Key events
47 mins: I think that means a switch to a back three, with Diouf and Wan-Bissaka acting as wing-backs. The new setup immediately has to deal with a long throw/corner combo, and does so unconvincingly.
Second half
Three half-time changes from Nuno, and all three new arrivals are defenders. Diouf, Wan-Bissaka and Mavropanos on; Scarles, Fernandes and Walker-Peters off.
“God that was poor,” writes Ian Sergeant, who is lucky enough to be at the ground tonight. “The inverted second-choice full-backs aren’t working. Paqueta is no more a No 9 than I am. This is grim. Will it get worse?” Maybe!
“At least the West Ham fans boycotting the match aren’t missing much,” notes Kari Tulinius. “I find it odd just how bad the Irons have been so far this season. They weren’t good last season, but they didn’t play with the defensive cohesion of kindergartners on a sugar high. Mind you, there’s enough talented players in the squad to nick a goal or two.”
Another question for you. If Nuno checks his phone at half time and sees a missed call from Evangelos Marinakis, what’s he going to do?
“I know we’re not even a quarter of the way into the season, but it already looks like West Ham (and Wolves) have booked their relegation spots,” writes Richard Warwick. “If one of the top clubs come sniffing with a decent lump of cash in January, would Bowen and/or Paqueta jump ship?”
Half time: West Ham 0-1 Brentford
And with that tiny crumb of comfort in his pocket, Nuno heads down the tunnel. Brentford have been really good, West Ham have been rubbish, and could easily have been further behind. But they’re not, so there’s still hope.
NO GOAL! Thiago is offside
A mighty reprieve for the hosts as Thiago is ruled offside by VAR. No semi-automated technology tonight – it’s not working – so the much-loved red and green lines are back.
GOAL?
Thiago nods a long ball back to Damsgaard, who splits the West Ham centre-backs with a through ball, allowing Thiago to lift the ball over Areola for his second goal of the night. But wait – there’s an offside check …
50 mins: The corner is half-cleared, and Summerville’s attempted ball back in goes beyond everyone. Still, at least they’re only 1-0 down, right. Right?!
49 mins: Ooof! Easily West Ham’s best chance of the half as Bowen goes for goal and forces a strong save from Kelleher, down to his right.
47 mins: West Ham will at least have to be more ambitious in the second half, and they are a little more positive here. Bowen is brought down by Ajer, but no free kick is forthcoming.
44 mins: There was a handball check on Schade, but it’s cleared by the VAR. There’ll be six minutes of added time, and West Ham will do well to go in just one goal behind.
GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Brentford (Thiago 42′)
A long ball up to Schade has West Ham all over the place, Kilman kicking at thin air, and despite losing the ball briefly, Schade is able to square it to Thiago. Areola gets a good hand to his shot, but it loops meekly into the far corner.
42 mins: Another corner fizzes across goal, Thiago again half an inch from nodding it home. But never mind …
40 mins: This long series of set-piece tests continues with another long throw. It’s cleared as far as Yarmoluk, whose attempted shot is so bad, he ends up trapping the ball.
39 mins: Ajer, playing as a makeshift left-back, wins a corner off Ollie Scarles. The cross is right on Ouattara’s head with West Ham defenders static, but he can’t steer his header on goal.
On boycotts, Tim Stappard says: “Owners don’t care about their fans at all, and you can no longer really hurt them financially. They’d rather have tourists in anyway, not season ticket holders who don’t buy anything from the store.”
37 mins: Bowen breaks away at speed but is let down by a lack of options around him.
36 mins: Todibo gets across well to dispossess Ouattara, but concedes a throw in. This time, Paqueta is there to thunk it away at the near post.
34 mins: Summerville scraps at Collins’ heels as the Brentford defender tries to shepherd it out, and he’s penalised. Still, the ball briefly left the West Ham half.
32 mins: Thiago has another chance with a header which Walker-Peters blocks at the near post, and another penalty box scramble sees Ouattara’s flick spin just wide of goal. I’m not sure how Brentford haven’t scored yet.
31 mins: Brentford are going for the jugular here, West Ham so disorganised they allow Mikel Damsgaard a free header, which Areola does well to tip away.
30 mins: Brentford hit the bar! Kayode’s throw is flicked on by Ouattara to Thiago, five yards out – who somehow steers his volley onto the crossbar! It looked easier to score.
29 mins: Ouattara’s shot is deflected behind for a corner, which is cleared for a throw in. No, that’s worse!
28 mins: West Ham do get a chance to break and Summerville bursts down the middle, chased by Yarmoluk. He goes down in the area, but the referee waves play on. There was contact, but it was initiated by the West Ham winger as he went to ground.
27 mins: It feels like Brentford are tightening their grip on this game, with West Ham largely sitting back as their opponents ping the ball around.
26 mins: Outtara gets to the byline and hooks the ball in. It’s behind off Soucek for a corner which the hosts clear, more through luck than judgement.
24 mins: Nathan Collins gets to the ball first, but can’t keep his header down. Brentford, by the way, are in their third kit – which I’ll say is a very pale blue with peach and burgundy trim. It’s quite nice.
23 mins: West Ham briefly down to 10 as Soucek hobbles off, but he’s quickly back to defend a Brentford free kick …
22 mins: Soucek is down receiving treatment, allowing Nuno to have a word with his attacking players.
21 mins: West Ham were utterly incapable of defending at set pieces under Graham Potter, so these long throws from Kayode are a welcome test for Nuno. The latest one has Areola flapping, but they just about deal with it.
20 mins: Schade gets in a tangle with Scarles in the area and appeals for a penalty, but there’s nothing doing.
19 mins: A first half-chance for the hosts as Todibo nicks the ball from Damsgaard and finds Paqueta, in the false nine position. He flicks a pass to Bowen, whose hopeful effort across goal looked closer than it was on first viewing.
18 mins: Todibo hoofs it out for a throw-in, and signals to his fellow defenders to get ready. Kayode heaves it in and the ball ricochets to Thiago. The big striker can’t hook his shot on target, and is penalised for a high boot anyway.
16 mins: Both of these teams are set up to play on the break, but you can’t counterattack until someone attacks. Brentford have had more of the ball but it’s all a bit ponderous at the moment.
14 mins: Thiago holds the ball up well and finds Kayode, whose swinging cross almost connects with Schade. The visitors probably shading the first 15 minutes here.
“I understand and support the boycott,” says Mary Waltz. “But it will only work if they keep it going all season. Owners don’t give a toss about what people like us think, unless we hurt their pocket. Then they listen.”
12 mins: Henderson looks for Schade with a long ball, but the reshuffled West Ham back line deal with it.
10 mins: Collins is caught on the ball and Fernandes suddenly has options – but opts to shoot rather than play it wide. His effort deflects behind, and the corner is cleared.
8 mins: Schade continues to offer nuisance value but can’t quite steer a looping header inside the far post.
6 mins: From pitchside, there are clearly a few patches of empty seats around the stadium. The atmosphere also feels pretty flat after a rousing start.
4 mins: Brentford look to hit on the break but Schade’s shot from a tight angle only ripples the side netting. A worry for the visitors, though, as long-throw machine Michael Kayode is down holding his knee.
3 mins: Irving then trots across to take the third corner from the other side, and this time Brentford get the ball clear.
2 mins: Irving takes the first corner, which is cleared for a second. His delivery looks to be looping beyond the far post, but Schade nods it behind just to be sure.
1 min: An early sign of intent from West Ham, with Summerville galloping down the right and earning a corner.
First half
Both sets of players take the knee before Andy Madley gets the game under way.
Here we go! The players are out at the London Stadium, which looks pretty full to me. Can the hosts deliver a first home win here since February?
“This could be fun,” writes Jeremy Boyce. “Nuno will surely get more of a tune out of the Hammers in the 10 days he’s had than Potter could have done in 10 years. Keith Andrews’ ‘pace and chaos’ could be the perfect foil for Nuno’s thoughtful approach. As a Leeds fan I’m already worrying about Friday night at Fortress (?) Elland and how Nuno will unpick us. 2-1 Hammers tonight.”
More on that planned boycott, led by fan group Hammers United. They’ve called for fans to stay away tonight, in protest at the club hierarchy. “West Ham was built by working people who stood up for what’s right,” Andy McConnell, joint secretary of Hammers United, told the Evening Standard. “Boycotting this game is a stand in that same tradition — not against the players, but against years of incompetence and broken promises from the very top.”
“We have good options and solutions, starting and on the bench” Nuno tells Sky. “It’s a great chance for us to connect with our fans,” he says, and brushes off concerns over a potential fan boycott tonight.
On Brentford, he adds: “a very good team, same threat as under Thomas Frank, very dangerous on set pieces.” And will Bowen lead the line? “You’ll find out in an hour!” He seems in a good mood, at least.
Brentford’s last away game – a 3-1 defeat to Fulham – was exactly a month ago, and since then they’ve beaten Manchester United and lost to City at home. Appearing on Monday Night Football, Keith Andrews reveals he is going with three up top, having largely used a 5-3-2 setup in recent games. He also plans to continue embracing pace and chaos, telling Sky “we handle it better than a lot of other teams”.
Nuno has sprung some surprises in that line-up, with youngster Ollie Scarles in at left-back and Andy Irving making just his second Premier League start. With Niclas Füllkrug injured, it’s unclear who will start as centre-forward – my best guess would be Jarrod Bowen, but Summerville and Paquetá can also step in to that role.
Team news
West Ham (4-3-3): Areola; Walker-Peters, Todibo, Kilman, Scarles; Irving, Soucek, Fernandes; Summerville, Bowen (c), Lucas Paquetá.
Subs: Hermansen, Wilson, Diouf, Mavropanos, Rodríguez, Magassa, Wan-Bissaka, Potts, Marshall.
Brentford (4-3-3): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins (c), Van den Berg, Ajer; Henderson, Yarmolyuk, Damsgaard; Ouattara, Schade, Thiago.
Subs: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Nelson, Carvalho, Onyeka, Lewis-Potter, Janelt.
Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire)
Catch up with the weekend’s key Premier League moments here:
Preamble
Welcome to the Nuno Zone. West Ham, the team currently managed by Nuno Espírito Santo, kick off here 19th in the table, sandwiched between two other clubs he previously managed – Wolves and Nottingham Forest, where the wheels have fallen off spectacularly since he left just under six weeks ago.
Nuno might still look like the man who walked away unscathed from an escalating bin fire, but West Ham’s next four games might be crucial if he is to do what everyone expects and carry them clear of danger in a sensible fashion. They face four of the five teams immediately above the Nuno Zone with a trip to Leeds before home assignments against Newcastle and Burnley.
Turning around West Ham’s awful home form is top of Nuno’s to-do list: almost a month into his tenure, this is his first game in charge at the London Stadium. Tonight’s opponents at least have an equally poor away record – no points from three games, including a defeat to Nuno’s Forest in the distant fog of August.
Head-to-head form is very much in Brentford’s favour, though: in eight Premier League meetings, West Ham have won just once. Keith Andrews’ side will also sense a chance to move away from danger tonight. Kick-off: 8pm BST.
