Brighton 3-1 West Ham: Good season ends in brilliant style for the Albion
Record breaking. That is how the 2021-22 season will be remembered for Brighton after a 3-1 win over West Ham secured ninth place in the Premier League table, the highest ever finish in Albion history.
What is remarkable is that the victory over the Hammers was only the fifth time that the Albion had won at the Amex in 2021-22.
Brighton’s home form under Graham Potter has been terrible, and yet we still sit here at the conclusion of the campaign marvelling at the Seagulls being the ninth best team in the greatest league in the world.
Imagine for a second what Brighton could achieve if Potter was able to deliver wins at the Amex on a frequent basis?
We would all need to ensure our passports are in date for Europa Conference, Europa League or maybe even Champions League adventures. Frightening for the liver and the bank balance.
And maybe Potter has finally found a way to win at home? Having won only three times and scored just 12 goals at the Amex before Saturday 7th May, Brighton have now stuck the ball in the back of the net seven times to defeat two sides in the top seven of the Premier League.
If that continues into next season alongside the Albion’s remarkable record on the road, then Thursday nights in the autumn of 2023 might well be spent in Albania and Kazakhstan.
A far cry to 21 years ago when we were traipsing to Halifax Town for midweek Nationwide Division Three action.
Three points for West Ham would have secured them a place in the Europa League for next season. Their recent record against the Albion suggested that might be a tall order, having failed to beat Brighton in nine previous Premier League meetings.
Nothing is certain in life but death, taxes and the Albion not losing to West Ham. For much of the first half, it looked like the Hammers would make that phrase redundant as they took the lead and were good value for it via Michail Antonio scoring a blistering goal on 40 minutes.
Antonio always seems to play well against the Albion. His strike here was of the highest quality, He escaped the attentions of Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster before turning on the edge of the box and smashing an unstoppable effort past Robert Sanchez and into the top corner.
Dunk, Webster and most other Albion players were adamant that the Albion captain had been illegally sent to the ground in the build up to the goal.
There seemed little wrong with it, however. Dunk was outmuscled by Antonio and whilst Kevin Friend is nobody’s friend and remains one of the worst referees in the Premier League, it would have been harsh to disallow the goal.
In any case, Brighton should have been ahead by that point. Moises Caicedo had an utterly glorious chance to give the Albion the lead but he could only place his effort straight at Lukasz Fabianski in the West Ham goal.
A reminder that despite his goal in the 4-0 win over Manchester United last time out, our future Ballon d’Or winner is in fact human.
That and the West Ham goal were the only two moments of note in the first half. Mark Noble got a lovely reception ahead of his retirement from the Amex crowd when he began warming up and Declan Rice showed why he is a target for the entire top six with a domineering display.
One minute, he was on the edge of the West Ham box to break up an Albion attack. The next, he was spraying a cross field pass 30 yards down the pitch with absolute precision to gain the Hammers possession in the Brighton area.
Manchester City, Manchester United or whoever else is tempted to purchase Rice this summer should pay whatever West Ham demand, even if it is £150 million.
There are not many central midfielders in the Premier League possessing his skillset, with Yves Bissouma being one of the few who come close to Rice.
It seems likely that this was the last time Albion fans will see Bissouma in a Brighton shirt given his contract situation and his agent’s agitations for a move which would involve a hefty signing on bonus to line his pockets.
Bissouma departing at half time was therefore a shame as it denied him the farewell he deserved from Brighton supporters who have watched him grow during his four seasons with the Albion.
He did though get a roaring reception during the lap of appreciation after the game – especially when chasing after a child who went rogue by storming up to the North Stand before the players had been formally introduced back onto the pitch.
Another player receiving the adulation of the crowd afterwards was Pascal Gross. Not even the fact that Richard Reynolds was wearing an impeccably white pair of trainers and had dressed like Michael Portillo presenting an episode of Great Continental Railway Journeys could distract from Brighton fans imploring Gross to sign a new contract.
Potter suggested in his pre-match press conference that Gross and Danny Welbeck would both be penning new deals imminently to remain at the Amex for next season.
They highlighted their value to Brighton by scoring the goals in the final 10 minutes that wrapped up the 3-1 win over West Ham.
First though, Joel Veltman provided an equaliser with the second half only five minutes old. Gross was of course involved, sending in a cross which Solly March laid back to the Flying Dutchman who had come rampaging forward from right back.
Veltman subsequently produced the sort of clinical finish you do not associate with this Brighton team, catching Fabianski by surprise at his near post.
It was a fitting way for the Albion’s second-best performer of 2021-22 to sign off for the season at the Amex, and hopefully he too will be committing to a new contract as he prepares to enter the final year of his current deal.
Marc Cucurella had been restored to his original left wing back role and seemed to be absolutely loving life. He is another player who could depart this summer with Chelsea and Manchester City rumoured to be interested.
If either the Citizens or the Blues want to sign the wild-haired Spaniard, then they will need to pay big money. It is no exaggeration to say that based on a ridiculously impressive debut season in English football, Cucurella could go onto become one of the best full backs in the world.
Any potentially suitors therefore need to compensate Tony Bloom adequately for taking him off the Albion’s hands. A fee of around £60 million should do the trick, if you are reading Sheikh Mansour.
Cucurella fashioned a good chance for Brighton to take the lead shortly after Veltman’s equaliser. A low cross into the box could not quite be converted by either Welbeck or substitute Neal Maupay, the man who had replaced Bissouma at the interval.
Later on and Welbeck was millimetres away from making it 2-1 with a brilliant curling effort which beat Fabianski but not the post.
Webster then headed over a pinpoint Gross corner when he really should have hit the target at the very least.
Brighton finally moved ahead with 10 minutes left to play. Welbeck and Enock Mwepu played a nice little one-two to feed Gross on the edge of the box.
There seemed little prospect of the German getting a shot away and one can only imagine how angry Potter was at Brighton fans shouting SHOOT.
Gross though took a touch, turned and listened to the urgings of the crowd by firing an effort into the same top corner Antonio had picked out an hour earlier.
It was a brilliant goal from a brilliant player. And if Potter’s words about Gross remaining at the club do prove to be false, a fantastic way for the man who has done more than anyone else to establish Brighton in the top flight to mark his final appearance in the stripes.
Gross was not done there, either. 12 minutes later and he floated over another trademark precision corner which Welbeck rose highest to head home and make it Brighton 3-1 West Ham.
Hammers fans began streaming out at that point, having long been silenced following their buoyant first half display disappearing.
With Manchester United losing to Crystal Palace, West Ham had blown their chance of Europa League football – not that it was entirely disappointing to their followers.
Speaking to their supporters afterwards seeking a selfie with Cheeky George Parris on the train back from Falmer to Brighton, some seemed more happy to be in the Conference due to the obscure places they will now end up travelling.
That is something which most Albion fans can very much understand. Real Madrid v Brighton in the Champions League would be nice, but the prospect of paying 90p for a pint of Zywiec before taking on Wisla Krakow is much more appealing.
And do you know what? We are probably not far away from drinking mind bending Polish beer on a European tour.
Brighton 3-1 West Ham was the continuation of a strong finish to what is in terms of league position the best ever season in Albion history.
Keep this squad together and carry that form into 2022-23 and the sky is the limit for the Albion. This has been an incredible campaign – and yet it might only be the start of something even more special.
Watch this space.
