Benrahma sinks his old mates as Hammers ease past the Bees into next round of the FA Cup
FA Cup Third Round
Brentford (0) 0
West Ham (0) 1 Benrahma 79
Said Benrahma came off the bench to blast in the winner 11 minutes from time for the Hammers.
The former Bee was the subject of much banter between both sets of fans before his introduction with 20 minutes to go and he wasted little time in making his mark.
England midfielder Declan Rice won the ball in midfield off Yoane Wissa and Benrahma took it on a couple of strides before unleashing a swerving shot that Thomas Strakosha – deputising for David Raya – might have done better with.
The Algerian did not go overboard after netting – a reflection of the affection he has for his former club – but he will have enjoyed the moment.
“He wants to come home,” Brentford fans had chanted before he was brought on. “He left cos you’re shit,” was the visitors’ retort.
The teams tested the patience of both sets of fans during an utterly forgettable first half which featured little apart from a half-chance for Wissa.
Only four starters from the Bees’ triumph over Liverpool began this encounter and once again there was a sense of the FA Cup being something of an undercard attraction for Thomas Frank, who has form when it comes to league priorities.
David Moyes’ starting XI looked a little more like the usual first-team, as they search for the form and results which might get their so-far moribund season going.
The recent 2-0 defeat to the Bees at the London Stadium made it three losses in a row to the west Londoners and they badly wanted to shed that sense of being up against a bogey team.
But they created even less than the hosts in the opening hour and Tomas Soucek’s skewed miss in front of a goal saw the best opportunity go to waste until Benrahma arrived to do his bit and settle the outcome.
Bees fans got their first glimpse of new on-loan German signing Kevin Schade, who was soon drawing Craig Dawson into a yellow card challenge and did get a late shot away that deflected wide. But this was not a match which will live long in the memory.
Bees: (4-3-3) Strakosha – Roerslev, Ajer (Henry 80), Mee (Trevitt 90), Bech Srensen – Ghoddos, Jensen, Dasilva (Janelt 69) – Lewis-Potter (Schade 69), Wissa, Damsgaard (Canos 80). Subs not used: Cox, Henry, Canos, Zanka, Stevens, Trevitt, Yarmoliuk
Hammers: (3-4-2-1) Fabianski – Dawson, Ogbonna, Aguerd – Johnson, Rice, Soucek (Benrahma 69), Emerson – Bowen, Paqueta (Downes 87) – Antonio (Fornals 87). Subs not used: Randolph, Cresswell, Kehrer, Coventry, Swyer, Mubama
Attendance: 16,725
