And here’s John Brewin match report, the publication of which is my cue to do one. Goodnight!
Here’s one we made earlier
Today’s results mean that only one club has a 100 per cent record. Congratulations to Manchester City on blah blah blah.
Full time: Brighton 1-3 West Ham
West Ham go top of the Premier League after a classic counter-attacking victory. They had barely 20 per cent of the possession but troubled Brighton all night on the break. James Ward-Prowse’s early goal was followed in the second half by belters from Jarrod Bowen and a rampant Michail Antonio.
Pascal Gross pulled one back late on, and Alphonse Areola made two cracking saves to stop Brighton making 3-2. But there’s no doubt West Ham deserved their victory.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Ham | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 4 | Brighton | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 5 | Man City | 2 | 4 | 6 |
90+7 min Bowen misses a one-on-one, though I don’t think it would have counted. And that’s it!
90+4 min Dunk wallops over from 30 yards. Brighton’s players look really hacked off with life.
90+3 min Gross’s deep corner is headed back across goal by Dunk, and Ings heads off the line!
Updated
90+2 min: Cracking save by Areola! Mitoma’s angled pass into the area ricochets kindly for Ferguson. He smashes an angry shot from 15 yards that is brilliantly tipped over by Areola. That’s definitely his best save of the match.
90+1 min Six minutes.
90 min Brighton have been re-energised by Gross’s goal and attacking with greater intent. We’re about to find out how much added time there will be.
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90 min “Moyes has done a ridiculous job at West Ham,” says Matt Dony. “Any club outside the elite will have down periods, but could anyone really have done a better job over the last few years? It pains me to admit it, but fair play to the man.”
Yeah but he was lucky to survive that pre-season defeat to Leverkusen.
89 min Mitoma is booked for a foul on Bowen. Then Kehrer is booked for a foul on Mitoma.
87 min: Fine save by Areola! Brighton take the corner short on the left. Joao Pedro plays a neat one-two and flicks a cross to the edge of the area. Veltman cuts across a sweet volley that is pushed over acrobatically by Areola. That might be his best save of the match.
87 min Bowen is tackled on the edge of the area and Brighton break. Joao Pedro eventually plays in the overlapping Estupinan, whose cross is put behind by Zouma.
85 min Mitoma tries to run onto a return pass from Joao Pedro in the area. Coufal gets between him and the ball and allows it to run behind for a goalkick.
84 min: Double substitution for West Ham Alvarez is down with what looks like cramp. In fact that’s his last contribution; Pablo Fornals replaces him. Danny Ings is also coming on for Lucas Paqueta.
83 min Brighton appeal unsuccessfully for a penalty when Estupinan’s low cross hits the arm of the falling Coufal. The fact he was falling probably saved him.
82 min Brighton are the kind of crazy team who could draw this 3-3 or lose it 5-1. Buckle up, is what I’m saying.
GOAL! Brighton 1-3 West Ham (Gross 81)
There goes another clean sheet. Gross twists away from Alvarez on the edge of the area and drives a precise low shot into the far corner. That makes him Brighton’s leading goalscorer of the Premier League era with 27.
Updated
80 min Ward-Prowse’s cross is pushed away by the diving Verbruggen. The ball hits Dunk and ricochets onto the top of the bar. I think the flag had gone up though.
79 min: West Ham substitution The magnificent Michail Antonio, who made one, scored one and gave Adam Webster a brutal chasing, is replaced by Thilo Kehrer.
Antonio adds West Ham's THIRD!
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 26, 2023
A masterclass of counter-attack play 🧑🏫 pic.twitter.com/ANFbTTek5U
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79 min Gross crashes a shot from 20 yards that is pushed away by Areola, diving to his right. A comfortable save.
78 min Brighton continue to attack, though their heart’s not in it any more. West Ham have done a helluva number on them, and Joe Pearson’s observation about sterile possession (36 min) has aged well.
77 min A lot of West Ham fans were calling for David Moyes to be sacked when they lost 4-0 to Bayer Leverkusen in pre-effing-season.
76 min Paqueta wins a corner off Webster, and waves for the West Ham fans to make more noise. He has been fantastic today.
75 min “Explain xG to us country bumpkins, please, Rob,” asks Shiladitya Pandit. “How does anyone measure that?”
Don’t ask how or why, just use it when it suits your argument.
74 min We need to update this recent Knowledge article.
73 min Moyes out!
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Ham | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 4 | Man City | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 5 | Brighton | 3 | 3 | 6 |
72 min: Double substitution for West Ham Simon Adingra and Joel Veltman replaces James Milner and Solly March.
72 min: Great chance for Antonio! Paqueta clips another majestic first-time pass over the defence to release Antonio. He takes it down on the run but then wallops the ball over the bar from eight yards. He should have scored.
71 min It was Ward-Prowse who challenged Mitoma a little clumsily in the area. Had it been given on the field I suspect the decision would have stood, but it wasn’t a clear and obvious error.
71 min A team like Brighton will always suffer occasional hammerings like this. Everton beat them 5-1 in April, since when Everton have scored two goals in six games.
70 min “Is there any sensible reason why more clubs weren’t bidding for James Ward-Prowse this summer?” wonders David Wall. “I seem to remember in previous summers that clubs such as Liverpool were often linked with him, yet this year there was almost no competition for West Ham in getting his signature. It seems especially strange given that Liverpool have been looking to refresh their midfield and he’d be an ideal replacement for Henderson (perhaps even an upgrade, as well as being energetic, a good passer, and having good leadership qualities, he’s phenomenal at dead ball situations). Has his reputation suffered from being involved in relegation battles over the last couple of seasons?”
Hard to say. My instinct is that his reputation hasn’t suffered, just the biggest teams had other targets they preferred: Tonali, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Havertz, Amrabat. He’s a terrific player though, and such a shrewd signing by West Ham. As are Alvarez and Kudus. They could have a really good season, certainly if they don’t lose Paqueta.
69 min Mitoma goes down in the area after a challenge from Coufal (I think). Anthony Taylor is not the Man from Del Monte.
Updated
68 min At the other end, Ward-Prowse’s long-range strike is held by Verbruggen.
66 min The corner leads to a better save from Areola, who dives to his left to keep out Dunk’s thumping header. Roberto De Zerbi has the face on.
66 min A crisp daisycutter from Gross is turned round by the diving Areola.
Michail Antonio has scored another blistering goal. Bowen killed a goalkick from Areola and curled the ball into Antonio on the edge of the D. He stormed past Webster, who has struggled to handle him all day, and belted a low drive into the far corner.
Updated
GOAL! Brighton 0-3 West Ham (Antonio 63)
And now West Ham are top of the league!
63 min West Ham have had 18 per cent of the possession. But the old xG tells a different story: Brighton 0.95-2.16 West Ham.
62 min As things stand, West Ham are joint top of the league with Spurs. Moyes out!
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 2 | West Ham | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 4 | Brighton | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| 5 | Man City | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Updated
62 min This gets better every time you see it.
WHAT A TOUCH AND WHAT A GOAL FROM JARROD BOWEN!
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 26, 2023
West Ham's lead doubles ⚒ pic.twitter.com/5AWxVdRUrx
60 min: Double substitution for Brighton Joao Pedro and Adam Lallana replace Danny Welbeck and Billy Gilmour.
What a marvellous counter-attack from West Ham. Antonio, in the left back position, surged forward and released Benrahma on the left. He had no support whatsoever, so he stood on the ball for a second or two while Bowen hared into space at the far post. Benrahma’s cross was perfect, and Bowen controlled it magnificently on the run before flicking the ball nonchalantly across Verbruggen. A glorious goal.
Updated
GOAL! Brighton 0-2 West Ham (Bowen 58)
Jarrod Bowen scores a sensational goal!
Updated
57 min This is a good spell for West Ham. Benrahma beats both Gross and Webster and slides a low cross that is crucially cut out by the stretching Dunk. The ball eventually comes to Paqueta, whose volley from 25 yards is straight at Verbruggen.
56 min: Emerson hits the bar! Antonio draws a foul from Milner, who isn’t impressed with Anthony Taylor’s decision. It’s taken quickly to Benrahma, who plays in the underlapping Emerson. He hammers a shot on the run that hits the top of the bar, though Verbruggen probably had it covered.
53 min: Big chance for Bowen! West Ham continue to threaten on the break. Alvarez (I think) pokes a nice pass to Bowen on the right side of the area. He cuts inside, dummies the defender but then slices his shot well wide. He’d done the hard part by beating the defender, Dunk I think, though in his defence he was slightly off balance when he took the shot.
51 min Brighton want a penalty when Estupinan is barged over in the area by Paqueta. Anthony Taylor is h having none of it. It was a very risky challenge for Paqueta, and I thought a penalty might be given, but I don’t think it counts as a clear and obvious error.
50 min Gross’s dangerous cross on the turn is claimed by Areola at the near post. Brighton’s tempo has been miles better since the break.
49 min Gross’s very deep corner is taken down on the chest by Mitoma, but he splatters the bouncing ball high and wide from a tight angle.
48 min This is better from Brighton. Gross arrows a lovely angled pass into Welbeck, 25 yards from goal. He moves away from Coufal and hits a shot that deflects behind for a corner.
46 min: Fine save by Areola! Brighton almost equalise right at the start of the second half. Mitoma, on the left of the area, flips a nice cross towards the far post. Ferguson arrives unmarked, eight yards out, and plants a downward header to the left of Areola. He dives across to make a smart two-handed save.
At first it looked like a brilliant save; replays show that Ferguson’s header wasn’t quite in the corner.
Updated
46 min Peep peep! West Ham kick off the second half, with no changes on either side.
More half-time reading
Updated
Half-time reading
Half time: Brighton 0-1 West Ham
West Ham are doing a number on Brighton. They’ve had 16 per cent of the possession but lead through James Ward-Prowse’s first goal for the club. West Ham have look menacing on the break, with Michail Antonio emphatically in the mood, and their well-organised defence has kept Brighton at arm’s length.
45+4 min Welbeck tries a crossfield pass to Milner and curls it straight out of play.
45+3 min Gross’s corner is poor, the end.
45+3 min “I guess it’s a compliment of sorts for Brighton how West Ham have set up today,” says Niall Mullen. “Frustrating watch though.”
It’s been like a training session.
45+3 min March’s free-kick hits the head of Alvarez in the wall and bounces behind for a corner.
45+2 min “This match is being broadcast on national television here in the U-S-A! U-S-A!! U-S-A!!!” says Peter Oh. “If my eyes didn’t betray me, the headrest of David Moyes’ seat is emblazoned with ‘Football Manager’. Duh, kinda obvious, isn’t it?”
Updated
45+1 min Four minutes of added time. Welbeck is fouled on the edge of the D by Alvarez, who is booked. This is a chance for Brighton.
Updated
45 min Saying which, the third corner is straight into the loving arms of Verbruggen.
45 min The second corner is headed behind by Milner at the near post. Ward-Prowse’s corners are so dangerous.
44 min West Ham win a corner on the left. Ward-Prowse goes for goal, I think, and Webster heads it behind for another corner.
43 min A much more confident piece of defending from Alvarez, who calmly beats two Brighton players in his own area. I bet David Moyes loved that.
43 min Estupinan’s header across the area is sliced towards his own goal by Alvarez. Areola comes to claim, drops the ball and is very relieved to grab it at the second attempt.
LUCKY AREOLA! 🧤
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 26, 2023
So close for Brighton 😬 pic.twitter.com/nQf83ZvC12
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41 min Gross’s long-range shot dips awkwardly in front of Areola, who shovels it away and grabs the loose ball.
Updated
39 min Estupinan’s dangerous cross is headed away well by Emerson, under a lot of pressure from March. In fact Anthony Taylor has given a foul against March.
39 min: West Ham substitution Milner’s cross hits Emerson and goes behind. Before the corner is taken, Said Benrahma replaces Tomas Soucek. I assume that counts as a concussion substitute. It should also mean a switch to 4-2-3-1, with Lucas Paqueta moving infield.
38 min Brighton’s tempo is a bit too slow, which is allowing West Ham to keep their defensive shape. At the moment Brighton don’t look like scoring.
Updated
36 min Said Benrahma is getting ready to replace Tomas Soucek.
36 min “Has this match so far been the quintessential example of ‘sterile possession’?” says Joe Pearson. “Hold, pass, hold, pass, hold, pass, give up a goal to the other side.”
Ask me in an hour.
Updated
36 min A very groggy Soucek is on his feet, though I’ll be surprised if he’s allowed to continue.
34 min “Brighton lost two of their starting midfield players in Mac Allister and Caicedo,” note Yash Gupta. “Before last season they lost Bissouma. They’re in Europe this season. I suppose that’s modern football in which a team which achieved record league position can’t afford to stop being a feeder club for one year when they are playing in Europa. The Europa League schedule stretches nearly every team and they’ve lost their main players. De Zerbi is an excellent coach and Mitoma is great but this season has only just started.”
It would make me phenomenally happy if they won the Europa League. But yes, as West Ham could tell them, it’s not easy for a have-not to excel in the league and Europe at the same time.
33 min This looks nasty. Ward-Prowse’s free-kick is punched away by Verbruggen, who flattens Soucek in his follow through. Players on both sides immediately wave the physios onto the field.
Updated
32 min “As well as adding on more time for stoppages, referees are also booking more players for timewasting,” says David Wall. “There’s been a lot of discussion about players having to play an extra 10+ minutes every week and how that will add up over a season, but what about the extra suspensions that we’re going to see if that continues?
“Of course, the answer is for players to stop time-wasting, but if they don’t and the caution rate continues, then it has the potential to affect performances and results later on in the season (we saw, for instance, how much Casemiro’s suspensions hindered Manchester United last year at the point when they were looking at getting into the title race).”
That’s a very good point. I don’t love all the added time, especially doing this job, but ultimately it’s the players’ fault for bending the rules so much.
Updated
29 min Mitoma beats Coufal in the area, gets to the byline and cuts the ball back towards the near post. A West Ham defender diverts it towards the onrushing Gilmour, whose shot from the edge of the area is brilliantly blocked by Ward-Prowse. Moments later, a scorpion kick from Ferguson goes over the bar.
Updated
28 min Brighton have had 86 per cent of the possession. They trail 1-0.
26 min Brighton win a couple of corners in quick succession. The second eventually leads to a shot on the turn from Dunk that is blocked. West Ham are defending admirably.
25 min Play has resumed, so maybe it wasn’t checked by VAR. A yellow card was fair enough.
24 min Ward-Prowse is booked for a studs-up challenge on Gilmour. He got the ball but then followed through into Gilmour’s ankle. It’ll be checked by VAR but I doubt it will be upgraded.
23 min Bowen twists Estupinan’s blood on the right of the area and hits a low cross that is cut out by Dunk. He gives the ball back to Bowen, but eventually the attack peters out. West Ham look so good on the break.
21 min A lovely bit of play from Evan Ferguson. He received a square ball from Welbeck in a crowded penalty area, turned daintily away from Ogbonna and hit an early shot from 15 yards that was saved to his right by Areola. The turn was beautiful, the shot slightly too straight.
Updated
For all Brighton’s possession, West Ham have been such a threat on the break. Antonio chased a lost cause and forced a mistake from Webster, whose backpass was well short of Verbruggen. Antonio collected it on the left of the area, waited for support and slid a low cross to Ward-Prowse. His first shot was blocked by Gilmour but the ball rebounded kindly for Ward-Prowse to score from four yards.
James Ward-Prowse with his FIRST goal for West Ham ✅
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 26, 2023
And his 5️⃣0️⃣th Premier League goal 🔥 pic.twitter.com/fD86aVPfpJ
Updated
GOAL! Brighton 0-1 West Ham (Ward-Prowse 19)
It’s been coming!
Updated
18 min Mitoma moves elegantly away from Coufal and tries to find the overlapping Estupinan. Bowen gets back to make a strong challenge.
17 min This is like a training session: attack and defence, invasion and repulsion. West Ham’s defensive shape is excellent.
16 min: Just wide by Gilmour! That was really nice play. Gross pinged a sweet crossfield pass to Estupinan on the left side of the area. He waited for support and then laid the ball back to the onrushing Gilmour, who rifled a daisy cutter just wide from 20 yards.
Updated
15 min Brighton continue to work the ball back and across, probing for an opening. At the moment there’s no eye in the West Ham needle.
12 min Estupinan’s deep cross is headed back across goal by March and hooked clear by Ogbonna.
11 min West Ham have started well, defending solidly and looking a real threat on the break.
10 min Antonio goes on a fantastic run, beating Gilmour on the halfway line and then Webster 30 yards from goal. He charges into the area but Estupinan comes across to make a crucial tackle. Eventually Antonio is forced wide and runs the ball out of play.
9 min Successful passes so far: Brighton 52-4 West Ham. Shots at goal so far: Brighton 0-2 West Ham.
8 min West Ham are happy to let Brighton have the ball in the middle third, and at the moment there’s a slight feeling of stalemate when Brighton attack.
6 min: Chance for Antonio! Ward-Prowse heads the ball towards Paqueta on the left, 40 yards from goal. He half-volleys a gorgeous first-time pass through to Antonio, who gets away from Webster but shoots straight at Verbruggen from 12 yards.
6 min Nothing to report apart from that half chance for Paqueta. Brighton are having lots of the ball; of course they are.
Updated
3 min As expected, West Ham are playing with three men in the centre of midfield: Alvarez, Ward-Prowse and Soucek.
2 min An early half chance for West Ham. Coufal’s long throw from the right was headed on by Zouma, and Paqueta hooked the ball wide on the stretch. He couldn’t quite get round the shot.
2 min Since Brighton were promoted in 2017, they have an outstanding record against West Ham: P12 W6 D6 L0.
1 min Peep peep! Evan Ferguson gets the game under way for Brighton, who are kicking from left to right as we watch.
With the kick off imminent, here’s a reminder of the teams.
Brighton (possible 4-2-4) Varbruggen; Milner, Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Gross, Gilmour; March, Welbeck, Ferguson, Mitoma.
Substitutes: Steele, Igor Julio, Van Hecke, Veltman, Dahoud, Lallana, Buonanotte, Joao Pedro, Adingra.
West Ham (possible 4-3-3) Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Emerson; Soucek, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse; Bowen, Antonio, Paqueta.
Substitutes: Fabianski, Johnson, Cresswell, Kehrer, Fornals, Cornet, Ings, Benrahma, Mubama.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
Arsenal’s draw with Fulham means that either of these teams could go top of the table tonight. A draw would do for Brighton; West Ham need to win by at least two goalsa.
Today’s Premier League results
Arsenal 2-2 Fulham
Bournemouth 0-2 Tottenham
Brentford 1-1 Crystal Palace
Everton 0-1 Wolves
Man Utd 3-2 Nottm Forest
I could happily watch this on loop for the rest of my natural-born days
Kaoru Mitoma just kept going and going! 🤤 pic.twitter.com/n7dQFHpAYr
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 22, 2023
Team news
Both teams make two changes. The young goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen replaces Jason Steele in goal for Brighton, and Evan Ferguson is in for the injured Julio Enciso.
Edson Alvarez makes his full debut for West Ham, replacing Said Benrahma. That should mean a switch to 4-3-3. Angelo Ogbonna comes in at centre-back for the suspended Nayef Aguerd.
Brighton (possible 4-2-4) Varbruggen; Milner, Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Gross, Gilmour; March, Welbeck, Ferguson, Mitoma.
Substitutes: Steele, Igor Julio, Van Hecke, Veltman, Dahoud, Lallana, Buonanotte, Joao Pedro, Adingra.
West Ham (possible 4-3-3) Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Emerson; Soucek, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse; Bowen, Antonio, Paqueta.
Substitutes: Fabianski, Johnson, Cresswell, Kehrer, Fornals, Cornet, Ings, Benrahma, Mubama.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
Updated
Preamble
Look, between us, the world is in a right state at the moment. Thank heavens, then, for Brighton & Hove Albion, who continue to make it a more tolerable, joyous place. Only wronguns and Crystal Palace fans haven’t been seduced by the intrepid, exhilarating football they have played since Roberto De Zerbi took over a year ago.
Brighton are bottom of the Premier League net spend table, the only team in the black; if they win tonight, they will go back to the top of the actual table. They’ve already scored eight goals in two games, hammering Luton and Wolves, and even a side as defensively competent as West Ham will go to the Amex Stadium with a fair bit of trepidation.
Mind you, West Ham have started the season pretty well themselves. Last week’s rousing win over Chelsea was a reminder of what dangerous counter-attacking opponents they can be. They’re having a golden period of their own, even if you wouldn’t always know it from the mood music around the club.
At some stage in the future, these teams will meet in the second or third tier and pine for the glory days of 2023. Nothing lasts forever, not in this world, so let’s enjoy them while we can.
Kick off 5.30pm.
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