.png)
4 hours ago
2
Perhaps it was inevitable that Brentford’s first away win of the season would come in the Premier League’s unhappiest and least intimidating ground.
The many West Ham fans who demonstrated their displeasure with the board by boycotting this fixture had the right idea. They could celebrate their decision not to subject themselves to an unspeakably abysmal performance from Nuno Espírito Santo’s muddled team. West Ham, who have started a league campaign with four successive defeats at home for the first time in their history, were awful in attack and saw further evidence that relegation will be the result without a major improvement in their defending.
The only positive for Nuno, who remains winless since replacing Graham Potter last month, was that it only finished 2-0. This was a deserved victory for Brentford, lifting them into 13th place, and another encouraging stride for Keith Andrews.
His gameplan worked to perfection. Igor Thiago opened the scoring at the end of a one-sided first half and West Ham were rooted in the bottom three once Mathias Jensen, the substitute, finished them off in added time.
The sight of row after row of empty seats was embarrassing for West Ham’s owners. The protest was noticeable, even with ticket prices dropping to as low as £15 in some areas, and illustrated the size of the task in front of Nuno. He has been diplomatic, saying it is up to him and his players to connect with a disgruntled fanbase, but this was his first taste of life at the London Stadium and it will have shown him that making the most of home advantage is not something that comes easily to West Ham.
It was eerily quiet during the opening stages, although perhaps the fans were too busy trying to work out Nuno’s starting lineup to make any noise. Using Ollie Scarles and Kyle Walker-Peters as underlapping full-backs was a surprise. West Ham’s plan was hard to figure out. Jean-Clair Todibo was brought out of cold storage to partner Max Kilman in central defence, Niclas Füllkrug’s latest layoff meant Lucas Paquetá was deployed as a false 9 and there was also a rare start in midfield for Andy Irving, who was making his home debut a mere 780 days after joining the club.
They were moves emblematic of an organisation without a strategy. West Ham were appalling during the first half – passive without the ball, uninspired when they had it – and should have been three goals down by the time Thiago finally stopped missing straightforward chances.
Brentford were the smarter, slicker side. Yehor Yarmolyuk, Jordan Henderson and Mikkel Damsgaard encountered little pressure as they took control in midfield. Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade were lively on the flanks. Thiago kept receiving the ball to feet, enabling him to work Brentford into inviting crossing positions.
Every delivery caused problems. Ouattara headed wide from a corner and saw another effort cleared off the line. Damsgaard drew a leaping save from Alphonse Areola. Thiago missed a sitter, volleying against the bar from close range, and was also denied by Areola.
Brentford remained patient and went ahead in the 43rd minute. Kilman, £40m badly spent, was culpable when he contrived not to deal with a lofted pass from Yarmolyuk. Schade nipped in and teed up Thiago, whose shot had enough power to squirm past Areola.
after newsletter promotion
The half-time boos were deserved. West Ham were fortunate it was only 1-0. Brentford thought they had a second when Thiago scored again, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. They had to be fearful that their profligacy would cost them.
West Ham adjusted for the second half, Nuno switching to a back three by bringing Konstantinos Mavropanos, El Hadji Malick Diouf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka on for Scarles, Walker-Peters and Mateus Fernandes. There was more urgency. Tomas Soucek had a shot blocked. Crysencio Summerville offered willing running on the left.
Yet Brentford still carried the bigger threat. Sepp van den Berg glanced wide from Damsgaard’s corner and West Ham enjoyed another escape when Michael Kayode crossed for the unmarked Schade to head against the bar.
Nuno responded by bringing Callum Marshall, the 20-year-old forward, on for Irving. Callum Wilson was an unused substitute for a third successive game under Nuno. There were boos when Guido Rodríguez, a defensive midfielder, replaced Soucek with 20 minutes left. Welcome to east London, Nuno. It’s too late to change your mind now.
