Post Match report for the West Ham game - Tuesday, 30th December 2025
PREMIER LEAGUE 25/26: West Ham V Brighton - 30/12/25 P19
* * * * * END OF YEAR ANTICLIMAX * * * * *
RESULT: 2-2 ~ Welbeck Veltman . (h-t 2-1)
VENUE: Olympic stad, East London - tenth away match of 19 fixtures to date . Tue 7:30pm.
BEFORE KICKOFF: on the run-up to New Year, festive yuletide Brighton fans were quickly back into the wider capital but over at the east-end this time around.
We had now reached the halfway stage of the campaign and pondered whether the second half could, or alternatively would not, be much better.
WEATHER: cold . GATE: tba . KIT: blue & white . ATMOSPHERE: yet more December frustration.
FABIAN HURZELER hoped to approach New Year from a standpoint of success and resolved to more positivity in 2026.
FH went with three centre backs post Boxing Day, although again boxing clever seemed unlikely as a consequence of another sequential away defeat.
SQUAD: 7 March 17 Baleba (Afcon) 27 Wieffer 38 McGill (gk)
INJURED: 9 Tzimas . REHAB: 4 Webster
OOL: 3 Julio 16 Cashin 28 Ferguson 32 Sarmiento 33 ORiley 39 Rushworth (gk) 40 Buonanotte
STARTING SHAPE: 4-2-3-1
TEAM . . . . . . . . . 1 Verbruggen
. 34 Veltman 6 van Hecke 5 Dunk 24 Kadioglu
. 11 Minteh 26 Ayari 20 Milner 29 de Cuyper
. . . . . 25 Gomez . . . 18 Welbeck
SUBS: 8 Gruda (58), 22 Mitoma (58), 10 Rutter (72), 13 Hinshelwood (72), 19 Kostoulas (83)
BENCH: 23 Steele 14 Watson 21 Boscagli 42 Coppola
GOALS:
1-0 - 10 . a simple ball over the top beats visitors defence a little too easily and hosts put the chance away.
1-1 - 32 . WELBECK converts a penalty after Minteh is decked in the area.
2-1 - 45 . Ref is sent to the monitor and deems Dunk guilty of handball in the box. Hosts then lead again.
2-2 - 61 . VELTMAN is in a crowded box to get the last touch from a Kadioglu set piece.
YELLOWS: Welbeck 37, Milner 42, Dunk 45, Kpstoulas 84, van Hecke 93
CHANGES: 58 Gruda & Mitoma for Minteh & de Cuyper
72 Rutter & Hinshelwood for Gomez & Milner . 83 Kostoulas for Welbeck
FIRST HALF: travellers concede inside a quarter of an hour and were thereafter chasing the game.
Past half an hour visitors level from the spot - then soon miss a second penalty kick.
Locals score a penalty in stoppage.
SECOND HALF: Seagulls put on subs just prior to the hour mark.
Then immediately level scores.
Huffing & puffing continues unabated up to and beyond other changes.
IN THE END: an improbable final state of affairs from an open contest where goals were likely if not certain.
NUMBERS: poss 39%-61%, on target 4-6, off target 6-10, corners 5-5,
fouls 11-18, yellows 3-5, subs 5-5, shape 4231-4231 . . . . . gd1 pt25 po14
Happy New Year
FS
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