Brentford beat West Ham to ensure top-half finish
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[1/5] Soccer Football – Premier League – Brentford v West Ham United – Brentford Community Stadium, London, Britain – May 14, 2023 Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo celebrates scoring their first goal Action… Read more
LONDON, May 14 (Reuters) – First-half goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa secured a comfortable 2-0 home Premier League victory for Brentford over West Ham United on Sunday to ensure their best top-flight finish since 1938.
Brentford move up to ninth place with 53 points from 36 games and will finish in the top half for the first time since they came sixth 85 years ago. West Ham stay in 15th place, six points clear of the relegation zone with two games to play.
West Ham manager David Moyes made seven changes to his starting line-up with one eye on the second leg of their Conference League semi-final away at AZ Alkmaar on Thursday, where they lead 2-1, but they were second best to their hosts.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank was clearly delighted with his side’s performance.
“It is the most convincing 2-0 win in history. We were in complete control throughout the game,” Frank told Premier League Productions.
“I’m so happy with Yoane Wissa that he got a well-deserved goal. We needed him to step up with Ivan Toney out and he did that.
“Finishing in the top half is an unbelievable result. Now we’d like to climb as high as possible.”
Brentford took the lead on 20 minutes as they won the ball in midfield and worked it to Mbuemo in acres of space on the right side of the box and his low shot beat visiting goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
The home side doubled their advantage two minutes before halftime when Mathias Jensen’s long throw was flicked on by Ben Mee and Wissa headed into the net.
West Ham thought they had pulled a goal back midway through the second half via a Danny Ings header, but a handball in the build-up from teenage forward Divin Mubama meant the goal was disallowed after a VAR check. Moyes was unimpressed with the decision.
“It doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t think it hits his hand,” Moyes said. “If anything it hits his shoulder, and certainly above the shirt sleeve line, and certainly with the distance. It was not conclusive that it hit his hand. Far from it.”
But Moyes admitted his side were below par.
“It was not a good day for us and not a performance we were pleased with. There is not much we can take from it.”
Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Ed Osmond
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