Brighton’s clash with West Ham should have been a routine end-of-season fixture, with little riding on the outcome. Brighton’s hopes of qualifying for Europe were faint at best, while West Ham had all but secured their Premier League status for another season. Yet, the match ended up reflecting both teams’ recent struggles perfectly. Brighton came into the game without a win in five league matches, conceding at least twice in each. West Ham, on the other hand, had failed to win in seven games and had not managed a comeback victory all season. In the end, Brighton’s 3-2 win was far from surprising.
Brighton controlled possession from the start, looking far more threatening than their visitors. Their pressing and movement created early problems, and it was no shock when they took the lead in the 13th minute. Simon Adingra, who frequently found space on the left, moved the ball inside to Brajan Gruda, whose quick touch set up Yasin Ayari. The midfielder did the rest, curling a superb shot into the top right corner from the edge of the penalty area.
Adingra thought he had doubled the lead after following up on a fantastic double save from Alphonse Areola, tapping in from close range. However, the celebrations were cut short when the offside flag went up, with Mats Wieffer having strayed beyond the last defender in the buildup.
West Ham, operating with a back three, struggled to get a grip on midfield and resorted to counterattacks. Tomas Soucek had two notable opportunities. First, he drove a shot into the side netting from a tight angle after a clever ball from Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Then he came closer still, powering a header against the crossbar with Bart Verbruggen only able to get fingertips to it.
Despite these moments, West Ham lacked fluidity and struggled to build any real pressure. Their traveling supporters, however, remained vocal, pushing the team on. Responding to the noise and the clear need for a change, Graham Potter introduced Niclas Füllkrug, injecting some physicality and presence up front alongside Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus.
The adjustment paid off almost immediately, although not through Füllkrug directly. Aaron Wan-Bissaka threaded a clever pass through to Bowen, who squared for Kudus to tap into an empty net and level the scores.
The new front three seemed to finally unsettle Brighton, and with the visitors growing in confidence, they struck again. Bowen curled in a delicious cross from the right, and Soucek rose unmarked to nod West Ham into the lead with a simple close-range header.
It seemed West Ham would finally break their winless streak, and Potter was minutes away from securing arguably his biggest result since taking charge. But Brighton had other ideas. With just two minutes remaining, the home side launched a desperate attack. A deep ball into the box was met by Gruda, who smartly headed it across goal for Kaoru Mitoma to glance in the equaliser, sparking wild celebrations around the Amex Stadium.
The noise only grew louder moments later. As West Ham tried to regroup, Carlos Baleba picked up a loose ball just outside the penalty area and unleashed a magnificent curling shot into the top corner. It was a breathtaking strike and one that sealed a dramatic, much-needed victory for Brighton, while deepening the gloom surrounding Potter and West Ham.
