Carlos Baleba completed an incredible late turnaround for Brighton & Hove Albion as they clinched a dramatic 3-2 victory over West Ham United at the Amex Stadium.
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West Ham thought they had secured a first win since the end of February after themselves coming from behind to lead.
After Yasin Ayari had given Brighton an early lead on Saturday, Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek scored to turn the game on its head in the second half, and the Hammers led 2-1 after 88 minutes.
However, Kaoru Mitoma then equalised, and Baleba sent the home fans into raptures with his stunning stoppage-time strike, leaving West Ham boss Graham Potter - who was facing his former club - scratching his head on the sidelines.
Brighton move up to ninth, while West Ham stay 17th, now safe from relegation after Ipswich Town's defeat to Newcastle ensured the Tractor Boys will complete the bottom three.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
33 | +14 | 60 |
| 7 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
34 | +5 | 57 |
| 8 |
Fulham
FUL
|
34 | +4 | 51 |
| 9 |
Brighton
BHA
|
34 | +1 | 51 |
| 10 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
34 | +12 | 50 |
| 11 |
Brentford
BRE
|
33 | +6 | 46 |
How the match unfolded
It took just 13 minutes for Brighton to find the opener. Jack Hinshelwood teed up Ayari 20 yards from goal, and the Swede wonderfully picked out the top-right corner.
West Ham went close to a response as Soucek headed Maximilian Kilman’s cross on to the crossbar, with Bart Verbruggen getting fingertips to it.
Simon Adingra saw a second Brighton goal disallowed in the 36th minute. Alphonse Areola had made a double save to deny Pervis Estupinan and Mats Wieffer before the winger rifled in, but it was adjudged that Danny Welbeck had interfered with the initial effort from an offside position.
West Ham drew level three minutes into the second half, with Jarrod Bowen crossing to Kudus, who shot through Verbruggen’s legs.
Bowen was the provider again as he teed up Soucek to nod past Verbruggen in the 83rd minute, but the lead only lased for six minutes as Mitoma nodded in from close range.
And Brighton ensured the spoils were theirs when Baleba bent home a sublime long-range strike in the 92nd minute.
Brighton stay in the race for Europe
Brighton’s 4-2 defeat to Brentford last time out looked to have dented their chances of claiming a European spot this season, but the Seagulls have reignited those hopes.
AFC Bournemouth are not in action until Sunday, but with Fulham also beating Southampton, Brighton kept pace in the hunt for Europe, avoiding what could have been a costly slip-up.
They started well, with Ayari’s stunning finish giving Areola no chance, but they failed to take control for large parts of the game.
Only the slightest of margins denied them a second goal, though – Welbeck was inches past the last man when he tried to help on Estupinan’s strike, with Areola making two smart stops before Adingra’s strike was ruled out.
And even when West Ham grabbed the initiative in the second half, Brighton always posed a threat – Wieffer seeing a header kept out before Hinshelwood’s strike was deflected over.
The resilience Brighton showed after Soucek’s header will delight Fabian Hurzeler, and that never-say-die attitude will be required in the run-in. It is Newcastle next up for them.
Potter makes unhappy return
West Ham knew they needed a point, or an Ipswich defeat, to confirm their Premier League status, even if they had likely been confident of it for a good while.
But this is proving to be a difficult end to the season for Potter, who could not get one over on his old club.
They showed signs of promise in the first half, with Soucek their standout performer – he turned Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross into the side netting from a tight angle before almost catching Verbruggen out with a looping header, with Brighton only saved by the bar.
Niclas Fullkrug’s second-half introduction helped, giving West Ham a focal point, and his movement in the six-yard box opened up the space for Kudus to meet Bowen’s cross.
Soucek thought he had snatched West Ham’s first win since 27 February, but their shaky defence could not stand up against Brighton’s late pressure. Their wait for a win will stretch to over two months, and it is a run they will be keen to stop against Tottenham Hotspur next week.
Club reports
Brighton report | West Ham report
What the managers said
Fabian Hurzeler: "I didn't enjoy it because shortly before the end we were 2-2 and we wanted to win. But the moment when we scored was unbelievable. You saw the reaction from the players, crowd, the staff and fans, we really wanted to win. This was a special moment.
Graham Potter: "The ability to sustain [our performance] is the biggest factor. We did a lot of good things. We have been done by two goals from outside the box. We created chances, scored two goals, but you need to sustain that and that is the challenge for us."
Remaining PL fixtures
Key facts
Only in 2022/23 and 1981/82 have Brighton earned more points in a top-flight season than their 51 this season, with 62 and 52 respectively.
West Ham have lost three successive Premier League away games for the first time since May last season, while only Southampton (five), Ipswich (five) and Leicester City (four) have collected fewer points in the Premier League than the Hammers' 13 since Potter’s first game in charge.
Bowen provided his 36th and 37th assist for West Ham United in the Premier League, the most of any player for the club in the competition.
James Ward-Prowse (30y 176d) made his 400th Premier League appearance against Brighton (343 with Southampton, 48 with West Ham, nine with Nottingham Forest), becoming the sixth-youngest outfielder to reach that total in the competition, behind Wayne Rooney (29y 149d), Gareth Barry (29y 172d), James Milner (29y 300d), Frank Lampard (30y 93d) and Emile Heskey (30y 94d).