El Hadji Malick Diouf playing for West Ham
Credit: Imago
Richie Mills
Sat 2 May 2026 19:40, UK
West Ham United defender El Hadji Malick Diouf put in a worrying display in their 3-0 defeat to Brentford.
In a Saturday afternoon clash between the two London neighbours, West Ham suffered a damaging loss to deepen their relegation fears.
A Konstantinos Mavropanos own goal, an Igor Thiago penalty, and a late Mikkel Damsgaard effort condemned Nuno Espirito Santo‘s team to a first defeat in four matches.
West Ham could drop into the relegation zone on Sunday if Tottenham beat Aston Villa at Villa Park, with the Hammers currently two points clear of Spurs.
Next up, West Ham face Arsenal. If they defend like they did against Brentford, Nuno’s team could be in for a rough ride at London Stadium.
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Bukayo Saka will relish El Hadji Malick Diouf battle
West Ham had nearly 52 per cent possession, 13 shots on goal, and 23 touches inside Brentford’s box but somehow they failed to score and got a bit of a drubbing.
They hit the frame of the goal twice, had a goal ruled out for offside, and yet came away with nothing. To make matters worse, Diouf struggled to handle Dango Ouattara and conceded a penalty against the pacey winger.
Diouf’s stats vs Brentford
Cross accuracy 1/4(25%)
Long ball completions 1/4(25%)
Tackles/Interceptions/Clearances 2/1/2
Penalties conceded 1
Ground duels won 2/3(67%)
While he made five defensive contributions, the 21-year-old was ruthlessly exploited on a number of occasions.
Adama Traore replaced him with 16 minutes to go, partly because West Ham needed to get back into the game.
Things don’t get much easier for Diouf and West Ham next Sunday when they host Premier League title chasing Arsenal.
Before today's matches, West Ham's chance of relegation from the Premier League this season was projected to be 38.4%.
Following today's 3-0 defeat at Brentford, that's risen to 48.8%.https://t.co/7aqZAb0bnS
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) May 2, 2026
View Tweet
In that game, the Senegalese will come up against England international Bukayo Saka, who was back to his best in their win over Fulham on Saturday.
He grabbed a goal and an assist against the Cottagers and off the back of the West Ham game, Saka will be licking his lips to face off against Diouf.
Tide turns against West Ham
West Ham’s loss to Brentford, particularly the manner of the defeat, is a real setback for the Hammers in their bid to stave off relegation to the Championship.
Their loss to the Bees hands the initiative over to Tottenham, who will hope they can build on their win over Wolves when they travel to Villa.
The Villans were in Europa League action on Thursday, so that may stand in Tottenham’s favour. But one win in 2026 in the league does not bode well, either.
West Ham still have to play Arsenal, Newcastle United, and Leeds United, the first and last of which are at home.
On paper, Tottenham have the tougher fixture list, with battles against Leeds, Chelsea, and Everton to come. But by Sunday night, this could be out of West Ham’s hands.