LONDON (AP) – West Ham will face Leeds United in the FA Cup quarter-finals after beating Brentford 5-3 on penalties after drawing 2-2 after 90 minutes and extra time on Monday.
In the penalty shootout, West Ham’s stalwart goalkeeper Alphonse Areola saved Dango Ouattara’s disastrous shot from Panenka to level the score.
His shot was Brentford’s third of five and the only penalty that was not converted.
The finale came at the end of a lively game in which West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and Brentford’s Igor Thiago each scored twice.
Bowen, the Hammers’ regular talisman, reacted quickly to a loose ball in the box and flicked it past keeper Caoihin Kelleher to take the lead after 19 minutes.
Thiago equalized for Brentford nine minutes later, but Bowen calmly converted a penalty before half-time to put West Ham back in the lead.
The second half failed to live up to the high standards set in the first 45 minutes, but another penalty decision was key.
Thiago converted a penalty with nine minutes left to score a double after Crisencio Somerville was adjudged to have pushed Michael Kayode. This was Thiago’s 20th goal of the season in all competitions.
The result means West Ham have needed extra time or penalties to win all three of their previous FA Cup matches, but neither the players nor manager Nuno Espirito Santos will be concerned about that.
They will be looking forward to an attractive home game against Leeds, one of two in the Premier League. The other match will be played by Manchester City against Liverpool on the weekend of April 4th and 5th.
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