LONDON: Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo fired Brentford to a 3-0 win at Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday with the hosts reduced to 10 men from the 64th minute when captain Tim Ream was sent off after giving away a penalty.
The lively Wissa put the Bees ahead in the 44th minute of the West London derby with a right-footed shot into a gaping goal after centre-back Issa Diop was caught napping while attempting a pass to goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
Mbeumo made it 2-0 from the spot in the 66th, slotting clinically in off the left post with Leno barely moving, after US defender Ream was ruled to have felled Wissa and collected a red card for his second yellow.
Mbeumo then scored the third with a simple tap-in, assisted by Kristoffer Ajer, two minutes into time added amid booing and with the unhappy home fans heading for the exits at Craven Cottage.
Fulham manager Marco Silva, who was also shown a yellow card, questioned the penalty and sending off.
“The game was finished from that moment,” he said.
“Tim doesn’t understand why (he was sent off), we don’t understand either...the players were really surprised by the decision. Tim tried to go for the ball, he didn’t try to take him as well.”
Brentford manager Thomas Frank said he had seen clear contact, however.
Wissa has now scored in four of Brentford’s last five Premier League games, with Mbeumo filling the gap left by Brentford’s England striker Ivan Toney, banned until January for multiple breaches of the betting rules.
The pair also shared the home goals in last Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
Fulham, 1-0 winners at Everton in their opening game of the season, had more of the possession but were toothless in attack and failed to muster a shot on target in the first 45 minutes.
Brentford came close in the 38th when Antonee Robinson made an emergency clearance as Wissa’s scuffed shot appeared to be heading in.
Striker Aleksander Mitrovic, now looking set to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, was absent through injury but Fulham posed more of a threat at the start of the second half until they went a man down.
Fulham’s best chance came after the break when Bobby De Cordova-Reid hit the crossbar with Mark Flekken beaten as the home side pressed for an equaliser.
Brentford’s win was their fifth in eight games against Fulham and equalled a club record run of 11 unbeaten London derbies.
“That was 100% for the fans,” said Frank. “I hope they have a fantastic evening down by the Thames.”
