talkSPORT pundit blasts ‘shocking’ West Ham moment against West Brom.

Perry Groves left stunned by West Ham defending

Former Arsenal player and talkSPORT pundit Perry Groves did not hold back in his assessment of West Ham United after witnessing what he described as “shocking” defending during their Championship clash with West Bromwich Albion.

The Hammers suffered another damaging defeat at the London Stadium on Saturday, losing 3-1 to the Baggies and making it consecutive home defeats in the second tier.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s team entered the match hoping to respond after their previous setback, but instead produced another performance that raised further questions about their defensive organisation and consistency.

West Brom took the lead in the 20th minute through Felix Horn Myhre. The Norwegian midfielder finished from close range after being intelligently set up by Jimmy Jay Morgan.

West Ham managed to respond before half-time, with captain Jarrod Bowen finding the net shortly before the half-hour mark to bring the hosts level.

However, the Hammers were unable to build on that equaliser.

Morgan restored West Brom’s advantage shortly after the restart before Callum Styles added a third goal to complete an impressive victory for James Morrison’s side.

Groves was working as co-commentator for talkSPORT during the match and was particularly critical of the manner in which West Ham conceded the opening goal.

‘Shocking defending’ from the Hammers

West Brom’s first goal exposed serious problems in the West Ham defence.

Isaac Price was given too much freedom to play a simple pass through the home side, allowing Morgan to run into a dangerous position inside the penalty area.

Morgan appeared to have the opportunity to shoot himself after finding space one-on-one with West Ham goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.

Instead, the forward showed excellent awareness by looking across and recognising that Myhre had moved into a perfect central position.

With time on his side, Morgan rolled the ball across for Myhre, who simply had to finish into an unguarded net.

The goal highlighted how much space West Brom were being allowed to exploit, with the visitors able to move through West Ham’s defensive structure far too easily.

Groves was clearly unimpressed by what he witnessed.

While describing the goal on talkSPORT 2, he praised West Brom’s attacking combination but strongly criticised the Hammers for the defending that allowed it to happen.

He explained that Price continued the move with an excellent ball through the middle before Morgan was released into the box.

Groves noted that Morgan could easily have attempted to finish himself but instead checked over his shoulder before recognising Myhre’s position.

The pundit credited the West Brom forward for choosing the team option rather than attempting to score himself.

However, while the attacking play deserved praise, Groves had a very different assessment of West Ham.

He described the goal as a brilliantly constructed move from West Brom but labelled the Hammers’ defending “shocking”.

The criticism reflected a wider problem that West Ham have struggled to solve in recent matches.

West Ham’s defensive problems continue

The defeat against West Brom was not the first time West Ham have looked vulnerable at the back.

The Hammers were also beaten 3-2 by Southampton at home the previous weekend, meaning their defensive weaknesses have now contributed to back-to-back defeats at the London Stadium.

There is a particularly important absence that has affected West Ham’s defensive options.

Konstantinos Mavropanos suffered an injury during the Southampton match and was unavailable for the visit of West Brom.

Although there is hope that the Greece international will not be sidelined for an extended period, his absence was clearly felt against the Baggies.

Mavropanos has become an important player for West Ham this season, contributing at both ends of the pitch and providing physical strength and experience in the centre of defence.

Without him, the Hammers appeared less secure and struggled to deal with West Brom’s movement.

However, his absence cannot completely explain what happened.

The defending for the opening goal was poor enough to raise concerns regardless of which centre-backs were available.

West Ham allowed Morgan far too much time and space inside the penalty area, while Myhre was able to move into an ideal scoring position without being properly tracked.

That lack of concentration and organisation ultimately gave West Brom an opportunity they were never likely to waste.

Pressure growing on Nuno Espirito Santo

The latest defeat will increase pressure on Nuno Espirito Santo.

Back-to-back home defeats are particularly damaging for a West Ham side expected to challenge near the top of the Championship following their drop into the second tier.

The London Stadium faithful will understandably expect a much stronger response, especially after another match in which defensive problems proved costly.

West Ham did manage to find an equaliser through Bowen, showing that they remain capable of producing moments of quality in attack.

However, their inability to maintain that momentum was once again costly.

After West Brom regained the lead through Morgan, the visitors continued to look dangerous and eventually secured the result when Styles scored the third.

For Nuno, the immediate priority will be to restore confidence and defensive discipline.

The Hammers cannot afford to continue conceding goals in such preventable circumstances, particularly if they want to remain competitive throughout the Championship campaign.

The absence of Mavropanos may have contributed to the defensive instability, but the manager will know that his entire team must improve.

West Ham need to become more difficult to play against, reduce the amount of space opponents are given and show greater concentration inside their own penalty area.

The mood around the London Stadium could quickly become more uncomfortable if results do not improve.

With two successive home defeats now on the record, Nuno will be aware that another poor performance could increase scrutiny considerably.

The Hammers therefore need to rediscover their momentum quickly.

Groves’ “shocking defending” verdict may have been directed at one particular moment, but it highlighted a wider issue West Ham must address if they are to turn their season around.