Nathan Collins secured a 3-2 win for Brentford over West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday to complete a match sprinkled with scoring milestones in west London.
Collins scored his first goal for the Bees in the 69th minute after West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen became the first player in Premier League history to score in each of a team’s first six away matches.
There was also a first goal in 35 matches — stretching over 14 months — for Brentford striker Neal Maupay.
Unfortunately for West Ham, it was a first Premier League win — or even a point — against the Bees that eluded the visitors. Brentford has won all five of their meetings since getting promoted.
Maupay’s last goal was for Everton in a 1-0 win against West Ham at Goodison Park in September last year.
The drought ended in the 10th minute and it was the scruffiest of goals, with Yoane Wissa having a shot blocked in a crowded West Ham penalty area and Frank Onyeka’s swipe at the rebound bouncing into the ground and up for Maupay to glance past goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.
If that goal was not one for the purists, West Ham’s equalizer certainly was.
Michail Antonio crossed from the left and Mohammed Kudus steadied himself before executing a stunning, acrobatic volley across goalkeeper Mark Flekken and into the far corner.
It was the Ghana winger’s fifth goal since joining West Ham from Ajax, on what was only his second Premier League start.
West Ham took the lead after 26 minutes as Bowen grabbed his landmark goal. Kudus diverted Said Benrahma’s cross onto the far post and Bowen was on hand to tuck away the rebound, the goal surviving a VAR check for handball against the England winger.
West Ham should have led 3-1 at the break but Antonio, in trying to get on the end of Bowen’s cross, inadvertently made a goal-saving challenge to prevent Benrahma scoring with a far-post tap-in.
Instead, 10 minutes into the second half, it was 2-2.
Hammers boss David Moyes had just been booked for shouting at fourth official John Busby, and his mood did not improve when defender Konstantinos Mavropanos headed Bryan Mbeumo’s cross into his own net.
West Ham would probably have settled for a point but Brentford did not. Mathias Jensen crossed from the right and Collins rose highest at the far post to head home the winner.
About Author
