Nuno Espirito Santo’s negative tactics cost West Ham dear in 3-0 hammering at Brentford, handing control back to rivals Spurs in the battle for survival.
One selection decision in particular from Nuno Espirito Santo ended up proving most costly of all as he started woeful flop Pablo yet again ahead of goal hero Callum Wilson.
If West Ham are to beat Tottenham Hotspur in the battle to stay up they will need to score goals.
Yet Nuno left Wilson on the bench yet again, despite admitting he deserves more starts after his late winner against Everton last weekend.
Negative Nuno costs West Ham with Pablo favouritism
That result ensured the Hammers remained out of the relegation zone and kept Spurs in it despite their victory at Wolves.
As a result West Ham have had survival in their own hands with a two-point cushion on Roberto De Zerbi’s side.
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But not anymore after a hugely underwhelming performance at both ends as Nuno’s negative setup ultimately cost the Hammers against a Brentford side who had not won in eight and looked there for the taking.
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Nuno was slammed for a similarly negative approach when West Ham passed up the chance to beat an under-strength and distracted Palace a couple of weeks ago.
It was more of the same in their latest London derby as the Hammers could and should have been a goal down after just 30 seconds.
Shambolic defending meant the Bees should have had a greater lead than 1-0 at the break.
West Ham had their own chances but Pablo showed he is nowhere near the level required for the Premier League when he was afforded a clear run at goal only to produce a pathetic effort which was easily saved.
Captain Jarrod Bowen was awful again and looks a shadow of the Hammers hero he has been for the majority of the last six years.
Nuno hands control back to Spurs as West Ham falter when it matters most
Few players covered themselves in glory and West Ham have now handed the initiative to Tottenham Hotspur big time.
Instead of piling the pressure on Spurs ahead of a tough trip to face Aston Villa, De Zerbi’s side now know a win would lift them out of the relegation zone and above West Ham with three games to go.
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The Hammers have Arsenal next while Spurs play Leeds.
It was Nuno’s decision to persists with Pablo which angered West Ham fans most and proved most costly.
It is fair to say West Ham would have had themselves a couple of first half goals with Wilson starting such were the chances that fell to them.
Nuno will argue his side were unlucky after hitting the post twice and the bar while having two penalty calls turned down.
But the reality is West Ham were not good enough at both ends of the pitch.
Worst of the lot was Pablo who toiled yet again with his hard work simply not sufficient enough to start up front for a Premier League club.
When El Hadji Malick Diouf brainlessly slid in on Dango Ouattara to concede a needless penalty it summed West Ham’s performance up.
West Ham did not look like scoring in a month of Sundays and when it mattered most the team and manager lost their bottle.
Now a huge carrot is dangling for Tottenham at Villa Park and if they win West Ham will be fearing for their Premier League lives.
And while he has done a good job to turn things around since January, Nuno will only have himself to blame.
West Ham player ratings vs Brentford:
Hermansen, 3/10: Nervous all game and could have cost West Ham more goals. Pathetic attempt at saving Brentford’s third which resembled a pass-back. Terrible distribution too.
Walker-Peters, 5/10: Poor at both ends and insufferably weak on the ball and in the tackle. Subbed off.
Mavropanos, 6.5/10: Scored an unfortunate own goal and saw a goal ruled out for a marginal offside, a day to forget for Konstantinos Mavropanos after being nominated for the Premier League’s Player of the Month award. Was solid enough otherwise.
Disasi, 6.5/10: Not his best game but the two centre-backs were not really the issue for West Ham.
Diouf, 4/10: Some poor crosses when in good positions. What he was thinking sliding in to give away the penalty which killed the game is anyone’s guess.
Soucek, 5/10: It is games like this that see some fans use Tomas Soucek as a scapegoat. Worked hard but was found wanting.
Fernandes, 5/10: West Ham’s best player this season had his worst game for some time when it mattered most. Was not all his own doing, though, as Nuno’s tactics left him isolated and under pressure in the middle of the park.
Bowen, 3/10: So often the Hammers hero, Bowen has been unrecognisable at times over the last few months. Another dreadful performance by his high standards. Subbed off.
Summerville, 6/10: The only one who looked like making something happen. But he too has lost his sharpness since his injury lay-off. Subbed off.
Castellanos, 4/10: Missed four really good chances which really cost the team. Not up to Premier League standards and looks well over-priced at £27m. Subbed off.
Pablo, 2/10: Absolutely woeful and bereft of any quality whatsoever. Looks like a non-league striker plonked into a Premier League team. Works his socks of granted but that simply won’t cut it if West Ham want to stay up. Should not have started.