Ivan Toney increases pressure on David Moyes as Brentford sink West Ham

It would be unwise in the extreme for West Ham to assume that they are in anything other than a relegation battle. Too good to go down? They have heard that one before in this corner of east London and, given that more than £100m was spent on refining this squad last summer, it would not be a surprise if West Ham come to the conclusion that whatever magic they had under David Moyes has disappeared for good.

There is talent in this squad, attacking players who can make a difference on their day, but the decline feels irreversible at the moment. Nothing Moyes tries is coming off and West Ham, who lie a point above the bottom three after falling to their fifth consecutive defeat, can be forgiven if they are thinking of making a managerial change after witnessing another witless display.

Something has to give. When it functions properly a Moyes team is tough, uncompromising and full of energy. West Ham possess none of those qualities and could have no complaints after being caught out by a solid and professional Brentford side. Goals from Ivan Toney and Josh Dasilva were more than enough for the visitors. They are up to ninth, although they will be concerned about Toney being carried off on a stretcher in added time.

Moyes’s team selection was a curious mix of fight and flair. There was a shift away from his favoured 4-2-3-1 system, a move to a back five while Angelo Ogbonna started in the league for the first time in more than a year. There was huff and puff from Vladimir Coufal at right wing-back and Craig Dawson battling away at centre-back. Further forward, there were a few clever flicks from Gianluca Scamacca. Most intriguingly of all there was the crowd-pleasing sight of Lucas Paquetá in a deeper role alongside Declan Rice, a ploy intended to allow West Ham to have more control of the ball and be less reliant on counterattacks.

It was a bold call from Moyes to break up Rice’s partnership with Tomas Soucek, whose lack of precision in possession has been a persistent problem, but West Ham looked promising at first. They were on the front foot straight away, Rice curling against the woodwork and Dawson nodding just wide, and had the crowd on their side.

But there was no panic from Brentford. They edged into the game, threatening when Bryan Mbeumo rattled a shot straight at Lukasz Fabianski, before winning a throw-in deep on the left. It was hurled in by Mathias Jensen, nodded on by Ethan Pinnock and hooked towards goal by Christian Nørgaard. West Ham stood still. Only Fabianski responded, diving to his right to save Nørgaard’s shot, but Toney was in the right place to convert the rebound.

It was all so easy. West Ham had picked a back five and yet they had been undone by a long throw. Alarmingly, though, it felt predictable. There is a fragility to this side and it was not a surprise to see their belief ebb away as they tried to find a way back into the contest.

There were some flashes of resistance. Emerson Palmieri, who was otherwise ineffective at left wing-back, drew a sharp stop from David Raya but otherwise Brentford were comfortable. Their back three was rarely troubled by Scamacca, who continues to offer little presence in the final third, while Mads Roerslev did not have to worry too much about Saïd Benrahma who was disappointing against his old side.

Fans and teams pay tribute to Pelé before kick-off at the London Stadium. Photograph: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Getty Images

Brentford soon doubled their lead. A dispiriting sequence began with Paquetá misplacing a pass and West Ham falling asleep at another throw. This time there was too much space for Toney to knock a pass over the top for Dasilva, who exposed Aaron Cresswell’s lack of pace by tearing past the defender, bursting through on goal and slipping a composed finish past Fabianski.

Moyes sent West Ham out with more purpose after the break and they had a brief glimmer of hope when Darren England, the referee, pointed to the spot after Ben Mee tripped Jarrod Bowen. A VAR check would reveal that the foul took place outside the area and that was pretty much it as far as West Ham were concerned. They never looked like scoring in the second half, even after bringing Michail Antonio on to partner Scamacca, and there was dissent from the crowd when Moyes replaced Paquetá with Soucek.

The home sections soon began to empty out. The London Stadium, such a vast space, felt empty and cold by full time. There was even a resigned air to the boos when it was finally over.

Brentford’s celebrations at taking four points from two games since the post-World Cup resumption were tempered by the sight of Toney being carried off on a stretcher late in the game, making his fitness for Monday’s clash with Liverpool a doubt.