- West Ham lose 3-0 to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium
- The loss, combined with Tottenham Hotspur’s win, drops the Hammers into the bottom three
- Konstantinos Mavropanos had a goal disallowed
West Ham United’s bid to stay in the Premier League took a big blow as the team lost 3-0 to Brentford on Saturday.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s team travelled across London looking to keep their good form going but could not take their chance. Aided by mistakes at the back and some questionable calls, it was the home side who walked away with three points, keeping their European dream alive.
A positive start was washed away quickly as West Ham conceded an early own-goal before Igar Thiago netted a penalty and Mikel Damsgaard scored late on to give Brentford the win.
First-half
The first-half was full of action, with 16 total attempts and seven on target. West Ham would hit the woodwork twice in the opening period.
Brentford would find a lead inside 15 minutes. Keane Lewis-Potter’s right win cross was met by Michael Kayode. The ball hit the post, dropping onto the goal line. Konstantinos Mavropanos and Kayode both went for the ball, but the Hammers Greek defender could not stop it crossing the line.
To make Mavropanos’s day worse, he thought he had atoned for his error minutes later, only for it to be chalked off. The 28-year-old turned home El Hadji Malick Diouf’s cross but VAR stated his left shoulder was offside.
Valentin Castellanos would have a number of chances in the first-half, seeing two efforts hit the frame of the goal. Pablo would also go close, latching onto a Diouf pass but could not beat Caoimhin Kelleher.
Down the other end, Brentford had plenty of chances too. Thiago curled off-target from 30 yards but before Damsgaard shot just wide from close-range. Mads Hermansen stopped a number of efforts after to make sure the Hammers wen it at the break just one goal down.
Second-half
Whilst the first-half showed any team could win this game, the second was well and truly about the home team.
Brentford won a penalty nine minutes after the break as Diouf caught Dango Ouattara. Thiago would make no mistake from the spot.
As the Bees looked for the killer blow, tensions frayed as both Castellanos and Crysencio Summerville were booked for late tackles.
Nuno would send on Callum Wilson, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Adama Traore but as West Ham pushed for a goal that could kickstart a come back, they left too much space in behind.
Damsgaard was given too much space and time and drove his shot past Hermansen to complete the host’s win.
The Hammers have three games left to find enough points to stay in the Premier League this season.
Teams
Brentford: Kelleher, Kayode, van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter (Hickey 90), Jensen, Yarmoliuk, Ouattara (Furo 90), Damsgaard (Dasilva 90), Schade (Ajer 80), Thiago
Subs not used: Valdimarsson (GK), Pinnock, Janelt, Donovan, Nelson
Goal: Mavropanos 15 (og), Thiago 54 (pen), Damsgaard 83
Booked: Kayode
West Ham United: Hermansen, Walker-Peters (Wan-Bissaka 65), Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf (Adama 74), Fernandes, Souček, Bowen (Magassa 87), Summerville (Scarles 87), Pablo, Taty (Wilson 65)
Subs not used: Areola (GK), Todibo, Kanté, Lamadrid
Booked: Taty, Summerville, Scarles
Referee: Craig Pawson
Attendance: 17,19
