MX23RW : Thursday, December 12 21:30:54| >> :600:187751:187751:

Maupay double takes Brentford second

The Bees beat Wigan 2-0 as the visitors had Sam Morsy sent off.

Brentford climbed to second in the Championship with a convincing 2-0 win over 10-man Wigan to make it five straight home wins.

Goals in each half from Neal Maupay were enough to secure the Bees maximum points against their long-standing bogey side.

Their cause was helped by the 58th-minute sending-off of Sam Morsy for a dangerous late shoulder barge to Yoann Barbet's head.

The midfielder's straight red came minutes after a clash with match-winner Maupay at a corner that incensed the seven-goal Bees striker.

But the Frenchman had the last laugh, scoring his second just after the hour mark having given his side the lead midway through the first half.

The opener came on 24 minutes, Maupay firing home from close range at the end of a slick five-man move that left the Wigan defence chasing shadows.

And he was in the right place at the right time on 63 minutes when he smashed the loose ball into the roof of the net as it pinballed in the box.

The little striker should have given the Bees the lead inside 10 minutes when he raced onto a through-ball but delayed his shot for Latics keeper Christian Walton to make a crucial point-blank block.

Wigan had their moments in the first half, with Nick Powell's flashing half-volley from the edge of the box forcing a full-length fingertip save from Dan Bentley after 15 minutes.

Powell almost made an impact a minute later, pulling the ball back from the byline only for James Vaughan to fire just over the angle from 12 yards.

The hosts took the lead midway through the first half with an incisive attack, winger Said Benrahma playing a cute one-two with Lewis Macleod before squaring for Maupay to thrash home his sixth of the season.

Powell went close with a dipping, curling free-kick over the wall before the Londoners almost made it two on the half-hour when Maupay's sizzling low drive after a Romaine Sawyers through-ball brought the best out of Walton.

After the break it was all Brentford and Maupay should have extended the lead in a one-on-one with Walton, who deflected his low drive wide with his legs as he dived the wrong way.

The niggly game erupted on 58 minutes when Maupay backed into Morsy at the corner, sparking a response reminiscent of the famous Vinny Jones-Paul Gascoigne clash. A minute later Morsy struck Barbet in the head to earn a straight red card.

Brentford's second ended Wigan's resistance and Lewis Macleod almost made it three a minute later but his 30-yard piledriver, destined for the top corner, was brilliantly tipped wide by Walton.

Callum Connolly might have given the scoreline a more positive gloss for the Latics late on but glanced his header wide from a rare foray into the home box.

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '67785bf0-53ed-4eb1-9487-b6ff2b94ca9a');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:match-reports');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Maupay double takes Brentford second'});

ID:335493: cacheID:335493:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5396:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
A general shot of a Premier League football ahead of the Premier League clash between Everton and West Ham United at Goodison Park on October 30, 2016
Read Next:
Champ roundup: Brentford pegged back by Villa
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!