Premier League; Brighton boost European hopes
Brighton & Hove Albion 4 - 0 West Ham United
Brighton boosted their hopes of European qualification with a thumping Premier League victory over struggling West Ham.
How successful could this season end up being for Brighton? When their former manager left for Chelsea, very few fans would have expected them to be above the side from London by the time we reached this stage of the season.
Alexis Mac Allister put Albion in front midway through the first half, converting from the spot after Jarrod Bowen bundled Kaoru Mitoma over in the area.
Substitute Joel Veltman doubled the hosts' lead soon after half-time, chesting the ball in at the far post following a corner. This was before Mitoma slid in to make it 3-0. Brighton fans were already loving their afternoon at this point.
Danny Welbeck added further gloss to the scoreline late on, drilling a right-footed shot into the bottom corner to condemn the Hammers to their biggest defeat of the season.
Deserved victory for Brighton
It was no more than Brighton deserved as they cut loose in the second half, producing a swaggering attacking display that could have seen them win by an even greater margin.
The Brighton fans replying in response to the below tweet were all delighted with the result.
Special things are happening here... 🙏😴 pic.twitter.com/eEgEMFRj70
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) March 4, 2023
One Brighton fan tweeted: "I'm just so happy. What a season this could be."
A Brighton fan commented on YouTube: "We are flying. Honestly, welose "key players" and others fill in brilliantly. We lose our manager, and potentially someone even better comes in."
Pressure builds on West Ham
Moyes' side went into the match having lost just one of their past five league games, including thrashing Nottingham Forest 4-0 in their previous fixture. However, this result and performance provided a stark reality check.
Bowen and Tomas Soucek forced Jason Steele - making only his second top-flight appearance at the age of 32 - into smart saves when it was still 1-0, but they rarely threatened otherwise and remain just two points above the bottom three.
Danny, a West Ham fan, was highly crirical of the team but believes the manager should stay. He said: "Moyes is a man who has got us to a Europa League semi-final. He should stay, regardless of what happens this season, and we need to move the players on."
We suspect Danny is one of very few holding this view. Listen to what the away fans were singing. Was this a bit harsh?
“You’re getting sacked in the morning!”
— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) March 4, 2023
West Ham fans have had enough at Brighton today, they want Moyes out! #WHUFC pic.twitter.com/Wqvu6bj8Xh
More Premier League news: Dramatic scenes at Emirates Stadium (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)
