BRENTFORD 3-2 BOURNEMOUTH: Yoane Wissa scored twice as Thomas Frank’s team came from behind on two separate occasions to defeat Andoni Iraola’s side in a thriller
YOANE Wissa struck a brace as Brentford battled back twice to claim a thrilling win.
No team has thrown away more leads than the Bees so far this season but on this occasion having to come from behind seemed to suit them – even if they needed the crossbar to save them from another last-gasp collapse.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, will rue the fact that they could not convert their early dominance into a greater advantage before goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, on loan from Chelsea, failed to cover himself in glory.
The £72m man allowed Mikkel Damsgaard’s effort to squirm in at his near post for 2-2 before his decision to commit for Wissa’s matchwinner proved unwise.
And it had started so well for Andoni Iraola’s in-form team.
Evanilson had them in front after 17 minutes and he is unlikely to receive such a kind gift all season as Sepp van den Berg left his pass back to Mark Flekken carelessly short.
The Brazilian gratefully accepted and rounded Brentford’s goalkeeper with ease before slotting home a deserved opener. Antoine Semenyo, Lewis Cook and Marcos Senesi, who squandered a sitter from three yards, had all threatened by that point.
But their profligacy would prove costly.
Conceding brought Brentford to life and there was a great simplicity to their first leveller. Mathias Jensen’s long throw from the right made its way through a cluster of bodies before Wissa arrived at the back post to head home.
A VAR check for handball – there was none – delayed its award but rather than kick on in search of a lead that goal temporarily stalled Brentford’s momentum.
Instead Bournemouth resumed control with Ryan Christie their creative force. And the midfielder was at the heart of their second – a wonderful corner routine that saw several Cherries players race to the dugout to celebrate with set-piece coach Shaun Cooper.
Christie played a short one-two with Tyler Adams before finding Justin Kluivert. He then exchanged passes with Cook before bursting into the area and driving past Flekken.
Their jubilation would again be short-lived, though.
Brentford needed just a minute to regain parity as Bryan Mbeumo’s through ball found Damsgaard and from a narrow angle he exploited a gap inexcusably left at Kepa’s near post.
This time Brentford would keep their feet on the accelerator and the lead effort came from another fine move. Janelt dummied over a pass and embarked on an underlapping run for Keane Lewis-Potter to find him. From there Janelt threaded a pass through to Wissa, who just about stayed onside before clinically dispatching past Kepa.
Bournemouth did get one great chance to snatch a point in the 98th minute but Dean Hujsen’s header crashed back off the bar.
And Brentford’s sense of relief when the whistle finally went a minute later was palpable.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Learn more