Aaronson and Rodon punish woeful West Ham as Leeds race to victory

If Nuno Espírito Santo had considered a relaxing cruise after being sacked by Nottingham Forest, he finally got to enjoy the feeling by watching his West Ham defence look all at sea while the driving rain was his ocean spray. Two lapses in concentration within the opening quarter of an hour gave Leeds victory and further highlighted that the Hammers are in a relegation battle.

West Ham sit second bottom of the Premier League nine games into the season, and their only win came against their current head coach. They had the majority of the ball at Elland Road and were eventually rewarded with a late consolation goal from Manuel Fernandes, but the stuttering start under Nuno continues, thanks to early close-range strikes from Brenden Aaronson and Joe Rodon.

Considering the two sides could boast one win between them in their past 10 games, that coming for Leeds against bottom club Wolves, the hopes for entertainment were not high inside Elland Road. The hosts, however, made a fast start, helped by having a set structure, while West Ham were still trying to work out theirs under Nuno.

As the clock ticked past three completed minutes, the Hammers’ vulnerability was already clear. A deep Jayden Bogle cross was headed along the six-yard line and Aaronson was the only one to react, while the Hammers defenders were all inevitably stood in the wrong place. Nuno is known for being able to organise a defence, so will be deeply worried by the confusion suffered when trying to guard their own goal. West Ham are reliant on their most talented individuals to produce the moments that keep them in matches. Jarrod Bowen did his best with an acrobatic overhead kick but it was straight at the recalled Lucas Perri in the Leeds goal. It was the first indication that a contest might take place.

The chants of “Sack the board” had already started in the away end by the time Sean Longstaff’s 15th-minute corner found Rodon unmarked five yards from goal, thanks to Lucas Paquetá’s dismal attempt at staying tight. It was another case of players failing to do basic defensive duties. Nuno turned away, looking deep in thought as the Yorkshire rain pounded down. Maybe taking time off after leaving Nottingham Forest would have been more relaxing.

Joe Rodon plants his header beyond Alphonse Areola as West Ham concede at a ninth corner this season, already a Premier League record. Photograph: Richard Sellers/Getty Images/Allstar

Ollie Scarles was replaced in the 25th minute after a lengthy delay while medical staff dealt with what appeared to be a serious shoulder injury. Nuno sent on striker Callum Wilson to end the inverted full-backs experiment, in the desperate hope it could change the direction of the match.

West Ham were beginning to show intent and Paquetá thought he had made some degree of amends for his non-marking when he rifled the ball into the roof of the net after a Bogle clearance was blocked by Wilson into the Brazilian’s path. The flag belatedly went up, followed by a bizarrely long video assistant referee check caused by technological failure – somewhat explaining the 13 minutes of added time in the first half – when it was clear Paquetá was offside.

If West Ham could keep the momentum they had built late in the opening period, they had a chance. Maybe it was the elongation of the match but neither side were able to find rhythm immediately after the break, regularly losing the ball and unable to find a crucial final delivery when required.

It was the visitors looking the more dangerous in the final third but the lack of invention was clearly frustrating Paquetá, who was booked for remonstrating with the referee Stuart Attwell. The Brazilian’s irritation was over a throw-in given against him, which was all rather pointless.

Leeds were ceding possession to West Ham, happy to wait to hit them on the counterattack. Luring the Hammers in almost worked when Aaronson won the ball back deep in his own half and dribbled 60 yards to the edge of the opposition box, from where he thrashed a shot that was deflected on to the bar. With Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who opted against taking the knee before kick-off, Leeds also had the option to go direct and let the striker hold up the ball. It was a smart outlet to change the dynamic in an instant.

Leeds were able to keep West Ham at arm’s length, until Fernandes’ 90th-minute headed flick brought a level of intrigue to stoppage time. By being physical and aggressive, Leeds know what they are doing under Daniel Farke, who has been in charge for more than two years. Nuno has had only four matches but already knows the prospect of bringing calmer waters to east London is a very difficult task.