

It has been pretty even since the goal but Brentford look the more dangerous side as Fabianski denied Wissa. David Moyes will not be happy with what he’s seen from this much-changed Hammers side.

GOALLLL! Brentford 1-0 West Ham – No Toney? No problem. Brentford steal the ball back as it is played into midfield and the ball finds Jensen who tees up Mbeumo to slot home. That is poor from West Ham but it’s also textbook Brentford.

It has all calm down a little now. West Ham are working hard to try and get on the ball and the TV cameras pan to the stands as Brentford star Ivan Toney is sitting there. Brentford without Toney just doesn’t seem right. James Corden, a West Ham fan, is then picked out by the TV cameras.

CHANCE! A cross from the left is headed on by Mikkel Damsgaard but his flicked effort flies just wide of the far post. Great chance early on for the hosts.

KICK OFF! We are underway in the sun in west London.

Key storylines & star players

The comeback victory over AZ Alkmaar has West Ham on the brink of the Conference League final, which is partially to blame for the prolonged relegation threat (once again) this season. A 1-0 victory over Manchester United last weekend snapped a three-game losing streak which saw David Moyes’ side conceded nine goals. Suddenly, a mostly miserable season is looking like it could have a dream ending for a club chasing its first trophy in 43 years.

Speaking of historic club achievements, a win, paired with Chelsea dropping at least two points against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, would guarantee Brentford a top-half finish in just their second-ever Premier League campaign. Ivan Toney (20 goals) sits one above Mohamed Salah for 3rd place in the Golden Boot race this season.

Brentford team news, injuries, lineup

OUT: Christian Norgaard (achilles), Pontus Jansson (hamstring), Keane Lewis-Potter (knee), Thomas Strakosha (calf), Ivan Toney (hamstring)

West Ham team news, injuries, lineup

OUT: Gianluca Scamacca (knee), Vladimir Coufal (hamstring)

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Brentford buzz past West Ham to keep European hopes alive originally appeared on NBCSports.com