The trip to the London Stadium has become one of the Albion’s favourite away days and Sunday’s 2-0 victory over West Ham United kept our love for the former Olympic Stadium bubbling over.
The football writers filing to the daily papers – even the high percentage of Hammers fans among them – were impressed with another good performance on the road for Graham Potter’s men. Many picked out Leandro Trossard and Danny Welbeck as the star performers, but almost all referenced our excellent recent record against the unhappy Hammers.
In the i, Russell Harris wrote that “Mac Allister’s first-half penalty and Trossard’s breakaway second-half strike gave upwardly mobile Brighton a deserved win. The Hammers are still looking for a first Premier League win over Brighton after 11 attempts."
In The Daily Telegraph, John Aizlewood delved even farther back through the mists of time. “West Ham have not beaten Brighton in the Premier League, or at all since 2012,” he wrote. “A decade since Ricardo vaz Te’s Championship hat-trick, they remain bereft of ideas how to overcome their bogey side.
“Playing as if wading through treacle, they were outthought and outmuscled by an impressive, supremely well-drilled Brighton & Hove Albion who, you suspect, could have upped their pace had the opposition been stiffer.
“Against a hushed backdrop, a phoney war lasted 18 minutes. Then Brighton assumed control and would not yield. Kurt Zouma gave the ball away to Leandro Trossard, a beacon of light in the murk. Trossard fed Danny Welbeck with a delicious through ball. Welbeck powered forwards only to be upended by debutant and 2020 Champions League finalist, Thilo Kehrer, the one new signing Moyes did start. VAR agreed with referee Anthony Taylor that the challenge was inside the area and with neither fuss nor ado, Alexis Mac Allister sent Lukasz Fabianski the wrong way from the spot.
“Being in arrears failed to galvanise sluggish West Ham. In contrast, Brighton blossomed. Moises Caicedo was imperious in the centre of midfield, the non-stop Adam Lallana ensured the Tomas Soucek/Declan Rice axis struggled to function and West Ham were booed off at half-time.”
John Brewin of The Guardian predicted a more successful season for Albion than for the Hammers, writing that “Graham Potter’s team attacked and defended as a unit where West Ham were disjointed and lacking in zest.
“With days left of the transfer window, Brighton still lack a prolific striker but in Danny Welbeck they have a player expert in leading the line. The former England man showed off his key attributes of pace and positioning in winning the penalty, surging past Kehrer after Kurt Zouma’s charge forward, and loss of the ball, had left his new partner exposed.
Brighton have now won 50 matches in the #PL, and are unbeaten in their last eight games 🔵⚪️#WHUBHA | @OfficialBHAFC pic.twitter.com/OsFWIcn69W
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 21, 2022
“Trossard’s acute, angled pass sent Welbeck away and though there was a VAR delay to confirm Kehrer had tripped Welbeck in the area for a delayed fall, there was nothing controversial in the decision by Anthony Taylor, the referee. Mac Allister, from a short run-up, sent Lukasz Fabianski the wrong way.
“Brighton looked far likelier to score as the first half went on, with Moisés Caicedo having the better of the midfield battle with opposite number Declan Rice. The visitors were unhurried, comfortable in possession.
“Within seconds of the arrival of the Ecuadorian debutant, Pervis Estupiñán, in place of Adam Lallana, Brighton doubled their lead with a level of incision way beyond West Ham.
“Mac Allister strode forward, and Pascal Gross, falling as he did so, flicked Trossard through on goal. The Belgian won a battle of wits with Fabianski with a low finish, his run untracked down the left of the defence that Kehrer and Cresswell had left vacant. Brighton seem far better set for a top-seven place.
Kieran Gill of the Daily Mail has seen a lot of the Albion and also knows the history, writing that 'It's happened again,' sang the away supporters on repeat, referring to the fact they are West Ham's bogey team.
“Eleven times these two have faced each other in the Premier League and the Hammers have never won. Brighton were the better team from the get-go. They had the lead before the 22-minute mark, and oh what a defensive calamity it was from a West Ham point of view.
“Zouma tried to play a pass forward but didn't disguise it well enough. Mac Allister intercepted the ball on the halfway line and Leandro Trossard counter-attacked, breaking forward at speed. Trossard fed Welbeck, whose diagonal run into the box was smart. Kehrer followed him and foolishly slid in.
“Mac Allister stepped up, sent Lukasz Fabianski the wrong way, and made it 1-0 by finding the bottom right corner. Not the way Zouma and Kehrer wanted their first duet in defence to go.
“Pablo Fornals stinging the palms of Robert Sanchez from 18 yards was as close as West Ham got to equalising, however, and so on came Gianluca Scamacca for the final half hour. Here was an opportunity for the club's new £35.5m striker to save the day. It wasn't to be. Instead West Ham's day only got worse.
“Mac Allister played a pass forward, Pascal Gross flicked it behind and Trossard sprinted into a big empty space left by Zouma. He slotted the ball beneath Fabianski for 2-0 and the three points was Brighton's. Deservedly so for the way they had played at the London Stadium.”
In The Times, Gary Jacob produced some interesting statistics. “In their opening three matches West Ham have had a combined nine shots on target, including three against Brighton,” he wrote. “The closest they came to scoring at the London Stadium was a header by Tomas Soucek, who is not alone in going off the boil over the past six months.
“Brighton arrived at London Stadium unbeaten in their past 15 league matches when scoring first — a run that started against West Ham in May 2021 — and Mac Allister stroked the ball into the corner to extend that run.
“West Ham improved after the break but were too easily picked off. Brighton should have added a third. Pervis Estupiñán, who was signed to replace Marc Cucurella, came on and delivered a peach of a cross that an unmarked Solly March headed over from six yards. Sánchez then tipped over from Soucek but it was a comfortable finale for Brighton.”
Jordan Davies concentrated mainly on West Ham’s shortcomings in The Sun but added that “Brighton … are enjoying early season form that not many would have predicted after selling their two best players in Yves Bissouma and Marc Cucurella.
“An historic win away at Old Trafford on the opening day has been followed up by a draw against Newcastle and now more success against a club they love to nick points off.
“Despite a lack of stellar incomings this summer, Graham Potter is on course to work wonders yet again with his well-drilled and tactically astute side.”
On the BBC website, Mantej Mann wrote that “the impressive Welbeck introduced Kehrer to the speed of the Premier League by forcing the German defender into a mis-timed last-ditch tackle.
“Brighton were able to show the clinical edge that the Hammers are lacking, with lone striker Michail Antonio cutting an isolated figure for the 75 minutes he was on the field.
“He had the lowest number of touches of any player who started the game (21), including both goalkeepers, and is a shell of his imposing best from the start of last season, when he scored four goals in his opening three league games.”
That, of course, was an oblique compliment to Albion’s iron-clad defence, which was largely overlooked in most reports. But we will happily take compliments for our attacking prowess, as Mann continued: “Brighton cut through decisively as Gross managed to turn the ball around the corner for Trossard to run clear and beat Lukasz Fabianski with a neat finish.
“West Ham will have to improve their sharpness in front of goal if they are to repeat the success of last year, while seven points from a possible nine for Brighton is just reward for a brilliant start to the new campaign.”