Premier LeagueWest Ham United 0-2 Brentford
Saturday, 18th October 2025
by Chris WIlkerson | Forum match thread
It was somehow only 2-0 to Brentford this evening at the London Stadium, as The Bees battered West Ham from start to finish in a performance so bad from the home side that you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d joined the boycott themselves.
With a manager making bizarre and highly questionable decisions with his line-up and substitutions, players out of form and devoid of energy, and empty seats standing out across the ground, this may have been the unhappiest single match since The Hammers were forced into this athletics arena. The London Stadium now has the honour of being our home as the side succumbed to four home defeats to start the season, for the first time in the club's history.There was not a single performance that passed anything but poor in claret and blue, and Brentford controlled almost every minute. They should have been out of sight by half-time, and it's hard to think of a game where a team has beaten an opponent so completely to only win by two.
If you were under any illusions that things were picking up under a new manager, this game crashed realism through your front door. It was made worse by the confusing decisions of the manager, who has taken a look at this squad and come to conclusions that are hard to fathom.
He made five changes to the team that surrendered to Arsenal two weeks prior. Soucek, Walker-Peters, Scarles, Todibo and Irving came in, with Paqueta moved up front in Fullkrug's absence.
It was a shock to see many of those names, with Todibo not named in a squad under this manager until a sudden start here - and in the place of Mavropanos against a side renowned for their aerial prowess - along with Scarles and Walker-Peters playing on the opposite flanks to normal.
None of those changes paid off. Brentford are a threat with deliveries into the box, yet this was a game where Mavropanos was left watching Todibo. The Greek defender came on at half-time, but succumbed to injury in the last five minutes to leave The Hammers with ten-men after all substitutions had been made.
There truly was nothing to hold onto, no glimmer of positivity to offer any hope. With a game against Leeds coming on Friday, the torment comes thick and fast.
West Ham were atrocious, as bad as they have been for many years. In midfield, Yarmoliuk and Henderson completely controlled the game, and found themselves basically unchallenged by any of the many combinations that the home side sacrificed to the abyss of their midfield.
The smallest of hopes came from the empty seats that clustered around the ground, with more in the higher expanses. Whilst they were not in large swathes, the shining white seats of fans who had stood by the boycott made an impact on TV screens across the globe, and forced TV and print media to discuss the failing ownership and the angry fanbase. While some may have hoped for more, the goal to keep the pressure on through outside attention was met.
The team put out a performance that may convince more to miss the next boycott, and it is unlikely the club will choose to make every home game Kids for a Quid in the future. Hammers United and other fan groups will be hoping to strike whilst the iron is hot.
The Irons, on the other hand, looked a cold and tired group of strangers, contrasting starkly with the hardworking unit that Keith Andrews has managed to keep together and maintain despite numerous important departures over the summer. As Jordan Henderson, the much-maligned England international, ran the midfield against a collection of misfits in West Ham colours, it only emphasised just how badly the ship is being helmed in East London.
A quick start for West Ham saw them win a corner within the first minute, and that is arguably where they peaked. As watching fans slowly worked out that Scarles was on the right and Walker-Peters the left, it became clear the side was confused from top-to-bottom.
After 15 relatively open, end-to-end minutes, Brentford realised they were against a very bad team and promptly took complete control of the game, in a way that never relented. They should have been confident; Brentford have a better record against West Ham than they do any other Premier League side, with now seven wins and only one defeat.
Once the weapon of right back Kayode's long throws appeared and threatened, Brentford began to bully the weak and meek Hammers. Brazilian striker Thiago could have scored as the ball rebounded towards goal, only for Kilman to put his head where it hurts, taking a boot to the face to stop Thiago poking Brentford into the lead. Up the other end, Bowen found a bit of space in the box after a Paqueta pass, but sliced his effort so wide that it went off for a throw.
The pressure started to build for the away side. Soucek was left bloodied challenging for a header in the box, and arguably justified his return to the side on headers alone, winning more than any defender, only matched by Paqueta on four.
On the half-hour mark, Thiago should have given his side the lead they deserved. A short throw was passed back to Kayode on the right wing, and the full back was left to pick out his cross under no pressure from a West Ham player. Ouattara won the flick on, and it dropped to the far post for Thiago in space, but the Brazilian volleyed against the woodwork when he should have scored from only six yards out.
The confused Hammers gave the ball away from the goal kick, with bodies thrown in desperation in front of shots heading for goal before Areola made a good clawing save to stretch and keep out a header. Ouattara then nearly scored from the resulting corner, left unmarked at the far post to loop the ball back across goal, only for Bowen to head it wide as he stood marshalling the post.
It was 35 minutes in and Brentford had had 13 shots. West Ham were still on one. They were unrelenting, Ouattara again coming close when he should have done better, this time attacking a corner from 12 yards out having lost Scarles, only to power down and wide when free.
Eventually, and with a minute left in regulation time, Brentford got the lead they had deserved for half an hour. A pass from defence into deep midfield was then fired forward. Kilman lost the bounce of it and let out a flailing leg to try block its path, but was beaten by Schade. The forward gathered it under control and then squared to Thiago in the box, both behind the defence.
Walker-Peters rushed back to defend the line, and the shot from the striker was blocked by Areola, only for the Frenchman to see it bounce off one hand, into the other, and then spiral into the back of the net, bouncing across to the far side of goal with Walker-Peters on the other side and unable to recover, turn and get to it.
Bowen forced a good save from Kelleher out of nothing in stoppage time, rescuing a bad Scarles pass to combine with Soucek, before firing low into the far corner from just outside the box, but the Irish goalkeeper saved comfortably enough to tip it around the post.
At this point, it was 15 shots to two, but into the 52nd minute, Brentford looked like they had doubled their lead to go into the break. A high ball towards the West Ham backline was headed away by Todibo, but headed down to Damsgaard. The Dane rolled it through the gap and Thiago was in, dinking it over Areola as the ?EUR~keeper rushed out low to smother and into the far corner.
Thankfully for West Ham, the long ball forward that Thiago had contested, however mildly, caught him in an offside position, the dangling of half a boot enough to chalk off a second goal for him and his side. Unsurprisingly, the boos came as the whistle was blown, and maybe at this moment it was a blessed relief that 20,000 more had not walked through the turnstiles to deafen with their frustration.
Nuno had to react, and he made three logical decisions to try get his side back on track. Wan-Bissaka and Diouf were brought on, and allowed to play on their natural sides, as well as Mavropanos coming on for Fernandes, leaving West Ham with a back five. More importantly, it left a West Ham midfield with two in the centre, meaning more ground to cover and more spaces through the centre.
With Fernandes, the only midfielder with a bit of pace and mobility, taken off, the new manager went into the second half with Irving and Soucek to do the hard work. Having been outplayed in midfield in the first half, you could question how this might help any progress into the second.
The question was answered in a second half in which Jordan Henderson was honoured with the freedom of the London Stadium, left to wander around unchecked and unbothered, free to play however he pleased. Brentford had complete control and West Ham had no fight to give.
Van Den Berg should have doubled the lead on the hour, heading wide from eight yards when unmarked. Schade hit the bar, powering a header from six yards into the woodwork after Kayode turned Diouf inside out before crossing.
Marshall had replaced Irving by this point, the young striker left to run around gamely up front as Paqueta went into midfield, and it was a sad sight to see. A small figure, Marshall is now getting more minutes for West Ham than at international level with Northern Ireland, and is not physically ready to lead the line for a Premier League team that demands its striker to try bully defenders and create space for Bowen.
The message that sent to Callum Wilson on the bench felt clear, again passed over for the inexperienced academy graduate. But when Guido Rodriguez replaced Soucek with 20 minutes to go, a substitution rightly booed by those home fans remaining, you had to wonder how far down the manager's thinking that Wilson is.
To Nuno's credit, his changes at the break had turned West Ham from abject to just plain bad, so the improvement was there. It's just a low bar. The worry, beyond just the poor performance, was that the manager had had the international break with most of his squad and decided this was the answer.
Yes, many had travelled, and the game on Friday means the players need to have their fitness managed. But inverted full backs, Andy Irving and a recall for Todibo were all painfully detrimental changes. If we're already at the time where we throw whatever in and hope something sticks, three games into his spell, what is left to come?
Bowen had half a chance, dutifully blazed over on his right, and the captain looked broken. Clearly tired, clearly hurting as he leads a side this poor, the England international beat the ground in frustration and looked a beaten man. This is likely his last shot at making a World Cup squad, and he's wasting it trying to lift up a team of morons and misfits.
Brentford began to look a little uncomfortable in the final 20 minutes, aware that even the worst of sides could nick a late goal at home and take an undeserved point. But West Ham had nothing in the tank, and as Mavropanos pulled up with an injury and was forced to go off, leaving The Hammers with 10-men, it was only right that they were the ones to score in stoppage time, taking a 2-0 win that flattered their pathetic hosts.
A freekick for offside was punted down the line by Kelleher. Lewis-Potter won it, taking it down and into the box before cutting back to Jensen, who stood 12 yards out and in acres of space. The midfielder buried it with ease and Brentford celebrated with a touch of relief that the three points they deserved were going across London with them.
Nuno later said the fan unrest didn't help his players, but he might want to look closer to home. His stock will plummet with this team if there are many more performances like this. If you boycotted it well enough to not watch at all, I would suggest ignoring any highlights. This was arguably the worst West Ham performance of the Premier League era, and that's a tough list to top.
Manager's Rating
Nuno Espirito Santo: 1/10 A tremendously bad performance. Had this been at Forest, people would have assumed he was trying to get the sack. Inverted full backs, Irving and Todibo starting, a laboured midfield playing in a two to chase the game, the back three, bringing on Guido. The whole thing was a mess, and much of it was created by a manager who looked desperate and confused, and this was his home debut. Hard to think of a manager doing so badly in one game.
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Click to view all West Ham United vs Brentford match reports Click to view all match reports by Chris WIlkerson Like to share your thoughts on this article? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.Player Ratings
Alphonse AreolaThe only one to come out of this game without looking completely awful. A couple solid saves, a touch unlucky on the first goal, nothing he could do on the second.
Ollie Scarles
Looked lost and confused at right back. Very hard on the young lad, who isn't really a left back, yet was forced onto the right.
Kyle Walker-Peters
Usually a safe bet with the ball, but looked far less secure on the left.
Jean-Clair Todibo
Lost the battles with Thiago and was, overall, a very odd choice to play against a team like Brentford, who are basically everything he struggles with.
Max Kilman
One brave header saved a goal, but was then ruined by how hapless he looked dealing with Thiago. That first goal should not have happened, he was there to stop the ball through and missed it.
Andy Irving
He can play a nice pass, especially given time. But you don't get much of that in the Premier League, certainly not in areas where you can do anything important with it. He has none of the hustle, physicality, stamina or running to make a dent in the current Premier League. The experiment failed.
Mateus Fernandes
He could not get into the game, probably a part of playing between Soucek and Irving, who are far from his level on the ball, and whilst not good, he had to stay on if it was to become a two-man midfield, he's the only player capable of doing the running required.
Tomas Soucek
Gets a higher mark as he won headers and took the pressure off the defence with that, but he is losing the ball too often, and looks left behind by the changes in the Premier League in recent years, where stamina and power in the middle are aligned with touch and guile, of which Tommy has neither.
Crysencio Summerville
Looks deceive with Summerville. He does some excellent dribbling and can slink through players, but offers very little in terms of end product.
Lucas Paqueta
He tried, but he's not really cut out to lead the line in a team this bad. It's the job for someone like Antonio, a thankless task less about talent than grit.
Jarrod Bowen
The only one who offered something akin to a threat, but he was poor and looked tired. He is putting everything he has into making that World Cup squad, then comes back to a poisoned club where he is the only hope.
Substitutes
Aaron Wan-Bissaka(Scarles 46') Offered more than Scarles, but didn't offer much.
El Hadji Malick Diouf
(Walker-Peters 46') Failed to impress, or really offer much going forward considering he was a wing back.
Konstantinos Mavropanos
(Fernandes 46') The defence and team improved for his presence.
Callum Marshall
(Irving 60') A thankless task for a young forward, he could not make any impact.
Guido Rodriguez
(Soucek 70') Why? Why even bother?
Mads Hermansen
Did not play.
Freddie Potts
Did not play.
Soungoutou Magassa
Did not play.
Callum Wilson
Did not play.
Match Facts
West Ham United: Alphonse Areola, Ollie Scarles, Kyle Walker-Peters, Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, Andy Irving, Mateus Fernandes, Tomas Soucek, Crysencio Summerville, Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen.Goals: None.
Booked: Crysencio Summerville 0 .
Sent Off: None sent off. .
Brentford: Kelleher, Yarmoliuk, Van Den Berg, Collins (c), Ajer, Kayode, Damsgaard (Janelt 75), Henderson (Jensen 90+3), Ouattara (Lewis-Potter 76), Thiago, Schade.
Subs not used: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Carvalho, Onyeka, Nelson.
Goals: Thiago (43), Jensen (90+4).
Booked: Henderson.
Sent off: None.
Referee: Andrew Madley.
Attendance: 40,000.
Man of the Match: .