Premier League GW26 - West Ham vs Brentford

West Ham vs Brentford | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Brentford and West Ham squared off in an exciting Premier League match at the London Stadium that was essential for both teams to win. Under David Moyes, West Ham sought desperately to end their 2024 winless streak, while Brentford sought to pick up vital points as Everton's point deduction made the relegation struggle more intense.

West Ham:

West Ham hasn't won a game in eight games across all competitions, and Hammers manager David Moyes has been under pressure lately. The team hasn't tasted triumph in 2024. The Scottish player said on Friday that he is the subject of a new contract offer, but he plans to hold off on signing until the end of the current campaign. Obviously, a victory here would relieve some of the strain.

Brentford:

The two clubs are separated by about 17 miles in terms of distance, and 11 points in the Premier League. Having only won once in their previous ten top-flight games, Brentford will be eager to make it eight by tonight's end. Everton's 10-point deduction for violating the Profit and Sustainability regulations was reduced to six points today, meaning that they are now only five points above the bottom three in the rankings and much more anxious for Thomas Frank's team.

Line ups:

WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Alphonse Areola; Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Emerson Palmieri; Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez; Jarrod Bowen, James Ward-Prowse, Lucas Paqueta; Mohammed Kudus

SUBS: Ben Johnson, Oliver Scales, Danny Ings, Nayef Aguerd, Lukasz Fabianski, Michail Antonio, Angelo Agbonna, Divin Mubama, George Earthy

BRENTFORD (3-5-2): Mark Flekken; Mathias Jorgensen, Kristoffer Ajer, Ben Mee; Keane Lewis-Potter, Frank Onyeka, Christian Norgaard, Mathias Jensen, Sergio Reguilon; Neal Maupay, Ivan Toney.

SUBS: Thomas Strakosha, Mikkel Damsgaard, Mads Roerslev, Yehor Yarmoliuk, Shandon Baptiste, Yoane Wissa, Nathan Collins, Vitaly Janelt, Saman Ghoddos.

London Stadium | Picture Credits: SportsPro Media

First Half: Bowen Stuns Brentford

With West Ham exploding into a brilliant start, the London Stadium went crazy. After a deft feed from Emerson, Jarrod Bowen showed off his finishing skills in the fifth minute by slashing the ball into the left side of the net. The hosts stunned Brentford with a 1-0 lead.

Two minutes later, Bowen scored his second goal, extending West Ham's lead. Thanks to some careless play by Brentford and some deft passing from Kudus and Coufal, Bowen was able to side-foot past Flekken with ease. At this point, West Ham's lead was 2-0.

Brentford, always one to back down easy, found a way to survive in the thirteenth minute. After Toney skillfully set up Lewis-Potter for a brilliant through-ball, Zouma was cleared. With a pass from the midfielder, Maupay was able to calmly score past Areola to make it 2-1 and increase the intensity of the game.

West Ham had a slim lead as the first half played out at an incredible speed, but the drama was far from over.

Second Half: Kudus Sets Up Bowen's Hat-Trick

Kudus of West Ham showed flashes of brilliance in the sixty-third minute. He ran at Reguilon and sent in a superbly lofted cross, which was greeted with a cool header from Bowen. As Bowen scored his first-ever senior hat-trick and gave West Ham a 3-1 lead, the London Stadium exploded.

West Ham increased their advantage after just six minutes. Emerson hit a spectacular shot from 25 yards out that found the top-right corner with incredible precision. The Italian's magnificent goal made it 4-1 and seemed to knock Brentford out of the match.

In the eighty-second minute, Brentford sparked hopes for a rally. Wissa was the recipient of Damsgaard's accurate through pass, which he gently placed into the bottom-right corner. When the lead was reduced to 4-2, Moyes was clearly incensed on the West Ham sidelines.

Brentford put up a late comeback in the closing minutes of the match. Toney appeared to be heading towards the net with his downward header after Lewis-Potter's wonderful ball. But Areola made an incredible stop to keep Brentford from scoring a late goal.

In the ninety-sixth minute and beyond, Damsgaard tested Areola once again with a powerful strike. Toney grabbed the rebound, but Emerson's vital block kept Brentford from cutting the lead any closer.

The final whistle blasted in 2024, bringing with it the much-needed victory for West Ham. Emerson's powerful strike and Bowen's valiant hat-trick gave them a 4-2 victory over Brentford. While West Ham revelled in their return to eighth position, Brentford, sitting just five points above the relegation zone in 16th place, had anxious moments.

West Ham Triumphs:

West Ham won a thrilling match at the London Stadium that included a plethora of goals, drama and spectacular saves. With Bowen's hat-trick, West Ham's recent history will be brightened and their winless streak will be lifted. Fans are still enthralled with the Premier League's unpredictable nature while Brentford muses over lost possibilities.

Bowen scored a goal and gave West Ham a 1-0 lead | Picture Credits: West Ham Website

Bowen scored one more goal and doubled West Ham's lead to 2-0 | Picture Credits: West Ham Website

Maupay scored a goal and broke the deadlock for Brentford | Picture Credits: Brentford Website

Bowen scored another goal and gave West Ham a 3-1 lead | Picture Credits: West Ham Website

Emerson scored a goal which gave West Ham a 4-1 lead | Picture Credits: West Ham Website

Wissa scored a goal for Brentford and kept Brentford's hopes alive | Picture Credits: Brentford Website