Hull City vs Brentford. Sky Bet Championship.
MKM StadiumAttendance10,034.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash at the KCOM Stadium
Saturday 1 February 2020 18:59, UK
A hat-trick from Said Benrahma helped Brentford complete a dominant 5-1 victory over Hull City at the KCOM Stadium and move to within four points of the Championship's automatic promotion places.
Brentford controlled the contest from start to finish and went in front in the 12th minute when Benrahma fired a shot from distance beyond George Long in the Hull goal. The lead was doubled soon after as Reece Burke could only turn an Ollie Watkins header into his own net.
Hull were given an undeserved lifeline when David Raya inexplicably let Ryan Tafazolli's hopeful pass forward bounce through his legs and over the line. But it was brief respite for the hosts.
In the second period Brentford ran riot. They restored their two-goal advantage when Watkins headed home a Rico Henry cross (58) and Benrahma scored his second four minutes later after good work from Bryan Mbeumo.
Hull threatened sporadically and debutant Marcus Maddison almost grabbed a consolation late on. But it was left to Benrahma to round off the victory with another composed finish which completed his hat-trick.
It was never going to be easy for Hull after the Deadline Day departures of Kamil Grosicki and top scorer Jarrod Bowen and the home side appeared devoid of confidence from the kick-off.
Brentford swarmed forward throughout the opening period and went in front when Benrahma collected a short corner, wriggled past George Honeymoon and whipped a shot past Long.
It wasn’t long before the Bees were celebrating once again. A cross from Benrahma was headed goalwards by Watkins but Reece Burke had an opportunity to clear. However, the Hull defender mistimed his jump and could only direct his clearance into the net.
The Bees wasted several opportunities to add to their lead and then gifted Hull a lifeline. There was no danger when Tafazolli played a hopeful pass forward but Raya misjudged the flight, let the ball bounce between his legs and couldn't scramble back to stop it going over the line.
It was a goal that could have rattled Brentford. Instead, in the second period, they went through the gears and took apart the Tigers.
Watkins, the Championship's top scorer, planted a confident header beyond Long to restore the visitors' two-goal advantage and then Benrahma - who could have been sent off in the opening period for an off-the-ball clash with Stephen Kingsley - took centre stage.
The Algeria international slotted home after good work from Bryan Mbeumo and completed his hat-trick late on after substitute Joel Valencia had his shot blocked.
Hull's Grant McCann: "It just felt really flat, even when we arrived at the stadium. We didn't start the greatest and then got back into the game with a big bit of fortune. We started brightly in the second half but the game was gone once they scored a third goal.
"This is probably the first time this season we've been totally outclassed. We were masters of our own downfall, but Brentford were top class. It's going to be a tough task to get into the top six. We were absolutely nowhere near. It was a rubbish result for us."
"They [Bowen and Grosicki] were both impossible to keep, especially with the contract situations. It's about time others stepped up to the plate now. A lot of people will talk about Kamil and Jarrod, but others have got to step up and get the goals and assists."
Brentford's Thomas Frank: "We all know it's very difficult when people lose a loved one. We gave Said all the time off that he needed to get his head in the right place. He was magnificent in his actions, his touches and of course scoring three goals. It was a fantastic performance from him."
"It's very nice to get a win on the board, but I really want to praise the mentality of our players in terms of bouncing back. It was a very good performance - especially in the final third. We had great fluidity up front and I was very pleased with our structure and discipline. This is a difficult place to play, and this showed a lot about our mentality."
No surprises here; the winger was on a different level to his Brentford team-mates and the Hull players. It wasn't just that he took his three goals expertly, it was his smart movement off the ball and his trickery on it.
The 24-year-old caused the Hull defenders constant problems. He found space in the box throughout - his second and third goals testament to that - and he ran Eric Lichaj ragged with his direct dribbling.
Hull boss Grant McCann has a full week to prepare his new-look side for a trip to Reading next Saturday. Meanwhile, Brentford's quest for promotion sees them welcome Middlesbrough to Griffin Park.
