EURO EXPLOITS HURTING HAMMERS
THE cracks are beginning to appear for David Moyes’ Hammers after they were stretched to breaking point by Brentford — and their congested schedule.
West Ham blew their chance to put themselves back in the top-four equation, failing to take advantage of slip-ups by Arsenal and Manchester United as they too fell to defeat against a side languishing in the bottom half of the table.
The midweek effort against Lyon, where they battled through the second half of their Europa League quarter-final with ten men, appeared to take its toll.
Kurt Zouma limping off during the first half with a twisted ankle was hardly ideal preparation for the return in France, especially with the backline already depleted by Aaron Cresswell’s suspension.
As for Thomas Frank’s Brentford, they will be a top-flight outfit next season after putting 12 points between themselves and the bottom three. Bryan Mbuemo fired home first from an Ivan Toney flick-on moments after the break. He later returned the favour, turning a cross back into the striker’s path to head home.
‘Maybe Thursday-Sunday caught up on us today,’ said Moyes. ‘We gave them a leg up. It was really shoddy from our point of view. We gave away two ridiculously bad goals.
‘If we could make European football again, it would be a great achievement. But we missed an opportunity to try to challenge again.’ The extra effort summoned against Lyon showed. Three minutes into the second half, Mbeumo finally struck. A throw-in from ex-Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer found Toney, who, with one flick of his boot, released Mbuemo in behind. He took it first time, fizzing the ball beyond Lukasz Fabianski.
Then came the moment that all but confirmed Brentford’s Premier League status. Christian Eriksen dispossessed Michail Antonio. Seconds later Rico Henry was sent charging down the left. A give-and-go with Yoane Wissa helped him reach the byline — and while his cross sailed over the head of Toney, Mbeumo met it with a cushioned volley to tee up the striker to head home.
‘It was close to being a complete performance,’ said Frank. ‘We more or less controlled the whole game.’