LONDON, England (Reuters) -Tomas Soucek cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s opener as West Ham United drew 1-1 at Brentford on Saturday, with the hosts becoming the first team in Premier League history to score in the opening minute in three successive matches.
The Hammers, who lost their opening three home games of the league season for the first time in the club’s history, now sit 14th in the standings with five points, two fewer than Brentford, who are in 12th place, ahead of the rest of the weekend’s fixtures.
Brentford made another electric start when winger Mbeumo stunned the visitors 37 seconds after kickoff, volleying home from 12 yards after Fabio Carvalho flicked the ball back into the box, sending it into the top-right corner.
The 25-year-old Cameroon international has been in fine form, scoring five goals in six appearances in the Premier League, and the latest was identical to his acrobatic volley against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
Despite scoring lightning-quick goals against reigning champions Manchester City (22 seconds) and Tottenham (23 seconds), Thomas Frank’s side failed to win either game.
“I can’t tell you (the secret). It must be a world record, three games in a row under 40 seconds — it’s unbelievable,” Frank told the BBC when asked about scoring inside the opening minute for a third consecutive league game.
“We had a plan again, it’s a mindset of playing forward and trying to get on the game straight away. I’m very pleased with that.”
Brentford’s cause has not been helped by a growing injury crisis, however, having lost forward Yoane Wissa, left back Rico Henry, and midfielders Josh Dasilva, Mathias Jensen and Christian Norgaard.
“It’s a good point (against West Ham). I’m always disappointed if we don’t get three…,” Frank said. “Going forward, I am positive. If you can play like this against a good West Ham side, then I am confident it will work out.
“What I like from my team was the mentality. We kept going forward.”
West Ham had just one shot on target in the opening half but moved up a gear after the interval, and Soucek was in the right place at the right time to bundle the ball in with a left-footed shot from the centre of the box.
The draw will ease some of the pressure on Julen Lopetegui, with the former Spain and Wolverhampton Wanderers boss having won two of his eight competitive games since replacing David Moyes as West Ham’s head coach in May.
“We knew we had a very tough match…,” Lopetegui said. “We showed this (Brentford’s record of scoring early) to the players, and it’s incredible that we suffered. It’s a bad picture to concede so early…
“We always have to work as a team or we are weaker — I think we did this in the second half.”
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Toby Davis and Christian Radnedge)
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