Brighton snatched a point in dramatic fashion late on as they played out a scrappy 1-1 draw with West Ham in the pouring rain at the Amex on Sunday.
WATCH — Full match replay
Jarrod Bowen looked to have given West Ham a precious win with his superb second half finish, but Georginio Rutter equalized in the 91st minute to snatch a point for the Seagulls.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side missed the chance to move fourth in the table with a win but will be happy enough with a point in an even game, as they move on to 23 points for the season. Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham are on 13 points and remain in the relegation zone.
Hammers have hope despite late agony
Nuno Espirito Santo and everyone connected with West Ham will be gutted to concede a late goal but there were plenty of promising signs in their draw at Brighton. If any side deserved to win it then it was West Ham. They surged forward in the second half in search of the opener and finally got it through Bowen. They had chances to further extend their lead and then to win it even after Brighton made it 1-1, as Bowen epitomizes what they can become under Nuno. West Ham have picked up plenty of points in recent weeks and even though they are still in the relegation zone, they have dragged plenty of other teams in to the scrap to stay in the Premier League. West Ham were robust in midfield, dealt with crosses extremely well defensively and have the ability of Bowen, Wilson and Summerville to cause teams big problems on the counter. The Hammers are heading in the right direction and will be feeling pretty good about their chances of staying up. Even if they will be annoyed with dropping two points late on at Brighton.
What’s next?
Brighton head to Liverpool next Saturday, while West Ham host Aston Villa on Sunday.
Brighton vs West Ham score: 1-1
Rutter 90+1'; Bowen 73'
Brighton vs West Ham live updates! — By Joe Prince-Wright
Mavropanos heads wide in the 98th minute!
He should win it at the very end. A corner is whipped in after brilliant play from Bowen and Mavropanos has a free header at the back post but somehow puts it wide. Just as Brighton were pushing hard to win it, West Ham almost snatched all three points.
Rutter equalizes in stoppage time!
That was coming. Brighton were battering West Ham. Rutter’s first effort is saved well by Areola, then Van Hecke sets up Rutter and his low show flies in. VAR is checking for a possible handball on Rutter before the first effort, but the goal stands. Late drama!
Areola denies Kostoulas
A low shot from the edge of the box from teenager Kostoulas is powerful and Areola pushes it away.
Kostoulas misses a big chance
Charalampos Kostoulas with a huge chance as the ball is crossed in. The Brighton sub is free in the box but gets his finish all wrong as the ball hits his standing leg and goes behind for a goal kick.
Brighton hit the bar!
A cross into the box flicks up off a West Ham defender and Areola gets the slightest touch on the ball as it hits the crossbar. Brighton almost equalize right away.
Bowen scores a beauty!
What a moment for West Ham and their captain Jarrod Bowen. A brilliant finish from a tight angle as he slides the ball home across goal. Substitute Calum Wilson has just come on the pitch and played a big role in setting it up after a mistake from Van Hecke. The West Ham fans behind the goal have gone bonkers and their team deserve to be ahead.
Brilliant from Verbruggen to deny surging West Ham!
Jarrod Bowen somehow squirms through several tackles and his deflected shot is brilliantly pushed away by Verbruggen. The ball loops up in the six yard box and Summerville’s acrobatic effort is on target but Verbruggen pushes it away with a wonderful reaction save. From the corner Brighton scramble it clear. West Ham are pushing really hard to take the lead.
Half time: Brighton 0-0 West Ham
A first half short in chances for both teams as the rainy and windy conditions have taken their toll.
West Ham block Rutter’s volley
Okay, the game is livening up now. A cross to the back post finds Rutter and his volley is a good one but West Ham block it superbly and Diouf celebrates the defending. Great play from all concerned.
Summerville curls wide
A long ball forward causes confusion in the Brighton defense and Paqueta feeds it through to Summerville who tries to curl home. His effort across goal flies wide. The poor conditions are really impacting the game.
Big chance for Wieffer
Wonderful cross from the left and Wieffer is arriving into the box and looks certain to tap home and put Brighton 1-0 up. But he misses it totally. West Ham totally let off the hook there.
Verbruggen denies Summerville, but the flag is up
First big chance of the game as Summerville is in through the middle, but his low shot is saved well by Bart Verbruggen. But the offside flag is up and Summerville was about a yard off. Bit of a slow start to this game in the pouring rain on the south coast.
Brighton lineup
Verbruggen; Wieffer, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Baleba, Gomez; Minteh, Rutter, De Cuyper; Welbeck
West Ham lineup
Areola; Mavropanos, Todibo, Kilman; Wan-Bissaka, Rodriguez, Paqueta, Diouf; Fernandes, Summerville; Bowen
Brighton & Hove Albion team news, focus
OUT: James Milner (muscular), Adam Webster (knee), Solly March (knee) | QUESTIONABLE: Georginio Rutter (unspecified), Tom Watson (knock), Yasin Ayari (knock), Kaoru Mitoma (foot), Stefanos Tzimas (unspecified)
West Ham United team news, focus
OUT: Lucas Paqueta (suspension), Lukasz Fabianski (back), Oliver Scarles (shoulder) | QUESTIONABLE: Crysencio Summerville (knock)
Brighton vs West Ham preview
The Seagulls staged a Wednesday thriller with Aston Villa that ended their four-match unbeaten run in the Premier League, as they conceded four times after taking a 2-0 lead en route to a 4-3 loss that saw an unlikely brace from Jan Paul van Hecke. That loss stopped Brighton from leapfrogging Villa and kept Fabian Hurzeler’s team from a place in the top four.
Now they’ll meet a West Ham side which has a day’s less rest due to a Thursday match at Manchester United. The Irons are a surprise bottom three side but had a three-match unbeaten run heading into Week 13. Can they build another?
Brighton vs West Ham prediction
The injury list asks a lot of Brighton, but they still scored thrice against one of the division’s best defensive units in Aston Villa. West Ham is no such unit, even if Nuno Espirito Santo’s managed improved performances from the group. With the gap in prep time, Brighton should be able to get the job done. Brighton 2-0 West Ham.
How to watch Brighton vs West Ham live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 9am ET Sunday
Venue: Amex Stadium — Brighton and Hove
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch live on NBC.com
