Brentford led 1-0 after a dominant first-half display that should have seen them 3-0 or 4-0 ahead, before the Bees hung on tight to beat West Ham 1-0 at London Stadium on Saturday.
WATCH – West Ham v Brentford full match replay
Kevin Schade got the game’s only goal in the 4th minute but he so nearly didn’t as Alphonso Areola thought he had made a mind-blowing triple-save to deny the German winger, only for the referee’s goal-decision watch to go off once the Hammers’ defense finally got the ball clear. Yoane Wissa put the ball in the back of the net twice as well, but both goals were ruled out for offside — the second narrowly, against Kristoffer Ajer — as the Bees were welcome to waltz right into the penalty area whenever they liked in the first half. A bit of a different story in the second half with West Ham turning the tables (10-3 shots in the second half, after 3-11 in the first), but still only amassing 0.61 xG for their efforts.
Brentford (34 points) remain 11th in the Premier League table, still three points behind Brighton for a place in the top half. West Ham (27 points) remain 16th, though there is a comfortable eight-point gap between them and 17th-place Wolves.
Teams are enjoying playing West Ham too much
The Hammers have the 8th-highest net transfer spend (negative $260 million) over the last three seasons, yet their finishes have been 14th and 9th, and they could very well finish the season in 16th where they are now if things don’t change quickly. Hiring Potter was a solid first step in the right direction, but it is abundantly clear that this project is going to take at least two or three transfer windows to rehab (just as is the case at Manchester United, under Ruben Amorim). Jarrod Bowen returning from injury hasn’t simply fixed everything, if you can believe it. Since winning Potter’s first game in charge, West Ham have taken just one point and have scored just two goals in the ensuing four games.
Player ratings - West Ham vs Brentford
What’s next?
- Leicester vs Brentford — Friday, 3 pm ET
- Arsenal vs West Ham — Saturday, 10 am ET
West Ham vs Brentford live updates - by Andy Edwards
West Ham vs Brentford final score: 0-1
Goalscorers: Kevin Schade (4')
OFFSIDE x2! Yoane Wissa scores twice, denied by VAR twice
Wissa was a full body width off on his first strike in the 24th minute, but it was Kristoffer Ajer who was narrowly offside in the build-up to his second cool finish in the 41st. Either way, it has been entirely too easy for Brentford to walk the ball into West Ham’s penalty area and fire easy shots on goal.
GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Brentford: Schade gets it over the line on his third try (4')
West Ham starting lineup
Areola - Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Kilman, Emerson - Alvarez, Soucek, Paqueta - Kudus, Soler, Bowen
Brentford starting lineup
Flekken - Ajer, Collins, Van den Berg, Lewis-Potter - Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard - Mbeumo, Schade, Wissa
How to watch West Ham vs Brentford live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10am ET Saturday
Venue: The London Stadium — East London
TV Channel: Peacock
Streaming: Premier League on Peacock
West Ham have lost two-of-three to slow Potter’s hopes of rising up the table into the rumble for European places, a loss at Potter’s former side Chelsea keeping the Irons as close to eighth as 18th.
Brentford’s season has flipped in the past month. Unbeatable at home and poor away from the Gtech Community Stadium for much of the early campaign, they’re now unbeaten in three away from home while struggling in front of their fans. Frank’s men have lost two of three in the Premier League and have just one win in all competitions since being surprised by visiting Plymouth Argyle in the League Cup. The Bees could use a win here, as they’ve dipped nine points back of the top seven.
West Ham United team news, focus
OUT: Niclas Fullkrug (hamstring), Michail Antonio (DETAILS), Jean-Clair Todibo (undisclosed), Crysencio Summerville (hamstring) | QUESTIONABLE: Lucas Paqueta (groin), Edson Alvarez (unknown)
Brentford team news, focus
OUT: Igor Thiago (knee), Aaron Hickey (thigh), Josh Dasilva (knee), Gustavo Nunes (back), Rico Henry (hamstring) | QUESTIONABLE: Mark Flekken (chest)
West Ham vs Brentford prediction
Jarrod Bowen’s health is a huge boon to the Irons, and it was no surprise to see him score against Chelsea. The Bees have such quality in their attacking unit, though, and you’d certainly expect a free-flowing game with chances enough for both teams to score in this derby. West Ham 2-1 Brentford.
