West Ham beat Brighton with just 18% possession to go top of Premier League
The Hammers did not have much of the ball at the Amex, but did damage on the break to beat the Seagulls for first time since 2012
West Ham have moved to the top of the Premier League after beating Brighton 3-1 at the Amex on Saturday – and they did with just 18% possession.
The Seagulls had most of the ball in Saturday's late game, but David Moyes' men did damage on the break as they stormed into a 3-0 lead after just over an hour of play.
James Ward-Prowse put the Hammers in front after 19 minutes with his first goal for the club and his 50th in the Premier League overall.
Jarrod Bowen then made it 2-0 to the visitors following another breakaway with 58 minutes gone and Michail Antonio added another shortly after the hour mark.
Pascal Gross pulled a goal back for Roberto De Zerbi's side, but there was no late comeback as West Ham sealed a 3-1 win which moves the east London club to the top of the table.
The victory, which follows a 3-1 win over Chelsea last weekend and a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on the opening weekend, was West Ham's first over Brighton since April 2012.
West Ham last topped the Premier League on August 28th 2021.
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Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.