Brentford made history on Saturday as they became the first team to score in the opening minute in three consecutive Premier League games.
Bryan Mbeumo scored after 36 seconds in their 1-1 draw with West Ham at the Gtech Community Stadium to earn Brentford the unique accolade.
Mbeumo also opened the scoring in the opening minute of their 3-1 defeat to Tottenham last week.
Yoane Wissa did the same against Manchester City a week prior to that.
Brentford’s prowess in the opening stages of games could be considered more than luck. Keith Andrews arrived at the club in the summer as their new set-piece coach, replacing Bernardo Cueva who joined Chelsea.
“Is it just the Premier League? There are lots of leagues. I need to know if it’s a world record or not,” Brentford manager Thomas Frank said.
“Of course there is planning that goes into it. We have a kick-off strategy and we tweak it from game to game. And as a mindset and philosophy we like to get straight on the front foot and be positive.
“There are some margins going our way of course, but I want to give credit to the coaching staff and the players.”
The goal against West Ham was Mbeumo’s fifth of the season in the Premier League, making him the joint third highest scorer in the league alongside Liverpool‘s Luis Díaz. The pair are behind Manchester City‘s Erling Haaland and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer.
While Brentford are making a habit of starting fast, they have struggled to maintain their early dominance. Saturday’s draw means they have won just two of their seven league games this season.