Perhaps it was inevitable that Brentford’s first away win of the season would come in the Premier League’s unhappiest and least intimidating ground.
The many West Ham fans who demonstrated their displeasure with the board by boycotting this fixture had the right idea. They could celebrate their decision not to subject themselves to an unspeakably abysmal performance from Nuno Espírito Santo’s muddled team. West Ham, who have started a league campaign with four successive defeats at home for the first time in their history, were awful in attack and saw further evidence that relegation will be the result without a major improvement in their defending.
The only positive for Nuno, who remains winless since replacing Graham Potter last month, was that it only finished 2-0. This was a deserved victory for Brentford, lifting them into 13th place, and another encouraging stride for Keith Andrews.
His gameplan worked to perfection. Igor Thiago opened the scoring at the end of a one-sided first half and West Ham were rooted in the bottom three once Mathias Jensen, the substitute, finished them off in added time.
The sight of row after row of empty seats was embarrassing for West Ham’s owners. The protest was noticeable, even with ticket prices dropping to as low as £15 in some areas, and illustrated the size of the task in front of Nuno. He has been diplomatic, saying it is up to him and his players to connect with a disgruntled fanbase, but this was his first taste of life at the London Stadium and it will have shown him that making the most of home advantage is not something that comes easily to West Ham.
