So December – the busiest month on the Premier League calendar – comes and goes without a single victory for West Ham or Brighton; 12 matches played between them, but only occasional draws to show for their endeavours.
Not that this meeting of the winless was short on entertainment. As only the second ever Premier League game to see three first-half penalties awarded, there was drama aplenty for anyone without a vested interest.
But this draw – with twice as many goals as the one at the Amex Stadium early this month – does little to help either side. While Brighton are becoming increasingly well acquainted with the bottom half of the table, West Ham fans fear relegation more with each passing week.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s side have now gone eight Premier League games since their last victory and they were clinging on to a point after twice seeing their lead disappear when Danny Welbeck and Joël Veltman cancelled out goals from Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paquetá.
With Nottingham Forest losing, it felt like a chance missed to move within two points of the last safe spot.
“We need fight,” said Bowen, the captain. “We need a bit of emotion with the situation we are in. It is the first time that I’ve properly seen it.”
The performance only hammered home Nuno’s assertion that the upcoming transfer window would be very important for the club’s future. Two more goals conceded means only Wolves have a worse defensive record in the top flight this season, and the centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo hobbled off injured.
At the other end of the pitch, Nuno’s weekly striker roulette meant a first start for Callum Wilson in five games. His decision then to take the former Newcastle man off with half an hour remaining prompted boos around the London Stadium, but options are scarce.
He might soon have the services of Jørgen Strand Larsen to call upon, with West Ham preparing their opening offer for the Wolves striker. Whether that extends to his £40m asking price remains to be seen.
The disparity in resources between the teams was evident in the respective strength they were able to call upon from the bench. While Brighton brought on Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter, Nuno had to make do with the inexperienced duo of Ezra Mayers and Mohamadou Kanté.
“That’s the reality,” said the West Ham manager. He will be desperate for reinforcements next month.
Slow starts on their travels have dogged Brighton all season, and Bowen put West Ham ahead after 10 minutes when slotting calmly past Bart Verbruggen.
Then came the flurry of penalties, starting with a quickfire double for Welbeck. He dispatched the first, awarded for a poor Maximilian Kilman slide tackle on Yankuba Minteh, into the bottom corner. Perhaps overeager to change approach after Paquetá had comically rugby-tackled Lewis Dunk for the second, Welbeck followed up with a Panenka that hit the bar.
As the clock ticked into first-half added time, Michael Salisbury was then called to the pitchside monitor to review Dunk halting Wilson’s goalbound shot with what he judged to be the upper part of an outstretched arm. Paquetá stroked the resulting penalty into the bottom corner.
“No one can say that’s a clear hand,” bemoaned Fabian Hürzeler. “The VAR footage is not clear enough, therefore it’s just a guess. We are the best league in the world so to make a decision just on a guess is not right.”
Brighton restored parity just after the hour when Alphonse Areola slapped a corner straight to Veltman, who controlled and volleyed home from close range.
The visitors pushed hard in the final stages for the three points, with Areola producing fine saves to keep out dangerous efforts from Mitoma and Rutter, and Konstantinos Mavropanos heading away from under his own bar.
By the final whistle, Jan Paul van Hecke was the only starting Brighton outfielder not to have attempted a shot. But the visitors could not find a winner.
