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West Ham and Brighton were unable to end their winless streaks before the end of 2025, with the sides eventually drawing 2-2 – a game that included three penalties.
All three penalties came within 15 minutes of the end of the first half, with Jarrod Bowen opening the scoring in the 10th minute after a smooth through ball from Lucas Paqueta.
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West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen scores against Brighton
Danny Welbeck took the first penalty after Jankuba Minter was tripped by Max Kilman, but five minutes later the Brighton striker had his head in his hands.
Brighton were awarded a second penalty when Paquita tackled Lewis Dunk, but Welbeck’s Panenka shot hit the crossbar, leading to a melee in which West Ham appeared to accuse the forward of a lack of respect.
Danny Welbeck misses Panenka penalty as Brighton lead 2-1
West Ham then received a penalty of their own, adding to Welbeck’s woes. Callum Wilson’s shot struck Dunk’s arm but this was not spotted on the spot, but VAR Stuart Atwell sent referee Michael Salisbury to the monitor, angering Fabian Huerzeller.
“No one can say it was clear handball,” Huszeller said after the game. “The VAR footage isn’t clear enough so it’s just a guess. We’re the best league in the world and to make a decision just because of speculation, I don’t think it’s possible.”
Paqueta capped off a chaotic first half with a fine performance that sparked more controversy after half-time, but the game never let up.
Brighton believed they should have been awarded their third penalty of the game when substitute Kaori Sanma was brought down by Bowen, but VAR chose not to award it after a review.
Regardless, Brighton equalized from a corner kick, with the ball deflected by Alphonse Areola, allowing Joel Veltman to tap in from close range. West Ham looked to foul their goalkeeper but there was no clear sign that he was being hindered.
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Joel Veltman scores for Brighton as West Ham’s claim for goalkeeper foul dismissed
Both sides have a chance to decide the winner. Bowen’s shot was well saved by Bart Verbruggen, while Areola matched a clever strike from Mitoma and substitute Georginio Rutter – both substitutes who changed the game after coming on.
The result made it eight games in a row without a win for West Ham, although Nottingham Forest fell six points from safety after losing to Everton. Brighton are also winless in six games, so both sides must have New Year’s resolutions.
Watch all three first half penalties – including Welbeck’s Panenka miss!
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Welbeck scores a penalty and misses another for Brighton
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Lucas Paqueta converted a penalty to give West Ham the lead at half-time
Huzzele defends Welbeck after Panenka miss
Brighton head coach Fabian Huerzeller:
“Danny makes his decision and if he executes it well everyone will say: ‘What a penalty, what a great decision in a pressure situation’.”
“So he has our support. I think as a penalty taker you have to make decisions so he has helped us a lot this season. We continue to work together and we help him and we support him so there is no criticism.”
Nuno praises spirit after tough days
West Ham United head coach Nuno Espiritu Santo:
“It’s been a tough couple of days, difficult. We felt it (the loss to Fulham) and we wanted to go into the game so we could put things right.
“Because we can talk about performance, but we’re chasing improvement. We’re desperately chasing a win to give back to our fans so we can feel for everyone.
“Judging by the reaction, we can’t say enough about the team spirit of these boys and the way they help each other.
“That (fighting spirit) is non-negotiable. It should be like that every game. You can’t talk about it and be surprised by it. It has to be a part of who we are.”
Analysis: Bugs still hurting Hammers
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz at the London Stadium:
The Hammers are still hurting after their draw with Brighton. An eight-match winless run has not lifted them out of relegation fear heading into the new year.
Mistakes continued to happen – a couple of early passes out of the backfield were placed in the wrong position and caused unnecessary pressure. West Ham didn’t learn their lesson – and it was no surprise they conceded two first-half penalties for sloppy foul play.
It was Ollie Scales’ costly mistake against Fulham on Saturday, then Kilman’s lazy leg and Paqueta’s unnecessary tackle against Brighton. All are basic errors.
Nuno praised West Ham United’s spirit, but that only goes so far. Barring some moments from Bowen and Paqueta, the Hammers need more quality or they will collapse in 2026.
