LONDON (Reuters) -Brighton & Hove Albion maintained their impressive start to the Premier League season and piled on the misery for West Ham United with a 2-0 victory at the London Stadium on Sunday.
Alexis Mac Allister’s 22nd-minute penalty following a foul by debutant Thilo Kehrer on Danny Welbeck put Brighton ahead.
Graham Potter’s well-drilled side sealed a thoroughly deserved three points in the 66th minute when Leandro Trossard raced through to score after a slick move.
West Ham did not manage a shot on target in the first half but tried to respond late on with Tomas Soucek forcing a couple of fine saves from Brighton keeper Robert Sanchez.
West Ham, who are still without a point or a goal, and sit bottom of the table after three games, were booed off at the final whistle. Brighton have seven points from three matches.
Brighton are becoming specialists at playing in London and are now unbeaten in their last seven league matches in the capital, winning four and drawing three.
They won at Manchester United this month and after ending up ninth last season, their best top-flight finish, they will be aiming even higher.
“The result is what we are here for. To see out some tough periods when he had to, create two goals and keep a clean sheet is pleasing,” Potter said.
“We are just focused on the next game, you can see how difficult it is with results this weekend. We are humble and we know how difficult the Premier League is. The focus is on the next game, and we will try and win that.”
For West Ham, who gave a debut to 30-million pound striker Gianluca Scamacca as a second-half substitute, these are worrying times. They have lost eight of their last 10 Premier League games.
It might have been different had Said Benrahma’s curled shot ended inside the post rather than just outside after a minute.
Brighton then largely controlled the match and took the lead when Welbeck was taken out by Kehrer after a counter-attack and, following a VAR check to confirm the foul was inside the area, Mac Allister sent keeper Lukasz Fabianski the wrong way.
West Ham’s attack failed to function although they did have a brief spell of pressure after the break when Aaron Cresswell had a goalbound effort blocked by Joel Veltman.
Brighton rarely looked troubled, however, and doubled their lead in style. Mac Allister’s low pass was cleverly flicked around the corner by Pascal Gross and Trossard kept his composure to advance and shoot past Fabianski.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond)
