West Ham have given Tottenham a significant boost in the Premier League relegation fight after suffering a heavy 3-0 loss to Brentford in west London.
An own goal by Konstantinos Mavropanos, a second-half penalty converted by Igor Thiago, and a late finish from Mikkel Damsgaard secured a convincing win for Brentford. The result leaves West Ham just two points above Spurs, meaning Roberto De Zerbi’s team could move out of the relegation zone with a victory over Aston Villa on Sunday.
Despite generating plenty of chances, West Ham endured a frustrating match. They hit the woodwork three times, saw a goal ruled out by VAR, and failed to score from 13 shots on target, ending their three-game unbeaten run.
For Brentford, the win snapped a seven-match run without victory and strengthened their push for a European spot. They climbed to sixth place, now three points ahead of Chelsea before the Blues face Nottingham Forest on Monday.
The match started at a high tempo, with early opportunities for both sides. Dango Ouattara fired just wide within the opening minute, while Pablo forced a save from Caoimhin Kelleher after breaking through for West Ham.
Brentford went ahead in the 15th minute in fortunate circumstances. Michael Kayode hit the post from a cross by Keane Lewis-Potter, and the rebound deflected off Mavropanos into his own net. West Ham responded well and nearly equalized when Taty Castellanos struck the woodwork. They thought they had drawn level when Mavropanos headed in a free-kick from El Hadji Malick Diouf, but VAR ruled it out for offside.
Brentford had a big chance to extend their lead when Mads Hermansen was caught out of position after coming off his line, but Damsgaard missed an open goal.
Both teams continued to create chances. Thiago’s effort was easily saved by Hermansen, while Castellanos hit the woodwork again from Jarrod Bowen’s corner. Sepp van den Berg later headed just wide, and Castellanos forced another save from Kelleher with a powerful long-range shot.
The second half became less frantic, but Brentford increased their advantage through Thiago’s penalty after Diouf fouled Ouattara in the box. The striker calmly scored his 22nd league goal of the season.
West Ham’s struggles persisted as Crysencio Summerville hit the crossbar, before Damsgaard sealed the win late on with a composed low finish into the bottom corner.
