West Ham’s Premier League survival hopes have taken a blow after defeat to Brentford.
The defeat leaves West Ham two points above the relegation zone. They will drop into the bottom three if Tottenham beat Aston Villa on Sunday.
Bees Sting Hammers at Home
West Ham’s Premier League survival hopes were dealt a major blow as Brentford reignited their European prospects with victory at Gtech Community Stadium.
An own goal from Konstantinos Mavropanos and strikes from Igor Thiago and Mikkel Damsgaard condemned the Hammers to a heavy defeat which leaves them only two points above Spurs, who have a game in hand.
Brentford moved up to sixth, a point ahead of Brighton.
Own Goal Opens the Floodgates
The Bees took the lead when Mavropanos beat Michael Kayode to a loose ball inside the penalty area but prodded it off the crossbar and over his own goalline.
Both teams went close in a frantic spell following the opener, with West Ham striker Valentin Castellanos striking the foot of a post before Mavropanos’ header from El Hadji Malick Diouf’s free-kick was ruled out for offside.
Damsgaard should have capitalised on a poor Mads Hermansen clearance to double the lead, while Brentford top scorer Thiago sent a tame effort straight into the arms of the West Ham keeper moments later.
Castellanos struck the woodwork again with a header from a Jarrod Bowen corner, but West Ham had Hermansen to thank for keeping the score at 1-0 with a superb stop from Keane Lewis-Potter’s close-range effort late in the first half.
Second Half Seals West Ham’s Fate
The Hammers’ hopes of finding a route back into the contest were dealt a blow when Diouf scythed down Dango Ouattara on the edge of the penalty area early in the second half.
Tiago sent Hermansen the wrong way from the spot for his 26th goal of the season in all competitions.
Crysencio Summerville rattled the Brentford crossbar late on with a curling drive from the edge of the area, but West Ham’s misery was compounded when Damsgaard slid home a late third.
Hammers Offered Attacking Threat
West Ham offered enough as an attacking force against Brentford to suggest they can avoid relegation, but their naive defending could prove costly.
While Mavropanos was unfortunate to see his attempted clearance go into his own net, a rush of blood to Hermansen’s head could easily have resulted in Brentford’s second.
Diouf’s rash challenge on Ouattara gifted Brentford another opportunity to double their advantage. He was nowhere near getting a touch on the ball, and whether he needed to slide i