Jarrod Bowen scored his first senior hat-trick to ease the pressure on West Ham manager David Moyes as his side claimed a much-needed Premier League win over Brentford.
The hosts had not won a game in 2024 before Monday night, with their last fixture at London Stadium a 6-0 loss to Arsenal that saw hundreds of home fans leave at half-time.
But West Ham responded in style as they went 2-0 up inside 10 minutes against the struggling Bees.
Bowen got his first goal in the fifth minute with a strike that went in off the post, before the England forward scored again two minutes later as he slotted in Vladimir Coufal’s pass.
Neal Maupay swiftly halved the deficit with a scooped finish, then Brentford had claims for a penalty waved away when Mohammed Kudus nudged Sergio Reguilon over inside the box.
A nervous spell followed as Brentford threatened to level but Bowen headed home his third midway through the second half, much to the relief of the Hammers fans.
Emerson capped a perfect night for West Ham, taking a touch before lashing a fantastic strike into the top corner from 25 yards, and although Yoane Wissa scored a second for Brentford it was not enough to deny the hosts victory.
West Ham move up to eighth in the Premier League while Brentford stay 16th, five points above the relegation zone.
Bowen delivers much-needed win for Moyes
Moyes guided West Ham to the Europa Conference League title last season and has regularly had his side battling in the top half of the table, but he has come under pressure recently following a run of poor results.
The 6-0 loss to Arsenal was followed by a 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, which led to some fans holding up banners calling for him to go.
It prompted Moyes to defend his record at the club, but there is no doubt he needed a positive result and performance against Brentford to avoid further calls for his departure.
He could hardly have hoped for a better outcome, and had Bowen to thank for that.
The former Hull City attacker has been deployed more as a striker under Moyes this season and has responded with his best scoring form in the Premier League, with this treble taking him on to 14 goals in the Premier League this season.
Loss leaves Brentford looking over shoulder
Like West Ham, Brentford’s recent form has been poor, with just two wins in their past 11 Premier League games before this defeat.
They dropped a place on Monday without kicking a ball after Everton’s penalty for breaching Premier League financial rules was reduced from 10 points to six after an appeal, moving the Toffees above Thomas Frank’s side.
Brentford are five points above the relegation zone but could not have got off to a worse start in their bid to claim a much-needed win with the two early West Ham goals.
They did improve after Maupay got a goal back but another two quickfire strikes after the break ended their hopes of a fightback and leaves them nervously looking over their shoulder.
It does not get any easier for the Bees with Chelsea at home and Arsenal away over the next two Saturdays.