West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Areola was the hero as his side held Brighton & Hove Albion to a goalless draw at London Stadium.
It is only the fifth Premier League fixture this season to end without a goal, as West Ham’s three-match winning run came to an end and it is their first 0-0 draw at home since September 2018 against Chelsea, ending a run of 101 matches at London Stadium without one.
Meanwhile Brighton recorded a first Premier League clean sheet in 24 matches.
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How the match unfolded
David Moyes made three changes to the side which won at Arsenal, with Lucas Paqueta and Vladimir Coufal ruled out and Mohammed Kudus departed to join up with Ghana for this month's Africa Cup of Nations. Ben Johnson, Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals came into the starting XI.
For Brighton, Adam Webster replaced captain Lewis Dunk, who was suspended, while Pervis Estupinan came in for Igor Julio at left-back.
It was a landmark evening for James Milner, who featured in his 632nd match to move joint-second with Ryan Giggs in the Premier League’s all-time appearance charts, playing his first 90 minutes of the season.
There were few clear-cut chances in the first half until Jason Steele was forced to make a smart save with his legs from a James Ward-Prowse volley.
Brighton dominated possession with 63 per cent in the opening 45 minutes and nearly made it count, but Areola saved a first-time effort from Jack Hinshelwood.
Pascal Gross, who has four Premier League goals against West Ham in his career and scored in the reverse fixture in August, had his point-blank header well saved just before the break.
Brighton continued where they left off from the first half and 10 minutes into the second, they had a great chance to take the lead, but Danny Welbeck's shot was parried by Areola, before Milner fired the rebound over.
At the other end, Tomas Soucek, who signed a new extended contract with West Ham on Monday, shot narrowly wide of a post under pressure from Brighton's defence.
Brighton had scored 12 goals off the bench this season and 19-year-old substitute Evan Ferguson was inches away from making it 13, but his brilliant flick over Edson Alvarez and volley flew inches wide.
Roberto De Zerbi's side piled on the pressure in the final 10 minutes and did enough to have won the match as Ferguson glanced a header wide and then almost nudged Adam Lallana's cross over the line.
But despite having 15 shots in the second half, Brighton were unable to score for only the second time this season, the other being their 2-0 defeat at Arsenal.
West Ham remain sixth on 34 points while Brighton move above Manchester United on goal difference into seventh with 31.
West Ham report | Brighton report
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +45 | 82 |
| 4 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +15 | 68 |
| 5 |
Spurs
TOT
|
38 | +13 | 66 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
38 | +14 | 63 |
| 7 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
38 | +23 | 60 |
| 8 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
38 | -1 | 60 |
| 9 |
West Ham
WHU
|
38 | -14 | 52 |
| 10 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
38 | -1 | 49 |
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Key facts
This was West Ham’s first 0-0 draw at home in the Premier League since September 2018 against Chelsea, ending a run of 101 matches at the London Stadium without one. Overall, it was their first goalless draw in 80 games in the competition since December 2021 at Burnley.
West Ham have kept four consecutive Premier League clean sheets for the first time since February 2014. The Hammers had only kept one shutout in their first 16 league games this season.
Brighton have failed to score in two of their last four Premier League matches (also 0-2 v Arsenal), having failed to score in just one of their previous 44 before this.
Brighton’s James Milner made his 632nd Premier League appearance in this match. He’s now tied with Ryan Giggs in second for most games in the competition, with only Gareth Barry playing more (653).