West Ham United vs Brighton and Hove Albion. Premier League.
London StadiumAttendance59,952.
Report and highlights from pulsating encounter at London Stadium
Sunday 2 February 2020 08:19, UK
West Ham twice threw away two-goal leads to draw 3-3 with Brighton in which VAR awarded Glenn Murray’s late equaliser.
In a game littered with defensive gaffes and incredible relegation tension, West Ham were 2-0 ahead at half-time after goals from Issa Diop (30) and Robert Snodgrass (45) but a comical own-goal from Angelo Ogbonna after a flap from Lukasz Fabianski (47) gave Brighton hope.
Snodgrass then restored the two-goal cushion with his second deflected goal of the game as West Ham looked certain to climb away from danger and throw Brighton firmly into trouble.
However, a horrendous mix-up between Diop and Fabianski gifted Pascal Gross a leveller (75) before Glenn Murray scored his eighth career goal against West Ham, firing home from close range (79). The goal was originally chalked off for handball by referee Michael Oliver but VAR stepped in to controversially deem the ball had not struck Murray's hand.
The result leaves the Hammers stuck in the relegation zone with a tough looking set of fixtures on the way against Manchester City and Liverpool.
These two teams came into this one having won just two of their last 16 Premier League fixtures combined but you would not know from the opening exchanges as they both looked confident with chances falling at both ends.
Aaron Mooy somehow managed to head wide from eight yards after a quick break down the right before West Ham's new signing Tomas Soucek forced Mat Ryan into a fine stop after a brilliant ball from Mark Noble.
Leandro Trossard was denied by Fabianski after racing through on goal as Brighton looked confident of putting the Hammers away. However, their frailties at the back were on show again when the hosts took the lead on the half hour.
Snodgrass whipped in a clever ball from the left wing that was met by Diop, who had timed his run perfectly past an unorganised Brighton backline and got there ahead of Ryan.
It was two on the stroke of half-time after Snodgrass hit a volley into the ground and off the shin of Adam Webster to leave Ryan with no chance.
It seemed the perfect platform for the Hammers to work from with the returning Michail Antonio in fine form but a defensive calamity got Brighton back into the game after the restart.
Fabianski flapped at a Gross corner and his clearance ended up bouncing off team-mate Ogbonna and into his own net.
Brighton did not really kick on from that slice of luck as Antonio's pace was causing them problems which forced them back deep into their own half. That pressure told when Snodgrass restored the two-goal cushion with the aid of another deflection, this time off the head of Bernardo.
That looked to be game over but a moment of defensive chaos let Brighton back in again. With Antonio substituted, Diop was caught napping by Gross, who bravely dived in ahead of Fabianski to poke the ball into the net.
It was now one-way traffic towards Fabianski's goal as the confidence drained out of the home players.
Murray had struggled for large parts of the game on his first start since September but was in the right place at the right time to fire home Davy Propper's cross, and after a lengthy VAR check, the goal was awarded.
For all the money spent at West Ham, their most important player in their attempts to stave off relegation will be Antonio.
After an injury-hit campaign this was just his sixth start of the Premier League season - boy, West Ham have missed his positive and direct approach. Playing off the left wing his willingness to run with the ball and behind full-back Martin Montoya made it very difficult for Brighton to sustain prolonged pressure in the Hammers half. His trickery won the free-kick that provided the opening goal and with a little bit more sharpness he could have converted one of the six shots he had on goal.
When David Moyes replaced him with his team winning 3-1, West Ham lost their mojo.
West Ham manager David Moyes: "We're all gutted as we've given away two points. We had the game in a good place when we were winning. I would say in the second half fatigue played a big part. We've tried to bring in two of three fresh players today and get through the game. I thought Tomas Soucek did well. I thought the performance on the main was very good. We made some silly mistakes. For lots of period of the game we were good. We offered a threat at different times. We gave them a leg up after half-time with the goal and then the same after the second."
Brighton manager Graham Potter: "We showed great character and produced great quality. We more than matched the opposition for large parts and were heavily punished, especially with the third goal when we were in the ascendancy. We were probably the better team and disappointed with just a point. The fightback is an incredible one. It's about how respond and in that regard the players were amazing."
West Ham face a tricky trip to City next Sunday, a game live on Sky Sports, while Brighton host Watford on Saturday, kick-off at 5:30pm.
