West Ham United's Premier League survival bid suffered a significant blow as they fell 3-0 to Brentford, missing a golden opportunity to apply pressure on 18th-placed Tottenham Hotspur. The defeat leaves West Ham two points above the relegation zone, with Tottenham having a game in hand against Aston Villa.
Costly Own Goal Sets the Tone
The match started disastrously for West Ham when Konstantinos Mavropanos scored an own goal in the early stages. A cross from Keane Lewis-Potter found Crysencio Summerville switched off at the far post, allowing Michael Kayode to charge in. Summerville reacted too late, and the ball bounced off the post. Kayode's determination forced a lunging Mavropanos to direct his desperate clearance against the bar and into the net.
West Ham were too open in a breathless first half. They created chances but lacked a cutting edge. Taty Castellanos hit the woodwork twice, drew a fine save from Caoimhín Kelleher, and missed a header wide. Jarrod Bowen was wasteful, and Pablo Felipe, yet to score since joining in January, was tentative with a shooting opportunity.
Second Half Collapse
The second half began with Castellanos crossing for Pablo to head wide. Brentford pushed forward, and there was no way back once Igor Thiago converted a penalty early in the second half. The penalty came after El Hadji Malick Diouf fouled Dango Ouattara. Nuno Espírito Santo lamented the decision: "He should avoid it," he said of the left-back's rash tackle.
West Ham grew ragged after the second goal. Castellanos, lucky not to be sent off for a foul on Lewis-Potter, had to be taken off. Pablo got away with a poor tackle. "There was a little bit of aggro," said Brentford manager Keith Andrews.
Brentford's Clinical Edge
Brentford were stronger in both areas. They were more clinical, and their aerial deliveries caused constant problems. Mikkel Damsgaard missed an open goal after a howler from West Ham goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, but the hosts made amends. The third goal arrived when Lewis-Potter found Damsgaard, who used Mateus Fernandes as a shield and threaded a low shot past the unsighted Hermansen.
Brentford moved up to sixth with the win, boosting their hopes of qualifying for Europe. They have an outside chance of sneaking into the Champions League. West Ham, meanwhile, face a nervous wait to see if Tottenham can win against Aston Villa and push them back into the bottom three with three games left.
"I cannot do anything," Nuno said, knowing he will be powerless to do more than hope for a favour. He was happy with elements of West Ham's performance but worried about their reaction to the penalty. "The second goal hurt us. We lost composure."
The defeat was West Ham's third in their last four London derbies against Brentford, who have won three of their past 16 such matches. All those victories have come against West Ham.
