Nuno Espirito Santo guilty of terrible West Ham mistake as announcement made ahead of Brighton
West Ham travelled to Brighton in the Premier League on Sunday, and Nuno Espirito Santo made a decision that supporters will dislike.
The Hammers came into the clash at the AMEX Stadium four points adrift of safety after Leeds United salvaged a 3-3 draw against Liverpool.
Nuno’s men did arrive in the contest with some confidence, though, after West Ham drew against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
But whilst Soungoutou Magassa’s heroics sent the away end into delirium, supporters are always worried about this fixture as West Ham boast a terrible Premier League record against Brighton.
Nuno Espirito Santo names West Ham starting lineup vs Brighton
In 2025/26, the Hammers have struggled defensively, with only Wolves, Leeds, and Burnley conceding more than their total of 28 goals.
That being said, the emerging partnership of Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo in defence has seen Nuno’s side show some improvement.
Mavropanos and Todibo were brilliant against the Red Devils and unsurprisingly restored their place in the starting lineup against the Seagulls.
Meanwhile, Tomas Soucek was poor against Man United and deserved to be dropped at the AMAX, with Lucas Paqueta returning after his suspension.
Our Sunday starting XI 🥁 pic.twitter.com/NoLlvNfSXY
— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 7, 2025
Paqueta served a one-match ban for his rant at referee Darren England after their 3-0 loss against Liverpool, and will want to mark his return with a solid performance on Sunday.
Nuno also named Crysencio Summerville as his left winger following his return from injury and Guido Rodriguez in midfield.
Max Kilman, meanwhile, controversially came into the side at centre-back, with the Portuguese changing to a five-man defence.
Kilman has been poor for the Hammers this season, and most will question Nuno’s decision to select him against Brighton.
West Ham must end poor record vs Brighton
West Ham have won just one of their 16 Premier League games against the Seagulls, drawing eight and losing seven.
The Hammers have therefore claimed victory over Brighton in just six per cent of their matches, and that is their lowest win rate against any side they’ve faced more than twice in the competition.
| Date | Fixture | W/D/L | Scoreline |
| 21 Aug 2022 | West Ham v Brighton | L | 0-2 |
| 04 Mar 2023 | Brighton v West Ham | L | 4-0 |
| 26 Aug 2023 | Brighton v West Ham | W | 1-3 |
| 02 Jan 2024 | West Ham v Brighton | D | 0-0 |
| 21 Dec 2024 | West Ham v Brighton | D | 1-1 |
| 26 Apr 2025 | Brighton v West Ham | L | 3-2 |
But this is arguably West Ham’s best opportunity for redemption, after Brighton threw away a two-goal lead to lose 4-3 against Aston Villa in midweek.
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