Brentford 1-1 West Ham: ‘It must be a world record’ – what is Brentford’s secret?

Turning up late, even by a minute, to see Brentford in the Premier League is not advised.

The Bees have achieved the remarkable feat of scoring in the opening 40 seconds in each of their past three Premier League fixtures.

It began on 14 September against Manchester City when Yoane Wissa netted after 22 seconds.

Bryan Mbeumo has been responsible for keeping the trend going – scoring after 23 seconds against Tottenham and 37 seconds against West Ham.

“I can’t tell you [the secret],” Brentford manager Thomas Frank said after the 1-1 draw against West Ham.

“Is it just the Premier League? There are lots of leagues. I need to know if it’s a world record or not.

“It must be a world record, three games in a row under 40 seconds – it’s unbelievable.”

Frank, like the rest of us, was keen to learn whether Brentford’s quickfire endeavours this month have set a world record.

The answer is possibly, but we cannot say for sure.

What we are certain of, though, is Brentford are the first team in Premier League history to score in the opening minute in three consecutive games.

The west London club are also the second in Premier League history to score a goal in the opening minute in three different matches in a single season, after Everton in 1998-99.