West Ham go into their Premier League opener against Arsenal on the back foot after failing to overcome Germany’s Werder Bremen in their final pre-season match.
Following their disastrous 2-2 draw against Romania’s Astra Giurgiu in Europa League qualifying, the Hammers led for just one minute of the match after Diafra Sakho’s opener was cancelled out immediately by Anthony Ujah.
It was Ujah again 11 minutes later who provided what would be the winner for the 10th placed side in last year’s Bundesliga.
West Ham started with intent, controlling the majority of the play and earning the better of the chances with Dimitri Payet most threatening from both the set-piece and open play.
On 15 minutes Felix Kroos, the 24-year-old brother of Real Madrid’s Toni, got a sniff from 20 yards for the visitors but was blocked well by Reece Oxford.
But when Sakho got on the end of Payet’s cross from the right side on 19 minutes the hosts took a deserved lead.
It was blown a minute later though with a 25-yard strike from Anthony Ujah, a handful throughout, that Adrian will be disappointed not to have denied.
There was no good fortune required for Nigerian Ujah’s second on 31 minutes, as he took a touch to beat Hammers defender James Tomkins and flashed his shot across the goal beyond Adrian.
A subdued second half followed the break with chances few and far between as both sides struggled to find rhythm among the customary raft of changes that come in these fixtures.
Now the Hammers go into their first challenge of the Premier League season against the Community Shield champions on Sunday with little reason for confidence after limping past Malta’s Birkirkara, needing penalties to overcome the minnows, and the horror show 2-2 at home to Astra.