Premier LeagueBrighton & Hove Albion 1-1 West Ham United
Saturday, 6th December 2025
by Chris Wilkerson | Forum match thread
On a wet Sunday afternoon in Brighton, West Ham were robbed of three points at the Amex Stadium, a stoppage time comeback from Brighton marred by controversy.
After Bowen had given The Hammers a lead, two stoppage time goals from the home side turned victory to defeat, but not without the help of Simon Hooper and the VAR officials.An overhead kick that reached the height of Mavropanos jumping to head the ball was ignored, and then the shot that followed was ruled not to be directly contributing to goal, which saved Brighton as it had been a clear deflection off the arm.
That shot rebounded to a Brighton player, and was then fired home by Rutter for the equaliser. But the officials deemed the initial shot to be a different phase of play, whilst the dangerous high boot was not even looked at as Brighton stole a point they had barely deserved.
Until then, West Ham were out of the bottom three, ahead of Forest on goal difference, level on points with them and Leeds, but the late equaliser keeps them two points adrift.
The manager made four changes from Thursday night's draw at Old Trafford. Potts, Magassa, Soucek and Wilson were all withdrawn, as West Ham went to a back five and welcomed back Kilman, Rodriguez, Paqueta and Summerville. Fernandes moved back into the centre, and Paqueta played as a false nine, dropping into midfield to try find passes for the pace of Bowen and Summerville on the counter.
The Hammers had only beaten the Seagulls once in the 16 games played against each other in the Premier League, and came here ready to defend their box and then spring forward at speed.
It was a scrappy opening to a first half that failed to spark into life for the majority of the play, with both sides struggling to build any consistent rhythm. A Kadioglu yellow card for a body check on Wan-Bissaka was all there was of note in the opening 10 minutes.
There did look to be a big chance for Summerville after 15, Paqueta fluffing his first pass but instantly hitting it again to put the Dutch winger through on goal, but he was relieved to see the flag go up after Verbruggen made a big save one-on-one.
Brighton couldn't find a route through the packed West Ham defensive third, whilst The Hammers needed their hosts to overcommit going forward if they were to have any luck exposing them on the break.
That was the tale of the half, a chess game of sorts being played as West Ham tried to bring Brighton forward without conceding, and the home side looked for that goal without leaving gaps behind that could be quickly exploited.
It took about 30 minutes for the teams to settle on the ball, and then chances started to open up.
Wieffer probably should have scored when flying forward from right back to get on the end of a cross from the opposite flank, but as the ball in curled at goal, the defender couldn't get a touch on the ball from six yards out, slightly misjudging the bounce.
Gomez then powered a free header across the face of goal from a corner, but heading it down, it flew wide.
Paqueta hit a drive from ranging, using the conditions as he hit an effort that skidded off the wet surface and forced Verbruggen down to his left, stinging his palms as he pushed it wide of goal.
Then came West Ham's best chance. A long ball forward was poked on by Paqueta to Summerville, who beat Dunk to it and got lucky as it bounced back off him from the defender and through to goal. The winger got into the box, but he couldn't get the curl required to bend it into the far corner, passing it wide of goal when he should have hit the target.
Rutter had a volley blocked by Diouf as a cross found him at the far post, but the two sides went in at the break level and with more to find from their performances.
There were no changes as the sides came out for the second half, but it was West Ham who got onto the front foot in the early stages. Diouf had the first shot of the half, a wild volley meeting a deep Wan-Bissaka cross.
Summerville could have done better in the area not long after, with he, Paqueta and Bowen combining neatly to get the Dutchman free, only for Summerville to try a cut back that Bowen was not expecting, and was hit behind him, when the winger could have shot.
Brighton hadn't come to life yet, and West Ham were growing in confidence. Just short of the hour, the heroics of Verbruggen in the Brighton goal were all that stopped the Hammers taking the lead.
Paqueta won the ball back just inside the Brighton half and poked it forward to Bowen. The captain wriggled free of and through three defenders, and then hit low across goal with his right foot. The shot took a deflection, bouncing it on its way to goal, but Verbruggen did fantastically to get a strong right hand to it as he dived low at full stretch.
The ball bounced up into the area, and Summerville backtracked to position himself before flying up for an acrobatic volley at goal. He connected well and hit on target, only for Verbruggen to fly up off the deck and produce a powerful right to knock it over the bar.
The corner dropped loose in the six-yard-box, but Brighton hacked it away as the pressure started to grow. Rodriguez took a smart booking on the halfway line to stop a counter, and was promptly substituted as Nuno looked to his bench and the fresh legs of Freddie Potts, who was serenaded onto the pitch by the loud travelling support.
The erratic Minteh sparked some life, driving at Diouf before firing high and wide coming in off the flank, but it was West Ham who took a deserved lead inside the final 20 minutes.
Wilson, on the field for a minute replacing Summerville, was the creator. After Van Hecke tried to nod a high ball back to Dunk, it was Wilson who pounced onto it, beating the centre back to the ball and driving at goal.
As he got to the edge of the box, Bowen flew past him, and although Wilson's pass looked overhit, and a little wide, the captain somehow got there, sliding after it and firing across the face of goal from a tight angle on the left, and catching Verbruggen out as it rifled past him and into the far corner to give West Ham a vital lead with just over 15 minutes remaining.
Finally, Brighton came to life. They nearly equalised immediately, Van Hecke curling a floated ball behind Diouf and Wieffer made his way down the right side of the area. He played it across the face of goal, only to see it flick up off the boot of Kilman and float towards goal.
It looked to have looped over Areola, but the goalkeeper got a crucial fingertip to flick it ever so slightly, but the slightest touch that stopped it finding the back of his net, instead of dropping behind him and in.
The substitute Kostoulas should have done much better minutes later, Rutter finding him with a low pass from the byline, but the young forward scuffed his effort wide when well-placed.
At the other end, Wilson got himself onto a clearance and showed he still has more pace than Dunk, but delayed shooting and missed the opportunity to find Bowen, before firing wide from the edge of the box.
Inside the last 10 minutes, Espirito Santo made more changed. On came Soucek, Magassa, and, on for his Premier League debut, 18-year-old central defender Ezra Mayers, as Fernandes, Paqueta and Diouf were removed.
Brighton were knocking on the door, much improved since falling behind, and West Ham had gone into containment mode.
Again, sympathy can be found for Nuno. When looking to his bench, his options are limited. Wilson for Summerville gave attacking impetus, but lost the side the legs that threatened on the counter. Soucek adds aerial prowess at a point where crosses were coming into the box, Magassa has proven himself a destructive defensive midfielder in recent weeks, and Mayers gave him a more defence-first left back, with Igor Julio unable to play against his parent club.
What he doesn't have is much in the way of replacement for Bowen or Summerville, with his attacking options limited to just Niclas Fullkrug behind Wilson.
He will have felt the need to defend what they had, especially as Brighton were now flying forward with increasing threat.
The hosts finally had a shot on target in the 89th-minute, a weak header, and then Kostoulas beat two before firing from the edge of the box with the first effort that actually tested Areola.
It was into stoppage time when Brighton got their breakthrough. A ball high into the box was met with an overhead kick that bounced up to Rutter. It hit his thigh and then his arm, before he turned to shoot. It came back out to Van Hecke, who quickly flicked it to Rutter once more, and this time he didn't waste his chance, firing through Areola's legs from six yards out and sending the Amex into raptures as the West Ham defence protested.
After a check, the goal was given, the handball seen as unintended and unimportant, the high boot ignored. They were right to be annoyed, but they still should have won it.
A late corner, with barely a kick remaining after, found Mavropanos high at the far post, but the big Greek defender headed down and agonisingly wide when he should have scored.
Instead, the points were shared, and as Brighton celebrated their point with relief, the West Ham players looked devastated to only take one. At the start of play, it would have seemed a good result, but with the controversy around the goal, how late it was, and Mavropanos last-gasp miss, dropping back into the bottom three was painful.
The improvements are clear, but the points must follow for West Ham to survive.
Manager's Rating
Nuno Espirito Santo: 8/10 His rotation worked, the change of system nullified Brighton for 90 minutes, and his substitute in Wilson set up a goal, whilst it was great to see him trust Mayers late on. He's not got a lot to work with on his bench, but he's finding solutions.
Want to submit your match reports to KUMB.com? More details here ...
Click to view all West Ham United vs Brighton & Hove Albion match reports Click to view all match reports by Chris Wilkerson Like to share your thoughts on this article? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.Player Ratings
Alphonse AreolaBarely called upon, but the fingertip save from Kilman and some solid follow-ups showed another good performance.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Offered a good attacking presence in the wing back role, and defended excellently throughout.
El Hadji Malick Diouf
Has quietened down a little in recent weeks with his attacking threat, and is liable to let a winger beat him too easily at least once a game, but is definitely improving as a defender.
Konstantinos Mavropanos
A very good performance in defence was slightly ruined by missing a massive opportunity for the winner in the dying seconds. Possibly should have won the header before their goal, but it's likely the boot flying at his face just stopped him fully committing, quite understandably for anyone not officiating.
Jean-Clair Todibo
Continued his good form under Nuno and since moving to the left side of defence. Seems to have a good understanding with Diouf.
Max Kilman
A little sloppy on a couple occasions, but otherwise solid and did a very good job on Welbeck.
Guido Rodriguez
He has great positional sense, knowing where he should be and where the threat is, but is just a little exposed by the pace of the league.
Mateus Fernandes
An excellent performance from the young midfielder, with more tackles and turnovers than any other player so far this season.
Lucas Paqueta
Rather than holding the line up top as the striker, he was better suited to being a bit deeper, and feeding the runs of Summerville and Bowen ahead of him. Won some important headers, too.
Crysencio Summerville
He's got it all until he gets into the box, at the moment. The one-on-one was offside anyway, but he should have put that away, and lacked the composure to curl an effort around Verburggen when given a great opportunity.
Jarrod Bowen
Absolutely fantastic finish, he had no right to score from there, and on the stretch and slide. Worked tirelessly.
Substitutes
Freddie Potts(Rodriguez 63') Didn't quite get into the game as much as he would have liked.
Callum Wilson
(Summerville 71') A great substitute appearance, setting up the goal and offering a threat.
Soungoutou Magassa
(Fernandes 82') Quiet, but did win a header
Tomas Soucek
(Paqueta 82') Didn't make an impact on the game in any way.
Ezra Mayers
(Diouf 82') Delightful to see Nuno trust him to come on, especially with the game so tight and a senior player like Walker-Peters an option.
Mads Hermansen
Did not play.
Kyle Walker-Peters
Did not play.
Andy Irving
Did not play.
Niclas Fullkrug
Did not play.
Match Facts
West Ham United: Alphonse Areola, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, Guido Rodriguez, Mateus Fernandes, Lucas Paqueta, Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen.Goals: Jarrod Bowen 73 .
Booked: Guido Rodriguez 0 Freddie Potts 0 .
Sent Off: None sent off. .
Brighton & Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Wieffer, van Hecke, Dunk (c), Kadıoglu (Boscagli 83), Baleba (Hinshelwood 60), Gomez, De Cuyper (Kostoulas 72), Minteh (Gruda 72), Rutter, Welbeck.
Subs not used: Steele, Veltman, Coppola, Knight, Oriola .
Goals: Rutter (90+1).
Booked: Kadıoglu, Dunk.
Sent off: None.
Referee: Simon Hooper.
Attendance: 31,293.
Man of the Match: Mateus Fernandes.