West Ham fan walkout intensifies pressure on David Moyes amid contract talks

David Moyes said it was difficult to explain West Ham's heaviest Premier League home defeat, but if things continue like this it will be difficult to argue he deserves a new contract.

It was a mere 46 days ago that talk of a renewal beyond the summer for the 60-year-old was bubbling away after West Ham won 2-0 at Arsenal.

Now, though, the picture looks quite different — the Hammers winless in seven matches and having followed up a 3-0 loss to Manchester United with this nightmare.

After months of criticism for Moyes's perceived defensive tactical approach, fans voted on Sunday with their feet with a mass exodus of the London Stadium.

Plenty got up to leave when Leandro Trossard put Arsenal 4-0 ahead in first-half stoppage time.

At the interval, more followed. The stadium was half-empty by the time West Ham suffered the ignominy of conceding a stunning sixth goal to former captain Declan Rice.

The midfielder showed his former team his respect by not celebrating. West Ham, in turn, had shown Rice and Arsenal far too much respect throughout and were punished.

The question for Moyes is clear. If his team cannot win and his supposedly defensive tactics have garnered 3-0, 5-0 and 6-0 defeats in the past two months, what exactly is left?

It was alarming how easily William Saliba and Gabriel helped themselves to headed goals from Rice's early set-pieces.

Moyes said: "We're not quite as big and powerful as we were last year — Declan played a big part in that. Our stature helped us score goals and defend lots of set-pieces. Today, we just started to look as if we've not quite got that stature in the side [any more]."

Just as unacceptable at this level was the way Kurt Zouma — hooked at half-time — and Nayef Aguerd dropped off to afford Trossard and Bukayo Saka the space to score goals four and five.

Moyes called his side "weak" and "terrible", adding: "Since I've come back to the club, I don't think my teams defend like that ever. We started to make some really, really stupid decisions — we fell apart."

Limp West Ham were totally unrecognisable from the side that won the Europa Conference League last term, with just one shot on target.

Keen to defend his record, Moyes said: "To be a football supporter, there's always going to be bad times. Let's be fair, probably the last three years have been as good a time as West Ham have had."

But supporters are growing tired of his repeated reminder that he delivered silverware for them on that night in Prague. They want to look forward, not back.

The club must also shoulder some blame. Sporting director Tim Steidten let Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals leave last month and signed no replacement, and so yesterday full-back Ben Johnson was deployed as a left-sided forward in place of the injured Lucas Paqueta.

Johnson and his team-mates offered precious little going forward, and there were boos at the final whistle from the fans who were not already halfway home.

With the Europa League knockout stages just three weeks away, West Ham must cash in on a slightly sparser schedule now.

Goals may have dried up for the side in eighth place, but players such as Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus will surely fancy their chances against Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Everton and Burnley in West Ham's next four games.

Cameras yesterday panned to David Sullivan looking utterly miserable.

The chairman will know the mood could turn toxic if Moyes's side do not turn a corner. It is high time they did.