Kevin Schade scored the only goal as Brentford edged West Ham United 1-0 at London Stadium.
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The German forward’s early strike proved decisive for the Bees, who recorded a third straight Premier League away win for the first time.
Schade netted the decisive goal after just four minutes, while Yoane Wissa was twice denied by the offside flag before half-time.
West Ham were much improved after the break, but were unable to find an equaliser and are now without a win in four league matches.
The Hammers remain in 16th place and 10 points above the relegation zone, while Thomas Frank’s side stay 11th but move to within three points of the top half.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 |
Brentford
BRE
|
25 | +1 | 34 |
| 12 |
Spurs
TOT
|
25 | +12 | 30 |
| 13 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
25 | -3 | 30 |
| 14 |
Everton
EVE
|
25 | -4 | 30 |
| 15 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
25 | -7 | 29 |
| 16 |
West Ham
WHU
|
25 | -18 | 27 |
How the match unfolded
Brentford opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Bryan Mbeumo won an aerial battle with Emerson to release Schade.
Although Alphonse Areola denied him twice – scrambling to claw off the line after the initial effort looped towards goal – the forward’s second attempt was over the line before it was pushed away.
Mbeumo’s fierce low drive forced a smart reaction save from Areola in the 21st minute, while the offside flag denied Wissa soon after.
Schade rattled the post as the Bees continued to dominate, while Wissa saw another goal ruled out for offside.
Graham Potter shuffled his pack at half-time with a triple substitution and his players appeared rejuvenated at the restart, with Mohammad Kudus firing a decent opportunity over from Evan Ferguson’s cross.
The Hammers continued to threaten, with the returning Lucas Paqueta firing narrowly wide and Ferguson seeing a low drive held, but the equaliser did not arrive and it spelt a third defeat in four games.
West Ham were without a win in three matches and that lack of momentum was evident as Brentford settled the quicker of the two sides.
West Ham's winless streak continues
The Hammers’ vulnerability on the counter was exposed inside only three-and-a-half minutes, despite the best efforts of Areola to keep out Schade.
West Ham, who had failed to win any of their previous 13 Premier League games this season when conceding the opening goal, were unable to respond as Brentford continued to apply the pressure and look to extend their lead.
The hosts had a combination of Areola, the woodwork and offside flag to thank for not trailing by more goals at half-time, while Konstantinos Mavropanos also made a brilliant last-ditch intervention to deny Wissa.
Potter managed to tame Brentford’s threat with his triple change at half-time, introducing Ferguson, James Ward-Prowse and Ollie Scarles.
Ferguson was involved immediately with a strong run and cross from the right, and Kudus definitely should have done better from close range.
That was as close as the Hammers came to an equaliser and, now without a win in four games, they face title contenders Arsenal next weekend.
Bees hold on for landmark win
It was a landmark win for Brentford, as they recorded three straight Premier League away victories for the first time.
The Bees were not in the best of form ahead of today’s game, with two wins from their last 11 matches in all competitions but, crucially, both of those victories had come on the road.
Their bright and purposeful start to the contest was rewarded with an early goal, though they will have been disappointed not to have converted their superiority during the first half into a greater margin of lead.
After demonstrating their attacking qualities in the opening 45 minutes, they had to show the other side of their game after the break as West Ham went in search of the equaliser.
But aside from Kudus’s chance, the Brentford defence was generally in control and their advantage never really appeared under too much threat.
They face another two of the Premier League’s bottom six teams in their next two games in Leicester City and Everton. They will be confident of building on this momentum as they look to close the gap on the top 10.
Club reports
West Ham report | Brentford report
What the managers said
Graham Potter: "The first half was not the performance we wanted at all. The goal affects the performance too much. We need to learn a lot from that. I was really pleased with the response of the players in the second half when we really pushed. We were a lot more like how we want to be."
Thomas Frank: "Very happy, especially in the first half. We were in complete control and dominated through the first 45 minutes. The only and relatively big complaint was that we were not out of sight.
"I thought we could have been three goals up. We had two disallowed, hit the post, we had three or four other big chances and dangerous situations where we need to get more out of them."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Brentford have scored a league-high seven goals in the opening 10 minutes of Premier League games this season, while West Ham have conceded a divisional-high 10 goals in the opening 10 minutes.
West Ham have lost 75 per cent of their eight Premier League games against Brentford (P8 W1 D1 L6), their highest loss rate against an opponent in the competition.
West Ham have kept just a single clean sheet in their last 22 Premier League home games, with that shutout coming in a goalless draw with Everton in November.