Brentford 2 West Ham 0
This game proved, as my fellow fan Michael the Whovian succinctly put it, that West Ham have two teams - a middling Premiership side and a middling Championship side to make up our squad. With nine changes from the Alkmaar game it was clear Moyes was prioritising Thursday's semi-final and hoping Leicester don't win all three of their remaining matches.
Brentford took the lead when Aguerd played a loose ball out of defence and the unmarked Mbuemo arrived to stroke home. Fabianski should have done better. Despite several warnings of the dangers of long throws the move eventually paid off with Brentford winning the first ball and Wissa heading home the second.
Ings did have a snap shot well saved by Raya, but against that Fabianski also had to make a couple of brilliant saves. Agent Nigel is among the Brentford fans and singles out Cornet as dire and Downes as out of his depth, with no service to Ings who was chasing shadows, but a few nice touches from Lanzini.
Even without Toney Brentford could have scored four of five. Though the game might have changed if Ings had not had a goal disallowed for a ludicrous VAR decision. Sub Benrahma's cross comes back off a post and hits Divin Mubama. Lanzini gathers and crosses for Ings to score but VAR rules that Mubama has handballed it. He had his arms out to protect himself from running into the post and the ball seemed to hit his shoulder anyway. Another ridiculous VSR decision.
This was a really poor performance and proof that without Rice we won't be able to rely on a central midfield of Soucek and Downes. Hopefully it will have been worth resting so many players if we get a result in Holland, though the reserves failed to put any pressure on the first team with this performance.
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