• Brighton’s comeback kept them 15th in the table but West Ham slipped into the relegation zone to 18th as out-of-form Bournemouth beat Aston Villa.
• With the bottom of the table as tight as it is, however, letting two points slip may prove costly come the end of the season.
Manager David Moyes said he was ‘angry’ with West Ham after they let slip a two-goal lead to draw with fellow Premier League strugglers Brighton.
Issa Diop gave the hosts the lead when he poked home from Robert Snodgrass’ free-kick, before Snodgrass doubled the advantage with a powerful shot from inside the area.
Brighton responded when West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski punched Gross’ corner off Angelo Ogbonna’s shoulder and into his own net, but Snodgrass’ long-range drive put West Ham in control at London Stadium.
The visitors fought back again as Pascal Gross prodded home before the video assistant referee (VAR) awarded Glenn Murray’s dramatic late equaliser despite the striker initially appearing to handle the ball in the process.
“I’m angry and the players know I’m disappointed,” Moyes said. “In the main, we were very good but for a couple of really silly mistakes. We offered a threat, as did they. The performance was good but it’s tarnished by a couple of mistakes.”
“We gave them a leg-up for 3-1 with the own goal, and we gave them a massive leg-up with 20 minutes to go. Their effort was huge. I just feel playing Liverpool on Wednesday night and fatigue played a part in the second half.”
Brighton’s comeback kept them 15th in the table but West Ham slipped into the relegation zone to 18th as out-of-form Bournemouth beat Aston Villa.
Since returning to the club on December 30, Moyes has now led West Ham to only one league win from six matches, while they were been knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side West Brom.
Watford’s resurgence under Nigel Pearson and Villa’s recent victories has made the bottom of the table a hectic place.
As Moyes aims to preserve West Ham’s top-flight status for a second time, he will be disappointed with how his side ended a game they looked destined to win. Despite a fine debut from Tomas Soucek alongside Snodgrass and Michail Antonio in midfield, West Ham’s defensive frailties in the final 15 minutes proved to be their downfall.
This week the club said staying in the Premier League is 'an absolute necessity', and for 75 minutes the players showed the urgency on the pitch that their situation off it demanded.
With the bottom of the table as tight as it is, however, letting two points slip may prove costly come the end of the season.
Although Brighton remain two points off the bottom three, they ended a run of three successive away league defeats. They did so despite looking lost and struggling for answers after Snodgrass’ second. After Ogbonna’s own goal and Gross taking advantage of some poor defending, it was left to Murray to make a late impact.
The 36-year-old, making his first start since September, was on the periphery for much of the game until he made the difference when it counted. Replays showed the ball hit Murray’s side with him unmarked in the West Ham box, and he fired home with ease to give Brighton what could be a valuable point in their fight for survival.