Chris Sutton predicts result of West Ham United showdown v Brighton for BBC Sport
Chris Sutton has predicted that West Ham United will extend their winning run in the Premier League to four matches when they face Brighton on Tuesday 2 January.
The BBC Sport pundit believes that David Moyes’ side will build upon their wins over Wolves, Manchester United and Arsenal when they face the Seagulls at the London Stadium, suggesting the Irons tactics will frustrate them, predicting that they’ll win 2-1.
Brighton similarly head into Tuesday’s clash full of confidence having beaten Tottenham 4-2 last time out, but Sutton thinks West Ham’s “key” attacking stars Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus will be the difference makers.
Writing in his BBC Sport Premier League predictions (29 December) he said: “West Ham sucker-punched Arsenal on Thursday, as they so often do against teams who really come on to them – they did it against Tottenham at the start of December, and it was the same story when they beat Brighton at the beginning of the season.
“The Seagulls will fancy themselves to put that right on the back of their win over Spurs, but you just know that the Hammers will be happy to sit in and frustrate them.
“Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen are so important to West Ham and the way that they hit teams on the break, and I can see them playing a key role here too.”
Pick up three points
Thursday (28 December) night’s win over Arsenal was almost the perfect West Ham performance under Moyes, as the Hammers sat in and absorbed the Gunners’ pressure before hitting them with a sucker punch on the attack.
The Irons have the attacking talent now to hurt teams on the break and as Sutton suggested and Premier League defences will be worried about having to face the likes of Kudus and Bowen. Robert De Zerbi’s Brighton will be no different at the London Stadium.
However, the Seagulls have plenty of dangerous players themselves and Moyes’ side will have to be at their best defensively to deny them in attack. Brighton tore Spurs apart last time out and if the Hammers give them space, they will exploit it.
If West Ham can start 2024 with three points, it will be a huge boost to their European hopes this season. They’ve managed to beat some of the Premier League’s biggest and best teams in recent weeks and they’re capable of doing the same again.
In other West Ham news, Alan Nixon has shared an update on the Irons’ interest in Scott McTominay ahead of January