David Moyes has likened what West Ham man Nayef Aguerd did in a key moment to a 110-year-old comedy show.
Once again very few players covered themselves in glory as West Ham lost 3-2 to Brentford on Saturday.
West Ham came back from 1-0 down to lead 2-1 only to throw it away and lose 3-2 in another poor performance at Brentford.
That’s now three Premier League defeats on the bounce for the Hammers and just one win in their last seven top flight games.
David Moyes’ side have slipped into the bottom half of the table. And hopes of competing for the European spots have faded fast as we approach a third of the way through the campaign.
David Moyes likens what West Ham man Nayef Aguerd did in key moment to 110-year-old comedy show
Many West Ham fans will be quick to point the finger of blame at Moyes for the 3-2 defeat at Brentford.
But sometimes you simply cannot legislate for the rank awful actions of individual players out there on the pitch.
And it was two players many West Ham fans have long called to be dropped who cost them dear at the G-tech in the shape of Nayef Aguerd and Michail Antonio.
Antonio was poor yet again and took a certain goal to make it 3-1 off Said Benrahma’s foot only to miss an open net from one yard out.
Aguerd has been in awful form all season and has had his defending publicly questioned by Moyes – but has somehow kept his place in the starting XI.
Slapstick defending and finishing costs West Ham dear
He was partially at fault for Brentford’s first goal and sloppily gave away a needless corner from 25 yards out from which the hosts scored to make it 2-2 as well.
And Moyes has likened what West Ham man Aguerd did in a key moment to a 110-year-old comedy show.
When Neal Maupay all too inevitably bobbled home his first goal for 14 months, Aguerd could be seen man marking Tomas Soucek at the far post.
Aguerd actually challenged Soucek for the header with no Brentford player near them. And that made it difficult for the midfielder to get a full purchase on the clearance as it dropped to Maupay, who then had the freedom of the box to get his first goal in an age.
Moyes highlighted that moment for setting the tone of the defending from his West Ham side. And he said he would have been disgusted with himself if he were a player responsible for such poor resistance.
‘The first goal is Keystone Cops, it really is’
“We’ve found that we’ve not dealt with things which as a player I would have been disgusted with myself for not being able to deal with them much better,” Moyes said, as reported by the likes of The Evening Standard.
“I don’t think my teams do that.
“That is why I am annoyed that I’ve come here and not been able to defend when put under pressure.
“We’re talking about small things, but small things lead to bigger things. We didn’t deal well enough with the small things.
“The first goal is Keystone Cops, it really is.”
For the younger Hammers fans out there, The Keystone Cops were fictional, humorously incompetent policemen featured in silent film slapstick comedies between 1912 and 1917.
The key words here being ‘incompetent’ and ‘slapstick’. Except the end result is far from funny.
READ ALSO
West Ham fans taunted Brentford with 3 chants but they had stinging response.
Moyes fully opens up on transfer mission to sign a new striker to replace Antonio.
Antonio and Aguerd at it again as sloppy West Ham slip out of European contention.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
