Mbeumo and Wissa guide Brentford to victory against distracted West Ham

If this is what life without Ivan Toney looks like, would it be so bad? Thomas Frank suggested this week his leading scorer would command a nine-figure sum, but he was absent here with a minor hamstring ailment. That gave Brentford – fans, Frank and players alike – a Sunday portal to peek into a potential future.

What they saw brought plenty of sunshine and smiles: they strolled past West Ham. Two members of the front three, and Yoane Wissa, were on the scoresheet. The former is a lovely footballer to watch, one of the game’s gliders, while the latter appears to have goals in him. Being hypercritical, both should have scored more than one apiece.

No matter. For only the second time this season, Brentford were victorious having dominated possession. A side so used to success through pressing is evolving. Should the unthinkable happen and Toney depart, or should any of the 262 alleged breaches of Football Association betting rules result in a lengthy absence, an alternative way can be found.

While they have lost just twice at home in the league this season, Brentford’s reputation for last-gasp winners is one they would love to shift. So most pleasing in these parts was the regularity of the victory. They would love that to become the rule rather than the exception.

New Griffin Park was not quite at its fortress-like loudest, but it did not need to be. It was an afternoon for acoustic over electric, accompanied by a half-time rendition of Hey Jude by Alex Vargas of Ted Lasso fame. Apparently.

With these three points, European football remains a mathematical possibility, if not one with much chance of realisation. That Brentford have not been worriedly glancing at the teams below them for some time now, though, should be