Analysis: Schade underlines growing importance in West Ham win | OneFootball

Brentford clocked up their 10th Premier League win of the season with a fine 1-0 success at West Ham on Saturday - and winger Kevin Schade underlined his growing importance to the Bees with the match-winning goal.

Bryan Mbeumo (14 goals) and Yoane Wissa (11) are currently the only top-flight strike duo where both players have 10+ goals, but Schade is closing in on double figures himself now with seven Premier League strikes and counting in 2024/25.

The trio of Mbeumo, Wissa and Schade has scored a bulky 74 per cent of Brentford's league goals this season and it was fitting that all three dangermen were heavily involved in the Bees' decider against the Hammers.

Wissa's lofted through ball was bravely nodded into Schade's path by Mbeumo and, although the German international's first shot was well saved not once but twice by Alphonse Areola, after his initial effort span off the keeper's legs towards the goal line, the winger's follow-up effort was ruled to have crossed the line (just!) after a VAR review.

Schade has played a big part in Brentford's forward line becoming one of the more free flowing in the Premier League and all seven of the 23-year-old's goals so far this term have come from open play.

Three strikes with his left foot, three with his right and a bullet header this term illustrate the all-round threat posed by Schade and his growing eye for goal is an exciting prospect for Brentford fans and head coach Thomas Frank.

One of only nine players to hit a top flight hat-trick this season, Schade averages a Premier League goal every 177 minutes (just shy of Mbeumo and Wissa on 166 minutes-per-goal) and has a solid shot-on-target percentage of 44 per cent.

Interestingly, with regard to Schade's shooting stats, the former Freiburg man's strikes on goal this season have been taken on average just 11.8 yards out - Kai Havertz and Brennan Johnson the only Premier League players with more than five goals this season to take their shots closer to goal.

It is perhaps Schade's aerial ability, however, that marks him out as a unique talent among the Premier League's current crop of attacking wide players.

No Brentford player won more aerials than Schade (three) against West Ham at the weekend and he ranks 17th in the Premier League for successful aerial duels this season with 56 - only four forwards (Havertz, Onuacho, Wood and Calvert-Lewin), all of whom are target men, ranking above the spring-heeled German.

The Bees deserved more goals from a dominant first-half display, Wissa seeing two strikes disallowed and Schade hitting the woodwork for the second time this season with a flashing low drive that clipped the bottom of the post.

That close shave came from another fantastic through ball from Mikkel Damsgaard, and the emergence of the Danish playmaker and winger Schade this season are two huge positives to take into the remainder of the campaign.

The west Londoners now combine efficiency and creativity in attacking areas, and if Thomas Frank's side continue to show the defensive resilience that earned them their clean sheet at the weekend, a strong finish to the season is in store.