The spoils were shared in east London on Saturday afternoon as West Ham and Brighton played out a 1-1 draw in the Premier League.
After breaking their Seagull hoodoo at the Amex last season, West Ham were still on the hunt for their maiden Premier League victory over Brighton at the London Stadium. They entered Saturday's victory in better form than their visitors, who hadn't won in four, and Julen Lopetegui's side started brightly on home soil.
The Hammers sought to exploit Brighton's high defensive line via long balls and switches of play, with Jarrod Bowen, in particular, enjoying the space afforded to him. Bowen drew the first save out of Bart Verbruggen, who wasn't tested all that much in the opening period.
After a messy start, the visitors grew into the contest and started to pick off the hosts in the build-up. Brighton looked a threat out wide and had joy attracting West Ham's central midfielders into areas they didn't want to defend. However, the Seagulls proved inefficient in the final third and the two sides went into half-time goalless.
A fairly mundane contest burst into life at the start of the second half with goals arriving at both ends of the pitch. After Mats Wieffer netted his first Brighton goal to open the scoring, Lopetegui's substitutes paid dividends as Bowen, who moved into a central position, drove at the Seagulls defence and forced another save out of Verbruggen. The rebound was headed home by Mohammed Kudus.
The Ghanaian's leveller failed to ignite the hosts, though, and Lopetegui eventually shifted to a 5-4-1 in a bid to re-establish control without possession. The bout then evolved into a thrilling back-and-forth battle, with both teams, particularly Brighton, creating chances worthy of winning the contest.
However, no killer touch arrived as the result of some excellent last-ditch Hammers defending.
West Ham player ratings (4-1-4-1)
Players | Ratings |
|---|---|
GK: Lukasz Fabianski | 7.4/10 |
RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka | 7.4/10 |
CB: Konstantinos Mavropanos | 7.2/10 |
CB: Max Kilman | 7.4/10 |
LB: Emerson | 6.9/10 |
DM: Edson Alvarez | 7.9/10 |
RM: Jarrod Bowen | 7.4/10 |
CM: Tomas Soucek | 6.5/10 |
CM: Lucas Paqueta | 6.2/10 |
LM: Mohammed Kudus | 7.9/10 |
ST: Niclas Fullkrug | 5.9/10 |
SUB: Jean-Clair Todibo (46' for Mavropanos) | 6.5/10 |
SUB: Crysencio Summerville (57' for Fullkrug) | 6.5/10 |
SUB: Oliver Scarles (71' for Paqueta) | 6.0/10 |
SUB: Vladimir Coufal (71' for Emerson) | 6.0/10 |
SUB: Guido Rodriguez (90' for Alvarez) | 6.0/10 |
Subs not used: Alphonse Areola (GK), Luis Guilherme, Danny Ings, Andy Irving.
Brighton player ratings (4-2-3-1)
Players | Ratings |
|---|---|
GK: Bart Verbruggen | 7.0/10 |
RB: Joel Veltman | 7.0/10 |
CB: Jan Paul van Hecke | 6.8/10 |
CB: Lewis Dunk | 7.4/10 |
LB: Pervis Estupinan | 7.4/10 |
DM: Carlos Baleba | 7.6/10 |
DM: Mats Wieffer | 7.8/10 |
RW: Brajan Gruda | 6.0/10 |
AM: Joao Pedro | 6.3/10 |
LM: Kauro Mitoma | 6.8/10 |
ST: Georginio Rutter | 5.8/10 |
SUB: Yasin Ayari (56' for Wieffer) | 6.4/10 |
SUB: Yankuba Minteh (67' for Gruda) | 6.3/10 |
SUB: Tariq Lamptey (68' for Veltman) | 6.6/10 |
SUB: Julio Enciso (68' for Rutter) | 6.4/10 |
SUB: Evan Ferguson (85' for Mitoma) | 6.0/10 |
Subs not used: Jason Steele (GK), Igor Julio, Simon Adingra, Matt O'Riley.
Player of the match - Mohammed Kudus (West Ham)
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