Jarrod Bowen didn't mince words after West Ham's 3-0 defeat at Brentford, admitting the result "hurts" as the Hammers' Premier League survival hopes took a significant blow. The loss at the Gtech Community Stadium saw Brentford climb to sixth, while West Ham's recent resurgence—having lost just once in six games to escape the bottom three—came to a frustrating halt.

Defensive solidity, which had been the cornerstone of their revival, was nowhere to be found. An own goal from Konstantinos Mavropanos put the visitors behind, and despite hitting the woodwork three times, West Ham couldn't find a breakthrough. A penalty from Igor Thiago and a late strike from Mikkel Damsgaard sealed a comprehensive defeat for Nuno Espirito Santo's side.

Now just two points above the relegation zone, West Ham face a tense finish to the season. "Really disappointing. All the goals were poor on our behalf and could've been stopped," Bowen told Sky Sports. "We had chances, hit the post twice, bar and post again. We had a goal disallowed too. There were a couple of decisions that didn't go our way."

With three games remaining, every match is now a "cup final" for the Hammers. "It's going to hurt today because we had good opportunities," Bowen added. "But we can't let the last few weeks go away because of this result. Everyone has to stick together. It's down to the senior players to stand up. We have to move forward because there's no other way."

For West Ham fans, the next few fixtures will test their team's character—and perhaps their own wardrobe choices as they gear up for a nail-biting finish to the season.