West Ham suffered a fifth successive defeat in the Premier League after being well beaten at home to Brentford.
Ivan Toney put the visitors ahead with his 12th league goal of the season, before Josh De Silva doubled the lead.
The Hammers were cheered on by a frustrated London Stadium crowd, with the defeat keeping them just one point above the relegation zone.
The game also ended on a sour note for Brentford, as Toney was carried off on a stretcher with a knee injury.
The win moves the Flies up to ninth in the Premier League.
Hammers hit five-year lows.
Since a run between March and April 2017, under Sylvain Bullock, West Ham have lost five games in a row in the league.
Five-and-a-half years on, West Ham have achieved many heights under David Moyes – but this defeat has thrown the Scotsman’s character into serious question.
It is not just the fact of another defeat but the manner in which the goals were conceded.
Both first-half goals came from West Ham failing to defend their throws properly, and both came after periods of play when they enjoyed good attacking spells.
The opener arrived in the 18th minute, when Matthias Jensen’s long throw was flicked on by Matthias Jorgensen. Christian Norgaard hit his curling volley well, and after it was saved by Lukasz Fabianski, Toney was first to follow up and stab home.
The second, shortly before half-time, was even worse from West Ham’s point of view. Tony played a simple lob over the sleeping home defense from a throw-in near the halfway line.
Da Silva headed past Aaron Cresswell and past Fabianski for his first goal since August.
The teams will meet again on January 7 in the third round of the FA Cup. Whether Moyes holds on to this fixture remains to be seen.
Tony crashes into the landmark – but leaves on a stretcher.
In stark contrast to West Ham, Brentford have set a new club Premier League record of going five consecutive games unbeaten. The Bees have not gone on a longer top-flight unbeaten run since they went six games without defeat between February and March 1939.
Things could have been different if West Ham had taken their chances – especially when Declan Rice struck the early post and when Emerson Palmieri clipped the gloves of David Raya with a near post drive.
However, Brentford looked relatively comfortable in the second half and this result, along with a 2-2 draw against Tottenham on Boxing Day, will give Thomas Frank satisfaction with how his side will fare after the World Cup. I am back.
One question that remains is what Brentford will do if Toney is ruled out with a long-term injury.
That’s the harsh reality that could be faced after the forward, tipped by many for a place in England’s 2022 World Cup squad, took to his knees in the turf after an innocuous challenge for a late corner. .
Tony was left hitting the turf before being carried off the field on a stretcher, his face contorted in obvious pain.
“Of course, it didn’t look great, but I’ve also been in the game long enough to know that you never know what it is until it’s evaluated in the next few days. Frank said.
“Hopefully it’s a minor injury, something minor, there’s a good chance it will, but of course it could be worse. We just don’t know yet.”
Even if the injury isn’t as bad as it first appears, Toney could also face a ban if the FA’s allegations of a breach of batting rules are proven. It has until January 4 to respond to the 262 alleged violations.
On the field, Toney is one of the deadliest strikers in the Premier League. He scored his 12th league goal of the season here, equaling his total for 2021–22, and hHe ended the 2022 calendar year with 20 Premier League goals – only Harry Kane, with 26, What is the highest score?
Tony celebrated his strike by crossing his arms in a symbol closely associated with the hammer to the London Stadium crowd.
This shows Brentford’s dominance over West Ham in this fixture – they have won all three Premier League meetings.
