A first-half strike from Yoane Wissa and a second-half double from Bryan Mbeumo was enough to see off 10-man Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.
The best two West London sides from last season – as pointed out by Nick Bruzon in his match preview, met at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon. A goal from Yoane Wissa and a double from Bryan Mbeumo ensured the points would return to the Gtech.
Fulham may have been rocked with the news that star forward Aleksandar Mitrovic is heading to Saudi Arabia, with his replacement, Raul Jiménez having not found the back of the net in the Premier League for 25 games in the colours of Wolves and and his new club.
A nervy start from Brentford’s new goalkeeper Mark Flekken appeared to spur the hosts on an attritional first 45 minutes. It would, however, be the away side who would snatch the lead as Wissa capitalised on an error from Issa Diop, rounding Bernd Leno before calmly slotting home.
After the break, Bobby De Cordova-Reid had Fulham’s best opportunity of the game with his lofted effort coming off the crossbar. The game was effectively ended as a contest after Tim Ream fouled Wissa, receiving a second yellow card in the process. Mbeumo slotted the resulting penalty as Brentford went two up. The Cameroonian would go on to double his tally, tapping in late on in the piece.
It’s back to Gtech next week for Brentford where they’ll host Crystal Palace. Fulham, meanwhile, face a tough away trip to the Emirates to face last season’s runners-up, Arsenal.
A lovely day down by the river 🐝 pic.twitter.com/HyHQySis2U
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) August 19, 2023
It’s back to Gtech next week for Brentford where they’ll host Crystal Palace. Fulham, meanwhile, face a tough away trip to the Emirates to face last season’s runners-up, Arsenal.
