West Ham top of the Premier League, their dreadful record against Brighton reaching a spectacular end, and a victory that must register as a tactical triumph for David Moyes. His old-style pragmatism picked apart the new-wave counter-press that has made Roberto De Zerbi the name to drop among football intellectual circles.
“Are you watching, Declan Rice?” asked the away fans, a tad ungratefully, as James Ward-Prowse, bought with Rice’s transfer fee, had opened the scoring. Rice’s replacement in defensive midfield, Edson Álvarez, was another outstanding performer. Brighton dominated possession but had no answer to the quality of West Ham’s finishing on the counter, though Alphonse Areola also produced a series of excellent late saves. Lucas Paquetá, who would have joined Rice in exiting the club had other matters not intervened, played creative director, and Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio, the other scorers, showed the ruthlessness in attack Brighton could not emulate.
