EPL: Kudus shines as West Ham holds Brighton to 1-1 draw

West Ham United midfielder Mohammed Kudus headed in a second-half equalizer to secure a 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion at the London Stadium on Saturday.

The result reflects the middling form of both teams, with West Ham sitting 14th on 20 points and Brighton 9th with 25, as neither side managed to break their winless streaks convincingly.

Brighton struck first in the 51st minute when Dutch midfielder Mats Wieffer scored his maiden Premier League goal.

The play unfolded after West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski failed to clear Lewis Dunk’s header, allowing Wieffer to pounce on the loose ball.

A prolonged VAR review for offside and a possible foul added tension before the goal was confirmed.

Brighton’s advantage was short-lived as Mohammed Kudus leveled in the 58th minute.

After Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen parried a fierce strike from Jarrod Bowen, Kudus dashed in to nod home the rebound for his third goal of the season.

Known for his quirky celebrations, Kudus delighted fans by unveiling a carved wooden stool shaped like an elephant, taking a seat alongside teammate Crysencio Summerville. The lighthearted moment provided a rare highlight in an otherwise subdued match.

Under pressure manager Julen Lopetegui must address defensive frailties as West Ham’s 74 goals conceded this calendar year mark their highest top-flight total since 1967.

Meanwhile, Brighton’s winless streak extended to five matches, leaving both teams eager for improvement as the season progresses.

“It’s a special stool, a stool from Ghana,” said Kudus. “I thought it would be nice to share a little bit of life from where I’m from.”

What was a largely dull game ended with fireworks as both teams squandered terrific chances.

A brave piece of defending saw West Ham full back Aaron Wan-Bissaka dive to head away what looked like a certain goal for Tariq Lamptey at the death. The two collided in mid-air with Wan-Bissaka down holding his shoulder for several minutes.

Fabianski also made a couple of late saves to deny Brighton substitutes Yasin Ayari and Julio Enciso, while Kaoru Mitoma inexplicably missed what should have been an easy tap-in for the visitors that instead rang off the post.

“In the end it was our fault that we didn’t leave the pitch as winners,” said Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler.

“There were positive things but we also need to get the result to get out of this circle of bad experiences. It’s the business to get results if you want to achieve something.

“We have to get our higher standards back. We can defend better. We have to keep going and we have to trust the process.”