Brentford manager Thomas Frank said he felt “absolutely terrible” after his side lost at West Ham in the Premier League and called referee Simon Hooper’s decision not to award the Bees an early penalty a “crucial moment”.
The visitors lost 4-2 at the London Stadium but would have had the chance to make it 2-2 among a flurry of early goals had Mohammed Kudus been penalised for a 16th-minute challenge on Sergio Reguilon.
“There are crucial moments in the game which you need to go your way that maybe could have affected the result,” said Frank, speaking to Sky Sports after his team suffered a 10th defeat in 12 top-flight matches.
“The penalty shout for Reguilon, in my opinion, is a penalty, but I don’t want to waste too much time on that. It was a clear push in the back. It’s more about our performance and we were not good today.”
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Frank added to Brentford’s website: “I feel terrible. My body is burning and I feel terrible, absolutely terrible.”
Jarrod Bowen scored his first senior hat-trick as West Ham established a 2-0 lead after seven minutes and went 4-1 ahead after 63 minutes.
Neal Maupay had struck to make it 2-1 at the break and substitute Yoane Wissa hit a late consolation.
West Ham vs Brentford: Bees ‘need consistency’
Brentford, who had already dropped a place earlier on Monday because of Everton’s points deduction being reduced from 10 to six points on appeal, are five points above the relegation zone in 16th.
A 2-0 win at Wolves on February 10 is the only time they have avoided defeat in their last six games, and their performance against the Hammers was less solid than the one they produced in a 1-0 defeat at Manchester City six days earlier.
???? “Individually, collectively, we didn’t hit our level today”
Thomas Frank’s thoughts on #WHUBRE@pensionbee pic.twitter.com/dXnspH7o0J
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) February 26, 2024
“We didn’t hit our level individually or collectively today,” Frank told the broadcaster. “We lost the game fair and square – end of discussion.
“We just went to maybe the most difficult away ground, the Etihad, against the best team in the world. It’s one of these seasons where we work very hard to find consistency.”
Brentford host 11th-placed Chelsea on Saturday and visit title contenders Arsenal a week later.
Their trip to Aston Villa on April 6 is the only one of their closing 10 matches in which they will meet opponents currently in the top five.
