West Ham United 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion: Post-match review, Stats, Key moments

Dive into Ladbrokes’ post-match review of West Ham United 2-2 Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Tuesday, 30 December 2025, with stats, key moments and our take on the match.

West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion played out a 2-2 draw at the London Stadium. The hosts took an early lead when Jarrod Bowen scored in the 10th minute, assisted by Lucas Paquetá, but Brighton equalised through Danny Welbeck’s penalty in the 32nd. West Ham regained the advantage just before the break with Paquetá’s penalty in the 45+4th minute, following a VAR check involving Callum Wilson earlier in stoppage time. Coming off a run of three losses and a draw in their last five league games, West Ham looked to build momentum but couldn’t hold on.

Brighton levelled again in the 61st minute via Joël Veltman, making it a deserved point for both sides in a competitive encounter. Substitutions played a role, with West Ham making changes including Konstantinos Mavropanos coming on for Jean-Clair Todibo in first-half stoppage time, while Brighton introduced Brajan Gruda and Kaoru Mitoma around the hour mark. Brighton, who have drawn three of their last five including this one, showed resilience after recent defeats to top sides like Arsenal and Liverpool, ensuring they left with a share of the spoils.

Brighton dominated possession with 61% compared to West Ham’s 39%, pointing to the visitors controlling much of the game’s tempo, though West Ham made the most of their counter-attacking opportunities with far more successful dribbles at 57 against Brighton’s 35. Both teams earned five corners each, suggesting evenly matched set-piece threats, but disciplinary issues hit Brighton harder with five yellow cards to West Ham’s three, and no reds for either side. Penalties were a factor too, with Brighton taking two – one scored and one missed – while West Ham converted their single spot-kick, alongside recording one assist to Brighton’s zero, underlining a slight edge in creative output for the hosts.

Both sides used all five substitutions, with West Ham bringing on players like Crysencio Summerville for Callum Wilson in the 63rd minute and a double change in the 83rd seeing Ezra Mayers replace Kyle Walker-Peters and Mohamadou Kanté come on for Lucas Paquetá. Brighton mirrored this with early second-half swaps, such as Brajan Gruda for Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma for Maxim De Cuyper at 58 minutes, followed by later introductions like Georginio Rutter for Diego Gómez at 72 minutes, which helped maintain their push without any injury-time goals from either team.

The game burst into life early with Jarrod Bowen’s 10th-minute goal for West Ham, assisted by Lucas Paquetá, but Brighton responded via Danny Welbeck’s 32nd-minute penalty. Welbeck then missed another penalty in the 36th minute, keeping the score level until Paquetá’s spot-kick in the 45+4th minute put West Ham ahead again, shortly after a VAR incident involving Callum Wilson and a substitution where Konstantinos Mavropanos replaced Jean-Clair Todibo. Yellow cards piled up, with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen booked in the 13th, Mateus Fernandes in the 37th, and Maximilian Kilman in the 45th, while Brighton’s included Danny Welbeck in the 37th, James Milner in the 42nd, and Lewis Dunk in the 45+2nd.

Brighton equalised through Joël Veltman in the 61st minute, a turning point that came after substitutions like Brajan Gruda replacing Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma coming on for Maxim De Cuyper at 58 minutes. Later changes included West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville for Callum Wilson at 63 minutes and Tomáš Souček for Soungoutou Magassa at 82 minutes, while Brighton brought on Jack Hinshelwood for James Milner and Georginio Rutter for Diego Gómez at 72 minutes. The match saw further bookings, such as Charalampos Kostoulas in the 84th after substituting for Danny Welbeck in the 83rd, and Jan Paul van Hecke in the 90+3rd, but no further goals shifted the balance.

West Ham United lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Lucas Paquetá pulling strings in midfield through his goal and assist, while Jarrod Bowen provided threat up front with his early strike. Partnerships like Paquetá linking with Bowen stood out, and defensive adjustments were needed when Konstantinos Mavropanos replaced Jean-Clair Todibo just before the break. Later introductions such as Crysencio Summerville for Callum Wilson and Tomáš Souček for Soungoutou Magassa added fresh legs in attack and midfield.

Brighton & Hove Albion set up in a 4-2-3-1 shape, relying on Danny Welbeck’s presence upfront where he scored from the spot but missed another penalty, with Joël Veltman chipping in from defence with his goal. Midfield experience from James Milner was evident before Jack Hinshelwood replaced him, and attacking changes like Kaoru Mitoma coming on for Maxim De Cuyper boosted their wide options. Lewis Dunk anchored the backline amid several bookings, while Georginio Rutter’s introduction for Diego Gómez aimed to maintain momentum.

Lucas Paquetá earned Ladbrokes’ Man of the Match award for his influential display, scoring one goal from the penalty spot and providing one assist for Jarrod Bowen’s opener. He also created one big chance and delivered two key passes, driving West Ham’s attacking play throughout. His substitution in the 83rd minute, when Mohamadou Kanté replaced him, didn’t diminish his overall impact in a tightly contested draw.

Recent Premier League matches:

• Draw: 2-2 vs Brighton & Hove Albion (H)
• Loss: 0-1 vs Fulham (H)
• Loss: 0-3 vs Manchester City (A)
• Loss: 2-3 vs Aston Villa (H)
• Draw: 1-1 vs Brighton & Hove Albion (A)

Recent Premier League matches:

• Draw: 2-2 vs West Ham United (A)
• Loss: 1-2 vs Arsenal (A)
• Draw: 0-0 vs Sunderland (H)
• Loss: 0-2 vs Liverpool (A)
• Draw: 1-1 vs West Ham United (H)

West Ham United have just drawn 2-2 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion, leaving them in 18th place on 14 points and still searching for consistency after a run of three losses and two draws in their last five league outings. Their next match is against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2026-01-03 at 15:00, with Wolves currently bottom in 20th on just three points. This fixture offers West Ham a chance to pick up vital points and pull further away from the relegation zone against a struggling opponent.

Brighton & Hove Albion have just drawn 2-2 away to West Ham United, keeping them in 14th place on 25 points amid a mixed recent form of one win, three draws, and two losses in their last six league games, including tough away defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool. Their next fixture is at home to Burnley on 2026-01-03 at 15:00, with Burnley sitting 19th on 12 points. A win here could help Brighton build a buffer from the lower half of the table and push towards mid-table security.

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Odds and market details are accurate as of the time of publication.