LONG ON TALENT BRIGHT ON WIN (AGAIN)
Brighton & Hove Albion 3 West Ham 1
“We are always complaining that our days are few and acting as if there would be no end of them.” – Seneca, Roman Philosopher (4 BC – 65 AD)
Despite another extraordinary season that on its last day still promises Europa League group stage football, something in the stars promises disappointment for the Hammers.
Brighton and Hove Albion have yet to lose to West Ham United since being promoted to the Premier League, and they managed to beat West Ham’s nearest rivals Manchester United 4-0 just two weeks ago. So who are we kidding?
Hammers are no better or worse off with their team selection this afternoon, and the recent draw with the title contender favourites should fill the travelling fans with hope. The early play is concentrated around the centre circle, and chances for both sides are few and far between in the first half.
The game bursts into life in the fortieth minute when Antonio, with his back to goal, swivels on a sixpence to volley home an effort from twenty-five yards right onto the top corner past a helpless Robert Sanchez. And that’s how it remains until half-time, producing an uplifting opportunity for positive reflection, especially with Crystal Palace winning at home by the same score against Manchester United.
The second half highlights the illusory nature of the interim fifteen minutes of joy cultivated by the gormless followers. Joel Veltman is a Dutch international Brighton defender in the wing back mould who, although he’s only scored once for every 2880 of his minutes on the pitch, manages to record his second ever strike for Brighton just five minutes into the second half, his first time shot squirming under the slow-moving body less well spread bulk of Fabianski.
Even a consolation point is denied when Pascal Gross hits a shot on the turn every bit as impressive as Antonio’s, ten minutes before the end. As Hammers hunt an equaliser, Welbeck then heads home a third from a corner in the dying seconds to raise Brighton to an impressive ninth in the final table, their best ever Premier League finish.
Hammers have won just one of their last six games so it has to be regarded as something of a minor miracle that Moyes’ men have still managed to secure seventh position and a second successive coveted opportunity for European competition.
1 Lucasz Fabianski, 3 Aaron Cresswell, 4 Kurt Zouma, 5 Vladimir Coufal, 41 Declan Rice (c), 15 Craig Dawson, 8 Pablo Fornals, 10 Manuel Lanzini, 28 Tomas Souček, 9 Michail Antonio, 20 Jarrod Bowen
Substitutes: 16 Mark Noble, 31 Ben Johnson, 7 Andriy Yarmolenko
Goalscorer: Michail Antonio
