Brentford twice came from behind to stay unbeaten at home in the Premier League in a pulsating 3-2 win over Bournemouth at the Gtech Community Stadium. Bournemouth had been on an impressive run, beating title challengers Manchester City and Arsenal in their last three games, but came unstuck in west London despite leading through Evanilson's opener and then Justin Kluivert from a set-piece routine.
Yoane Wissa scored twice against Bournemouth, his second proving to be the winner and the third goal in a frantic 10-minute period in the second half that saw Brentford equalise just 21 seconds after the restart following Kluivert making it 2-1.
Mikkel Damsgaard scored that equaliser, beating Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga at his near post on a shaky afternoon for the Chelsea loanee, raising eyebrows about Andoni Iraola's decision to drop Mark Travers after two impressive stand-in displays.
Bournemouth scored the opener after Sepp van den Berg's poor backpass was pounced on by Evanilson, the club-record signing rounding goalkeeper Mark Flekken to score a career-best third goal in three games after netting against City and Aston Villa. Brentford were second best until the opener but fought their way back into the game by becoming more physical, equalising through Wissa's header at the back post after a long throw-in. His second, in the second half, was a lovely, chipped finish.
Thomas Franks' side, who move one place above Bournemouth into 10th, had to cling on to maintain their unbeaten home record, with substitute Dean Huijsen striking the bar late on, as they bounced back from defeat at Fulham on Monday.
Bournemouth's Goalkeeping Situation
Bournemouth's last two impressive results, a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa and the 1-0 home win over champions Manchester City, were in part thanks to the fine goalkeeping of deputy Travers, standing in for the injured Kepa. But his player-of-the-match performance at Villa Park and a point-blank stop to keep out Erling Haaland in added time were not enough to convince Iraola to keep him in the side at Brentford, with Kepa once again available after returning to fitness.
Iraola's change, perhaps predictably, knowing Kepa's frailties at dealing with crosses and Brentford being one of the most direct teams in the Premier League, shone an unwanted spotlight on the goalkeeping situation at Bournemouth with the Spaniard struggling.
Kepa flapped at crosses throughout the game, and it was his inability to hold on to a ball into the box that led to Brentford getting the throw-in from which Wissa headed in a first-half equaliser. But the most glaring of errors on a difficult afternoon for the Chelsea loanee, signed for a world-record £71.6m fee for a goalkeeper from Athletic Bilbao in 2018, was his failure to cover his near post for Damsgaard's equaliser in the second half.
Iraola defended his goalkeeper in his post-match press conference, in which Kepa was the most asked about topic, but even the head coach acknowledged he could have done better for Brentford's second equaliser. The Bournemouth boss will have plenty of time over the international break to consider how he handles this situation moving forward. But there is a decision to make with Travers, now 25, likely to be seeking more game-time and Kepa's future beyond this season unclear.
Travers is banging on the door for Kepa's job, and it is becoming harder and harder to ignore.
Brentford's Restart Kings
Brentford made headlines earlier in the season for scoring in the first two minutes for four Premier League games running. They repeated their party trick, mid-game admittedly, against Bournemouth, equalising to make it 2-2 just 21 seconds after the restart.
No sooner had Bournemouth taken the lead through a wonderfully-worked set-piece goal finished off by Kluivert than they were picking the ball out of their own net. It was a killer blow, one that likely decided the game, turning the momentum on its head. Iraola was frustrated after the game because his side knew what was coming but could not stop it. "We know. Everyone knows. They score a lot of goals after kick-offs. They go back and then go long on the left. You have to be better than them."
Bournemouth, on this occasion, were not. Others have tried and failed to stop Brentford, the Premier League's restart kings. Man City, Tottenham, West Ham and Wolves fell victim to this earlier in the season. Likely others will follow, too.
Key Takeaways
● There was just 80 seconds between Justin Kluivert's goal to put Bournemouth 2-1 up (48:16) and Mikkel Damsgaard's equaliser for Brentford (49:36).
