Brighton found their way back into form, as West Ham was taken to the sword on a gloomy afternoon on the south coast. A first-half penalty, finished by Alexis Mac Allister and a trio of second-half goals from Joel Veltman, Kaoru Mitoma and Danny Welbeck sealed the routing.
Roberto De Zerbi, watching on from the stands as he served his one-match touchline ban saw an imperious, dominant and highly clinical display with his side controlling almost the entire game. After two performances of a similar calibre resulting in just one point in previous weeks, a return to potency once again reaffirmed the strength and potential this Brighton side has to offer.
West Ham is the juxtaposition of Brighton: their levels have declined massively, the football seems aimless and David Moyes looks in an extremely precarious position. Some of their play in the second half was desperate and the player's attitudes were reflected in the lack of effort and perseverance they showed throughout the game.
With a trip to Cyprus on Thursday in the UEFA Europa Conference League, Moyes’ side will look to progress into the last 8 and build on the progress they have made so far. Their Premier League campaign looks destined for mediocrity compared to previous years and they may still be pulled into a very harsh relegation battle if their form doesn’t pick up. Their European run offers an escape from domestic struggles and progress into the quarter-finals could spark their season alight and end their current struggles.
A game with four goals, a huge number of defensive mistakes from West Ham and some scintillating passages of play from Brighton: here are four things we learnt.
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Brighton rediscover their clinical edge:
After back-to-back Premier League games of underperformance in front of goal, and an inability to convert dominant performances into points against Crystal Palace and Fulham, a return to free-flowing liquid football at the AMEX was greatly received.
Their performance against the Hammers, whilst a little slow to begin with, was purely dominant and embarrassed their opponents, as Declan Rice claimed after the game. The clinical instincts in front of goal were the highlight though, with Alphonse Areola having little chance in preventing any of the goals, and each finish concluding a carving passage of slick passing football.
The general control that Brighton usually impose on games was not missing in their two previous outings, however, only having one point to show for their efforts had frustrated Roberto De Zerbi: his meeting to discuss their prolificacy in front of goal well and truly paid out at the weekend.
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Moyes in a perilous position:
The effects of poor league form are catalysing the “Moyes-out” movement from the West Ham faithful. Chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” and “you’re getting sacked in the morning” were directed at the English manager from his own fans and he disappeared straight down the tunnel after the game.
His side lacked organisation, togetherness and any sense of purpose and some of the play, especially in the second half, was shambolic. The consensus at halftime was that Brighton needed a second goal to kill off the game, as West Ham looked threatening on the break; after the interval they deteriorated, making simple and basic mistakes that a Moyes’ side typically wouldn’t.
The players showed very little impetus to try and build on some signs of positivity in the first half, a strong performance at home to Nottingham Forest the week before, and a decent showing at Old Trafford in the week. Frustrations about the lack of progression are therefore valid, however much of the blame has to be pinned on the players, whose errors and poor judgement allowed Brighton to stampede over them as the game went on.
It is unlikely currently for Moyes to be sacked, due to various factors but mainly the lack of alternative options that can drag the side out of their current rot. He knows the league and what it takes to stay in it as well as any coach in the division: finding someone with similar expertise that is willing to come in at such a difficult stage would be a struggle. This is exemplified by Southampton and Leeds who departed with their coaches and now have short-term options in place, neither of which were their first choices.
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Evan Ferguson leads the line:
The young Irish striker has been immense since his first appearance of the season in December. The claim last year was that Brighton needed a striker to solve their conversion problems and underperforming expected goals outcomes; they have shown that an in-house solution developed in the academy is more than good enough to dominate in the Premier League.
Whilst he didn’t score at the weekend, his performance was key in his sides’ control and offered a constant threat to the West Ham defenders. Whilst Angelo Ogbona and Nayef Aguerd are strong and capable defenders, he made hold-up play against them look simple and was popping up everywhere to get involved in the play.
His multi-dimensional ability accompanied by his natural instinct for scoring is something very rare at such a young age and offers De Zerbi something that no one else in the squad can. The Italian highlighted his different characteristics and how his side looks far more potent with Ferguson leading the line. Providing he isn’t poached by a wealthier club, Brighton has an incredible talent leading the line for years to come.
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Caicedo dominates Rice in the middle of the park
Both Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice are highly sought after and are probably the two most promising young midfielders in the division. On this occasion, the Ecuadorian ran the show and made a mockery of Rice at times, with the Englishman seemingly chasing shadows for most of the game.
Whilst the performances of some of his teammates didn’t help him out, Rice who is so often the dictator of the game struggled to get any control of the ball. On the contrary, Caicedo looked so composed and dominant when breaking up play and distributing the ball. He truly is the centre of Brighton's play and having signed a new long-term contract, he has a very bright future both on the South Coast and wherever he ends up after.
The lead-up to the second goal all stemmed from Caicedo spinning Rice and completely taking him out of the game. The ease at which he turns a compromising situation into a Brighton attack is a very unique skill and whilst Rice looks more solid in a defensive role, Caicedo's technical ability seems to supersede the West Ham man's. Any side would be lucky to have these two in their midfield, however on this occasion, the Brighton superstar out-shone the Hammer's skipper.
