Football News: Brighton and Hove Albion v West Ham United 5 October 2018

Image from: freelargeimages.com

After losing their first four Premier League games of the season, West Ham have since found a run of form that arguably makes them one of the most confident sides in the division right now.
An away win at Everton followed up by a draw at the impressive Chelsea, and most recently a win over Manchester United has given Hammers fans something to get excited about as Manuel Pellegrini's side has finally found some rhythm.

Here they face Brighton - a side they lost to twice last season in the Premier League (yes, one of Brighton's two away league wins in the Premier League was against West Ham!), with the Seagulls scoring more goals against the Hammers than any other side in the competitions (six). That away win over them was also on a Friday, just as this game is. Read into that what you will.
West Ham haven't generally travelled well to Brighton over the decades. Just one win in their last seven league visits since 1982, with that victory coming in a Championship meeting in October 2011.

Indeed, the Seagulls have won four of the six top-flight games between these two teams. Couple that with their excellent recent home record - where they have lost just one of their last six league matches - and that bodes well for Chris Hughton's side here.
If West Ham do win this, however, it would be the first time ever that Brighton have lost consecutive home Premier League games, having lost 2-1 to Spurs almost a fortnight ago. And whilst Brighton are strong at home, they have only won two of their last 16 league games in general (both, incidentally, against Manchester United), and are without a victory in five.
As a result, this game is an important one for them, else they will start to move closer to the wrong end of the table as far as they're concerned.

Key players:
Glenn Murray - With five goals in his last four league games against West Ham, including three last season, Murray seemingly loves the sight of the Hammers, and will be Brighton's key man in the box again here as they look to pick up a much needed win.
Felipe Anderson - Off the mark with his first Premier League goal of the season against Man Utd last week, Anderson will be looking to pick up where he left off there. He has attempted more than twice the amount of dribbles of any of his teammates this season; his running and technique could prove crucial for a tricky away outing for the Hammers here.

Written by Reid the Red October 05 2018 09:17:31