London calling for West Ham once more but not yet time to yearn for the sanctuary of the provinces. Where the London Stadium is an unhappy home, they remain unbeaten on their early‑season tour of their home city. After victory at Crystal Palace and a draw at Fulham came this attritional game on the capital’s western fringe.
Such is the London weighting of this season’s Premier League schedule the Hammers do not play outside the city limits until 2 November. A midweek Carabao Cup defeat at Liverpool so exasperating that Julen Lopetegui injured himself on the sidelines, allied with his team’s dreadful home form had led to speculation. Would Anfield be his sole match beyond the M25?
An improved second-half performance here allayed that prospect for the moment. The dependable Tomas Soucek clanked in the equaliser, Brentford were held off thereafter, having scored the alternative meaning of the phrase “expected goal”.
After goals in the 22nd and then 23rd second of their past two Premier League matches, Brentford’s kick-off routine made for appointment viewing. Had West Ham read the memo? By the 24th second, Alphonse Areola was clawing away Kevin Schade’s cross. By the 37th second, Bryan Mbeumo’s volley for his 50th Brentford goal was in the back of the net. Lopetegui, freed of his crutches, could only remonstrate once more.
Thomas Frank wondered if his team had created a world record: “We had a plan again. It’s a mindset of playing forward and trying to get on the game straight away. I’m very pleased with that.”
Like last season, Brentford’s must soldier on without key personnel, with Yoane Wissa being out for two months adding to list. Those previous early goals preceded defeats to Manchester City and Tottenham but how to see games out? Without Wissa and beyond Mbeumo, Brentford lack the firepower to kill off opponents. “He’s on fire,” said Frank of his scorer before admitting his team “didn’t have the cutting edge”.
“We knew this could happen,” said Lopetegui of that early setback. “After this, we have the behaviour and character to balance the match.”
Successive West Ham managers have attempted to wean themselves off Michail Antonio as central striker but after Jarrod Bowen’s misfires, the pair were restored to their usual order. Niclas Füllkrug has followed a club tradition of new signings with questionable fitness records.
Brentford’s onslaught was unsustained. Frank’s team no longer supply the high-octane stuff of their initial arrival in the Premier League. They granted West Ham plenty of the ball. It still took until the 25th minute for Mark Flekken to make a save, from Mohammed Kudus’s speculative shot.
Boos from the away end greeted half-time. Lopetegui made two changes, hauling off Kudus and Emerson for a revamped left flank, down which Aaron Wan-Bissaka galloped, his deflected effort soon pinging off a post.
“They outmuscled us,” said Frank. “If you take into consideration that we have nine first-team players out, we had nothing to shoot with.”
Konstantinos Mavropanos and Carlos Soler were the replacements and brought marked improvement. Soucek bundled home his goal after Brentford failed to clear their lines, Bowen at last having arrived in the contest. He and Antonio kept the ball alive in a scramble and Nathan Collins played the goalscorer onside. The noise from the away fans reflected relief rather than belief.
“He sets a very good example,” Lopetegui said of Soucek. “He works always for the team. We need this kind of attitude.”
West Ham’s increased physical presence, with Mavropanos impressing, blunted Brentford. They exerted extra pressure, pressing higher, forcing errors in possession from their opponents but were reduced to scrabbled half-chances. “They were strong after half time,” said Mbeumo. “We need to work on a few phases in the game.”
Jean-Clair Todibo, on his first Premier League start, was also regularly first to loose balls. His late tangle with Ethan Pinnock was waved away by the referee, Simon Hooper, as home fans demanded a penalty. When Vitaly Janelt kicked into the ground and dropped to the ground in claiming another, Hooper again made a correct call.
West Ham could return east, proudly unbeaten away from E20. Next is Ipswich and the potential for a fourth home defeat looms large for Lopetegui.
