Nuno Espirito Santo holds the key to ending atrocious West Ham record vs Brighton
Nuno Espirito Santo is finally imprinting his tactical blueprint onto West Ham ahead of their Premier League showdown with Brighton on Sunday.
On Thursday night, West Ham salvaged a 1-1 draw against Manchester United after Soungoutou Magassa’s first top-flight goal cancelled out Diogo Dalot’s opener.
It was a solid away performance from the Hammers, who restricted Man United to very few opportunities in the final third as Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo’s partnership continues to blossom.
Nuno’s men will want to build on that display at Old Trafford by overcoming Brighton, a team who have become their arch nemesis since winning promotion to the big time in 2017.
West Ham’s atrocious record vs Brighton
As highlighted by BBC Sport, 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 |
So, with West Ham being tipped for relegation in 2025/26, supporters will hardly feel confident about their fortunes changing on Sunday afternoon.
That being said, Fabian Hurzeler’s men did throw away a two-goal lead against Aston Villa to lose 4-3 on Wednesday night, which suggests they are vulnerable defensively and Nuno can exploit them tactically.
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Nuno Espirito Santo is key to beating Brighton
To overcome their bogey team this weekend, West Ham will have to stifle the league’s fourth-best attack, and also Danny Welbeck.
The Englishman’s tally of seven goals against the Hammers is the joint-most he’s scored against any team across his career, and he’s already bagged seven in 2025/26.
Luckily, Nuno has a habit of nullifying the Seagulls, having lost just one of his last nine meetings against them, including two famous victories last season.
During his time as Nottingham Forest manager, the Portuguese tactician thrashed Brighton 7-0 in the league and beat them 4-3 in an FA Cup quarter-final.
Indeed, it appears West Ham have the right man in the dugout to end their atrocious record in this fixture.
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