It was not quite the proverbial rainy night in Stoke, but it was certainly a sodden evening in west London, and the dreary first-half football on display failed to brighten up a dull derby clash. The unfortunate combination of Brentford showing little urgency in possession and West Ham’s lack of intent to close down meant that chances came at a premium before the break.
Both notable first-half opportunities fell to the Bees, with Yoane Wissa first up, only for his scruffy contact with Keane Lewis-Potter’s low cross to let the Hammers off the hook. After that, Ben Mee poked a separate six-yard-box scramble onto the woodwork, only for the linesman’s flag to pull play back.
David Moyes’ side finally gave their opposition something to think about in the second half, as Emerson Palmieri found Tomáš Souček with a pinpoint cross, only for the rangy midfielder to fire wide from six yards. Bees supporters may have been feeling optimistic when new signing Kevin Schade came off the bench, but it ultimately turned out to be a different substitute’s night as Benrahma dispatched a vicious effort from 20 yards that swerved, dipped and left Thomas Strakosha rooted to the spot.
Safe passage to the fourth round will come as a boost to disheartened Hammers fans, who have had precious little to cheer about in the Premier League, and the result has put a torrid run of six winless games to bed. Meanwhile, Brentford’s silverware hopes are over for another year after crashing out of the EFL Cup earlier in the campaign, and Thomas Frank will now turn his attention to a meeting with Bournemouth next weekend, as his men target European football for 2023/24.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Mathias Jensen (Brentford)
