FA Cup: Nuno Espírito Santo’s West Ham advance to the quarter-…

West Ham, with Nuno Espírito Santo and Mateus Fernandes, qualified for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after knocking out Brentford on penalties (5-3), in a tie that ended in a 2-2 draw.

Mateus Fernandes started in midfield for the Hammers and was instrumental in the first goal of the game, in the 19th minute, delivering a cross that found Soucek’s head, who then assisted Jarrod Bowen for the 1-0. Igor Thiago responded in the 28th minute with a winning header in the heart of the West Ham penalty area, who would eventually regain the lead shortly afterwards, again through Bowen, this time from the penalty spot (34m).

The duel between the two forwards continued in the second half, with Igor Thiago scoring his second goal in the 81st minute, also from a penalty, making it 2-2 at the end of regulation time.

The score remained unchanged in extra time, leading to a penalty shootout, where West Ham prevailed 5-3. The only player to miss was Dango Ouattara, who attempted a Panenka-style penalty, but Areola anticipated his intentions and made an easy save. West Ham advance in the FA Cup and will face Leeds in the quarter=finals, a stage of the competition they are reaching again after ten years.