West Ham survival fears grow after Brentford defeat

West Ham survival fears grow after Brentford defeat West Ham ’s fight for Premier League survival suffered a major setback as Brentford ran out convincing 3-0 winners at the Gtech Community Stadium. The Hammers knew victory would have moved them further clear of danger, but instead they remain nervously looking over their shoulders and could drop into the bottom three depending on other results. The Bees made the breakthrough after 15 minutes in fortunate fashion.

Keane Lewis-Potter ’s delivery caused problems inside the area and, after the ball struck the post, Konstantinos Mavropanos inadvertently turned it into his own net under pressure. The visitors responded well and were unlucky not to level. Taty Castellanos hit the woodwork twice during the first half, while Mavropanos thought he had atoned for his earlier mistake when he headed home, only for VAR to rule the goal out for offside.

The visitors continued to create chances, but Brentford punished them again early in the second period. El Hadji Malick Diouf brought down Dango Ouattara inside the area, allowing Igor Thiago to calmly convert from the penalty spot and double the hosts’ lead. West Ham still threatened, with Crysencio Summerville striking the crossbar, but their hopes were ended eight minutes from time when Mikkel Damsgaard fired low beyond Mads Hermansen to seal the points.

It was a badly needed win for Brentford, ending a poor recent run and keeping their hopes of European qualification alive. For West Ham, though, it was another damaging afternoon and the pressure is now firmly back on as the relegation battle intensifies. Incidents: The story of the match Brentford Official Line-ups: Caoimhin Kelleher, Michael Kayode, Nathan Collins, Sepp van den Berg, Mikkel Damsgaard, Yehor Yarmoliuk, Mathias Jensen, Kevin Schade, Dango Ouattara, Igor Thiago, Keane Lewis-Potter West Ham Official Line-ups: Mads Hermansen, Kyle Walker-Peters, Kostas Mavropanos, Axel Disasi, El Hadji Diouf, Tomás Soucek, Mateus Fernandes, Jarrod Bowen, Crys Summerville, Taty Castellanos, Pablo Felipe 1': The match begins 15': GOAL West Ham: Kostas Mavropanos (West Ham) socres an own goal!