West Ham United’s terrible early season is getting worse as Brentford dominated the proceedings in a 2-0 London derby win at the London Stadium on Monday.
Igor Thiago and Mathias Jensen scored as Keith Andrews’ Bees did everything but put up a big number in securing their first away points of the Premier League season.
WATCH -– West Ham v Brentford full match replay
Ironically, Nuno Espirito Santo’s Hammers haven’t won any points at home this season, as the team has not improved following the firing of Graham Potter late last month.
West Ham had three points through five games under Potter, and that 0.60 points-per-game looks gaudy compared to the 0.33 through three contests under Nuno.
The Irons have now lost their first four home games of a Premier League season for the first time in their history.
Dreadful West Ham low on quality and confidence
Every area of the team let West Ham United down on Monday, a fitting display given the substandard nature of the roster’s construction. Alphonse Areola was decent in goal and there were brief flashes from Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, and Crysencio Summerville, but they were oh-so-brief. West Ham are missing leaders right now, as there wasn’t much out there despite Tomas Soucek’s best efforts. With apologies to Brentford, West Ham weren’t playing 2008-09 Barcelona here but at times they looked downright bamboozled by the Bees. The ceiling for this team might be 16th or 17th, and the floor right now is relegation. With Leeds and Burnley in their next three PL matches, they could be multiple wins from safety by the November break. It’s bleak.
Troops rallied as Brentford tempt the optimists
Sales of Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, and Christian Norgaard rightfully worried pundits and fans alike, as Brentford were among those discussed as relegation candidates prior to the season. Keith Andrews has only improved the Bees since a poor start saw them lose away to Forest and Sunderland. Since September 13, Andrews has overseen a draw with Chelsea, a win over Man United, a 1-0 defeat vs Man City, and now a convincing win. There’s a lot of work to do, but these three points directly hurt a possible bottom-half rival. And there’s a chance they are just the tip of the ice berg as Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade, and Michael Kayode stand out amongst a bunch of buzzing Bees.
What’s next?
West Ham go to Leeds in a must-win at 3pm ET Friday, while Brentford host Liverpool at 3pm Saturday.
How to watch West Ham vs Brentford live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Monday
Venue: London Stadium — Stratford, London
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Live online via NBC.com
West Ham vs Brentford final score: 0-2
Igor Thiago 43', Mathias Jensen 90+4'
Mathias Jensen goal — West Ham 0-2 Brentford
A fine finish in stoppage time gives the Bees a score line more befitting their dominance of woeful West Ham.
Konstantinos Mavropanos injury
West Ham will finish with 10 men after using all their sub windows prior to the center back’s apparent muscular injury.
Mavropanos needs a cart to get to the locker room. Not great.
Subs including Brentford’s first two
Guido Rodriguez’s entry for Tomas Soucek makes it five subs before Brentford make one.
And then it’s two moves in the 75th, with Vitaly Janelt and Keane Lewis-Potter entering for Ouattara and Damsgaard.
Another cross bar
Kayode’s slick cut allows him to chip a pass toward the spot and Schade’s header dings the bar.
Will the dominant Bees come to rue their failure to land a second goal?
West Ham sub
And now Irving comes off at the hour mark for 20-year-old Callum Marshall.
Nuno agrees with us
Three new defenders enter the fray with Malick Diouf, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Konstantinos Mavropanos on the pitch to take the places of Scarles, Walker-Peters, and Mateus Fernandes.
That’ll reshape the back four into a back three or five as Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo remain in the game.
Halftime — West Ham 0-1 Brentford
The Irons were awful that half, out-attempted 15-3 and producing just 0.08 xG while conceding 1.43 to the Bees.
Nuno Espirito Santo may’ve outthought his team. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Malick Diouf were left on the bench for defense-optional Kyle Walker-Peters and Oliver Scarles. He’s also left big signing Soungoutou Magassa out for Andy Irving.
Andrews is getting it all right for Brentford, who have had no passengers in a brilliant 45 minutes. They should be up two or three goals.
Igor Thiago goal overruled despite no automated tech
A would-be sixth Premier League goal of the season for Igor Thiago, this one coming seven minutes into first-half stoppage time.
But is he offside way in the build-up?
There’s no semi-automated offside technology due to near-worldwide tech outages and this is very tight.
Thiago’s heel is just behind Todibo’s when the first ball is played toward the Bees back line, negating his decent finish of Mikkel Damsgaard’s incisive through ball.
Caoimhín Kelleher save!
West Ham might’ve forgotten they had attackers but they were reminded in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Jarrod Bowen has had a few moments, to be fair, and this one is his best as he forces a diving save from Caoimhín Kelleher in the fifth of six minutes’ stoppage.
Igor Thiago goal — West Ham 0-1 Brentford
Well-earned by the Bees and their goal scorer, who races to the technical area to put a bear hug on Keith Andrews.
Jean-Clair Todibo is somehow 1v2 with Kevin Schade and Igor Thiago, and the former squares to the latter.
West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola gets a paw on Thiago’s hard shot by close range, but it has enough muster to continue over the line on a few bounces.
West Ham haven’t learned set piece defense
Dango Ouattara nearly thuds home a back post header off a corner kick, and Nuno Espirito Santo is yet to fix a problem that plagued Graham Potters’ Irons.
Igor Thiago causing problems
Brentford’s striker should’ve scored from close range but he was having his shirt-pulled and pushed a Dango Ouattara cross over the bar.
He then has a shot blocked and sets up another chance.
The Bees win a corner and another as Ouattara’s header glances off a leaping Jarrod Bowen on the end line.
0-0, 34'
Tomas Soucek injury
The Irons’ Czech midfielder is getting the full boxing cutperson’s treatment after taking a hard shot to the ice, opening up a gash.
It’s caused a long pause and Soucek must leave the pitch before the game can restart.
It’s 0-0 after 23 minutes, and the injury is the most notable single moment in a stanza that has not included much attacking joy.
West Ham lineup
Areola, Scarles, Kilman, Todibo, Walker-Peters, Soucek, Fernandes, Irving, Paqueta, Summerville, Bowen
Brentford lineup
Kelleher, Ajer, Van den Berg, Collins, Kayode, Henderson, Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard, Schade, Thiago, Ouattara
West Ham United team news, focus
OUT: George Earthy (thigh) | QUESTIONABLE: Niclas Fullkrug (thigh)
Brentford team news, focus
OUT: Gustavo Nunes (thigh), Antoni Milambo (knee), Paris Maghoma (thigh) | QUESTIONABLE: Aaron Hickey (knee)
West Ham vs Brentford preview
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Irons enter Week 8 in 19th place with four points and the Premier League’s worst goal differential. They could emerge from the relegation zone with a win, igniting his new project following last month’s sacking of Graham Potter.
Keith Andrews’ tenure as manager of the Bees isn’t much longer than Nuno’s time at West Ham, but Andrews spent plenty of time around longtime Brentford boss Thomas Frank and has been navigating the departures of Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo, and Christian Norgaard with peaks and valleys.
Brentford boasts home wins over Aston Villa and Manchester United but have lost away to Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, and Fulham and need to find a way to shake the away day blues against bottom-half sides.
West Ham vs Brentford prediction
This really feels like a toss-up. Both teams have difference makers as Brentford’s seen some good early returns from Igor Thiago while the Irons have Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta. Could Malick Diouf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s service further trouble the Bees? Maybe, but it feels safer to see weaknesses in both sides as a path to level footing. West Ham 1-1 Brentford.
