West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion played out an entertaining but chaotic 2-2 draw at the London Stadium, a result that extended Fabian Hürzeler’s winless run in December Premier League fixtures to 12 matches, Softfootball reports.
Confidence has been in short supply for both sides in recent weeks. Brighton arrived in east London off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, while West Ham were desperate to stop the slide after losing three straight league games, including a narrow 1-0 defeat to Fulham and a humbling 3-0 loss away at Manchester City.
Brighton showed early intent, carving out openings through Yankuba Minteh and Diego Gómez, but it was West Ham who struck first against the run of play. Jarrod Bowen timed his run perfectly to meet Lucas Paquetá’s lofted pass, calmly slotting past Bart Verbruggen to put the hosts ahead. The goal marked Bowen’s 101st Premier League goal involvement, drawing him level with club legend Michail Antonio.
The lead didn’t last long. West Ham gifted Brighton a route back into the contest when Maximilian Kilman clipped Minteh inside the area. Danny Welbeck made no mistake from the spot, sending Alphonse Areola the wrong way. The first half then descended into chaos. Brighton were awarded another penalty when Paquetá pulled Lewis Dunk down from a corner, but Welbeck’s audacious Panenka effort crashed off the bar. Moments later, the referee pointed to the spot again at the other end after Dunk was penalised for handball, allowing Paquetá to restore West Ham’s lead from 12 yards before the break.
Hürzeler was forced into changes just before the hour mark when Minteh limped off injured, with Kaoru Mitoma among those introduced. Brighton soon found a way back, and once again West Ham played their part. Areola failed to deal with Ferdi Kadıoğlu’s corner, allowing Joël Veltman to pounce from close range and make it 2-2.
Brighton finished the stronger side, underlining why only Brentford have scored more Premier League goals than them in the final 15 minutes this season. Welbeck and Brajan Gruda combined to tee up Yasin Ayari, who volleyed over, while Mitoma and Georginio Rutter were both denied by a busy Areola as the visitors pushed for a winner.
After the game, Brighton shared via it’s official X handle,the Match report image showing a full time draw they posted:
Ayari went close again late on, firing narrowly wide after more good work from Kadıoğlu, but West Ham held firm to secure a point. The draw reduces the gap to 17th place to four points for the Hammers, though they remain without a home league win against Brighton after nine attempts . For the Seagulls, it extends a worrying run to six matches without a victory (D3, L3), as their inconsistent form continues.
