West Ham were twice pegged back by Brighton as the relegation-threatened Hammers failed to win for an eighth Premier League match in a row.
A chaotic encounter featured three penalties being awarded in the first half of a Premier League game for only the second time – Danny Welbeck scored and then missed for Brighton before Lucas Paqueta converted for West Ham.
Joel Veltman bundled in Brighton’s second equaliser of the evening before both sides spurned chances to win it.
Brighton started on top but Jarrod Bowen converted West Ham’s first chance after running on to Paqueta’s through ball in the 10th minute.
Welbeck equalised from the penalty spot 20 minutes later after Yankuba Minteh was tripped in the box by Max Kilman, but two minutes later hit the crossbar with a second spot-kick after Paqueta inexplicably rugby-tackled Lewis Dunk to the ground.
A video assistant referee (VAR) review just before half-time resulted in West Ham being awarded their own penalty after Dunk blocked Callum Wilson’s goalbound shot with his arm.
Paqueta converted in the fourth minute of stoppage time, becoming the second player in Premier League history to both score and concede a penalty in the first half of a match.
Brighton wanted another penalty early in the second half when substitute Kaoru Mitoma went down, but equalised from the following corner when Alphonse Areola palmed the ball into Veltman’s path.
Bart Verbruggen denied Bowen an instant response from a header, before Areola was required to keep out Mitoma and Georginio Rutter at the other end.
After conceding a late winner to Fulham on Saturday, West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo said that everything was going against his side.
He might well be feeling the same three days later, even if the Hammers’ misfortune was self-inflicted.
Bowen’s cool finish against the run of play could have been a launchpad – and drew him level with Michail Antonio for the most combined Premier League goals and assists for the club with 101 each.
Instead, Kilman conceded a penalty with a desperate last-ditch lunge, before Paqueta produced a tackle that would not look out of place in the NFL.
The Hammers were fortunate to only be punished once, but lady luck did take kindly to Areola flapping at a corner 16 minutes into the second half.
There are certainly positives to take – Wilson and Bowen linked up well in attack, while 20-year-old left-back Ollie Scarles looked solid after his costly mistake against Fulham three days ago.
But with 17th-placed Nottingham Forest losing at home to Everton, this was a chance missed to move within two points of safety.
West Ham must cut out their defensive lapses before it is too late.
Though they are not in the relegation zone like West Ham, Brighton’s own winless run has extended to six games.
After winning three of four matches in November, Brighton failed to win a Premier League game in December for the second season in a row since Fabian Hurzeler joined the club in 2024.
Conceding early goals is clearly an issue – only Burnley (18) and Wolves (16) have conceded more in the first half of Premier League games than Brighton (15) this term.
Top scorer Diego Gomez had a quiet evening as he again failed to find the net in back-to-back games, but Mitoma looked sharp off the bench after recovering from illness.
As full-time approached he played a delightful one-two with fellow substitute Rutter before producing a curling effort, but Areola kept out what would have been a worthy winner with a fine save.
Perhaps a draw was to be expected – four of the past five meetings between West Ham and Brighton ended that way.
Next up for West Ham is a trip to the Midlands to face bottom side Wolves on Saturday, 3 January (15:00 GMT), while Brighton will host Burnley on the same day (15:00).
