Report and free match highlights as West Ham end winless 12-game run against Brighton; goals from James Ward-Prowse, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio did the damage; Pascal Gross grabbed a consolation for off-colour Brighton
Saturday 26 August 2023 21:45, UK
West Ham surged to the top of the Premier League with a tactically astute 3-1 victory over Brighton, whose winning start to the season went up in smoke.
Fresh from a 3-1 win over Chelsea, the Hammers played with the perfect mix of defensive resolution and attacking guile to cause an upset on the south coast. James Ward-Prowse got them up and running after an error from Aaron Webster before Jarrod Bowen doubled the lead with a mesmerising counter-attack goal.
The bulldozing Michail Antonio added a third before Pascal Gross gave Roberto De Zerbi's previously perfect side a sniff of a comeback but David Moyes' men stood firm under pressure with Alphonse Areola making nine saves in total.
The victory leaves them top of the Premier League - above Tottenham on goals scored - for just the eighth day in their history.
West Ham suffered a 4-0 reverse in this fixture last season - a performance that Declan Rice called "demoralising" and one that left Moyes seemingly on the brink of losing his job.
But five months can be a long time in football and Moyes arrived with a team full of confidence and having landed a European trophy in the summer. Rice has gone, but the Hammers have used the funds wisely to recruit Ward-Prowse who added a goal to his tally after grabbing two assists on his debut in the win over Chelsea.
Antonio caused the error down the flank by the shaky Webster and his pass was gobbled up at the second attempt by Ward-Prowse.
Brighton, so fluid and devastating in attack in their first two games, were continually repelled by West Ham's strong structure as frustration crept in during the first half.
Evan Ferguson set the tone for the second half by drawing a fine save out of Areola but West Ham were always a massive threat in transition and edged two goals clear on 58 minutes - in mesmerizing fashion. Bowen sprinted 82 yards to join a counter-attack led by Said Benrahma down the left and collected his epic cross-field ball with a cute touch before rolling the finish into the far corner.
Brighton's balance between defence and attack remained exposed and Antonio wrapped up the points for the Hammers six minutes later. His pace and power was too much for Webster again - and he produced a crisp finish into the far corner to leave the Hammers in dreamland.
Brighton, who enjoyed 79 per cent possession in the match but didn't hit their usual levels of chance creation, did come on strong in the closing stages. Gross pinged a fine finish home with 10 minutes remaining to lift the crowd but Areola stood firm, making saves from Lewis Dunk and Ferguson whilst Danny Ings also had to be alert to clear one off the line.
At full-time, chants of, 'Champions of Europe we know what we are', rang out among the away fans, who could also celebrate ending the day top of the pile.
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi: "I'm disappointed for the result but we didn't play bad. We didn't play a great game but we played a good game, enough to get some points. We concede the first goal in a stupid way. Then West Ham defended in the last 20 metres and it was very difficult to score although we had six or seven chances. I'm disappointed as we lost our balance. We can't lose the balance. We are Brighton, we need to improve the team, the players and the understanding of the game.
"We can't forget we are Brighton. We lost three important players. I don't want to speak about the transfer market. It's not normal that Brighton have to win against West Ham. It's not right. We tried to win but it's not normal. We want to improve and compete in every game but we can lose because we are Brighton. If I'm fixing the target higher then we can confuse the real value of the squad and the coaches because we are Brighton.
"Maybe people are confused - Brighton can lose to West Ham. Why not? Brighton can lose to Everton. We want to play with courage to make our fans happy by winning every game but we can forget we are Brighton. I want to be honest. I want to fight to win every game but for us we have to be clear and honest. We have to fix the target. What is the target, we will see. But it's not responsible to fix a higher target if you lose players. We take responsibility for the defeat but not for the target.
David Moyes speaking to Sky Sports: "First of all I need to say well done to the supporters and the club because it's been a long time since we've beaten Brighton. We've had some sore results here in recent years so today made up for that. Great effort from the players. We had to change a few things to get a result here. Brighton played very well with the ball but we were very good on the counter attack and took our chances.
"We defended very well today. We had to defend a lot. Let's not kid ourselves, it is a part of football and it is not all about attacking. The last couple of games, we have defended really well as a team.
"Areola didn't half pull off a couple of worldy saves. I am really pleased because we really needed him. Hopefully we improve and the football gets better. We are certainly getting the confidence because of the results. We've had to go away from home and the team we've had have been tough. The players have done a good job. Hopefully, we can introduce some new players."
Brighton face a tricky start to September, starting with a home game against Newcastle next Saturday, live on Saturday Night Football with kick-off at 5.30pm. The Seagulls then travel to Manchester United on September 16 after the international break, kick-off 3pm.
West Ham face a trip to Kenilworth Road to play Luton Town on Friday, live on Sky Sports with kick-off on 8pm. The Hammers then host Manchester City on September 16 after the international break, kick-off 3pm.
