|
Lyall Thomas at West London Sport |
Brentford (3) 3-0 (0) Fulham
Scott Hogan scored twice as Brentford embarrassed Fulham in the west London derby at Griffin Park.
The Bees raced into a 2-0 lead inside seven minutes, with Hogan scoring on his first start for the club after Sam Saunders had chipped keeper Marcus Bettinelli for the opener.
Hogan bagged his second of the match and fifth goal since returning from a long-term knee injury when he smashed in Saunders’ corner on the volley just before half-time.
Ross McCormack hit the woodwork twice for the visitors but, despite improving in the second half, Fulham struggled to create chances in their 19th defeat of the season.
The Whites had poor defending to blame for their defeat; a trend of their season epitomised when Jazz Richards was forced backwards from an attack by impressive Bees debutant Tom Field and lost possession to Sergi Canos, who set up Saunders to score on four minutes.
Striker Hogan, who made his first appearance last month after 19 months out, got in between Fernando Amorebieta and Tim Ream, latched onto Konstantin Kerschbaumer’s through-ball and found the bottom corner of the net from 18 yards.
And, after McCormack curled an effort onto the post from just inside the box, Hogan bagged the Bees’ third on 40 minutes – unmarked from inside the six-yard box.
Moussa Dembele and Ryan Fredericks came on for Fulham for the second half, and Dembele should have found the net when he was put through one-on-one with keeper David Button, who smothered his shot.
McCormack hit the bar from a tight angle and forced Button to save from a long-range free-kick, while Brentford could have had a fourth when the impressive Kerschbaumer forced a save from Bettinelli.
Here’s how Andrew Raeburn rated the players at Griffin Park.
Marcus Bettinelli: 7
Kept busy throughout the game, saving shots of varying quality from Kerschbaumer, Woods, Canos, Gogia and O’Connell. Could do little about Hogan’s brace but probably regrets attempting to close down Saunders for the opener. His kicking was wayward, too.
Jazz Richards: 6
His indecision led to Brentford’s move for the first goal and his passing let him down at times, but he was strong in the tackle and in the air in his own half. It wasn’t enough to spare him being withdrawn at half-time.
Richard Stearman: 6
Another inconsistent display. Tidied up at the last minute on a few occasions but appeared to lose track of Hogan at the corner from which he scored his second. Did guide a header beyond the far post at the other end.
Fernando Amorebieta: 5
Never recovered from a nightmare first 10 minutes. Caught off guard by Canos’ ball into Saunders for the opener and never looked convincing against Hogan, who left him trailing in his wake as he put the Bees 2-0 up.
Tim Ream: 6
Won a few headers but generally struggled at left-back to cope with Saunders and Canos, and was part of the collective switch-off that saw Hogan score Brentford’s third.
Tom Cairney: 7
Stood out in an otherwise flat Fulham midfield. His passing was good and occasionally penetrative, like when he played in McCormack, who hit the bar. Also won a few balls in the air.
Scott Parker: 7
Put himself about with varying degrees of success, and seemed to feel he wasn’t sufficiently protected by the referee. His most tenacious moment led to him riding a couple of challenges and sliding in a pass for McCormack, but the striker hit the post.
Rohan Ince: 5
Much is made of Brentford’s lack of height, but their midfield ran rings around 6’ 3” Ince, who looked off the pace until he was withdrawn at half-time.
Ryan Tunnicliffe: 6
Used the ball efficiently from wide on the left and shot wide late on as Fulham pressed for a consolation, but much of the first half passed him by.
Lasse Vibe Christensen: 6
Played in a second-striker role but ended up drifting between central midfield and wide right in the first half, as he struggled to adapt. His decision-making in the final third was poor and he was taken off after 65 minutes following an injury.
Ross McCormack: 8
The only serious threat to Brentford, he hit the woodwork twice and had a free-kick saved late on by Button. Also picked out some good passes but neither he nor his team-mates could break through.
Ryan Fredericks: 7
Replaced Richards at half-time and was an immediate improvement, putting in a good defensive shift and making runs down the right flank.
Moussa Dembele: 6
Left on the bench as he was apparently not “focused”, according to head coach Slavisa Jokanovic. Came on at half-time when the damage was done but still endured a frustrating time – he headed over from a corner, was denied by a fabulous tackle by Barbet and later dropped to the floor in trying to win a free-kick.
Emerson Hyndman: 6
Brought on when Christensen limped off and was bright in bursts, seeing a shot fly well off target.
Source .