LONDON (Reuters) – Said Benrahma scored a stunning long-range effort against his former club as West Ham United reached the FA Cup fourth round with a 1-0 win at Brentford on Saturday.
There had been few opportunities for either side before substitute Benrahma rushed forward and unleashed a powerful effort from distance to break the deadlock with his side’s first shot on target in the 79th minute.
Brentford had the better of the limited first-half chances, with Yoanne Wissa denied from close range by Lukas Fabianski.
Yet they did little in the way of replicating the form which saw them lead 2-0 after 43 minutes against West Ham when they met in the Premier League eight days ago.
Thomas Soucek went the closest to opening West Ham’s account shortly after the break but he miscued his effort from five metres out and directed Emerson’s cross wide of goal.
The visiting supporters had been singing Benrahma’s name throughout the match, and the Algerian provided his side with the spark they needed in the final third to avoid a replay and reach the next round.
Elsewhere, Premier League sides Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest suffered defeats by Championship Burnley and Blackpool respectively.
(Reporting by Adam Millington; Editing by Toby Davis)
