Brighton turn up the heat on Bilic
Murray and Izquierdo stun sorry Hammers
For Slaven Bilic, the closest thing to a positive came before a ball had been kicked, when West Ham co- chairman David Sullivan settled down for an interview with Gary Neville.
‘The manager has a three-year contract and is entitled to those three years,’ Sullivan told Sky Sports as the crystals on his tie sparkled in the floodlights.
‘ He didn’t sign a two- year contract or a one-year contract. He is entitled to three years.
‘I believe in morality and what’s right. After the season we will sit down and see if he wants to stay on and if we want him to stay on.
‘If you sign a contract, you want to honour that contract unless things are desperate.’
By the time the night was out, things did seem quite a lot more desperate. Victory against Brighton would have ensured West Ham started the weekend in the top half of the Premier League. Defeat means they could be in the relegation zone by Monday if other results go against them.
‘Going down with the Palace,’ crowed the Brighton fans.
Glenn Murray headed them into an early lead and they preyed on the nerves of the home team and defended bravely, before Jose Izquierdo scored the second just before half-time.
It is they who moved up to 10th having secured a first away win in the top flight since 1983, when they won at Swansea.
How they enjoyed this night, when there was further evidence that they may have the necessary blend of quality and guts to survive at this level. Murray’s first strike of the season was the simplest of goals and a dreadful one to concede for West Ham when at home and braced for what everyone at the club seemed to accept would be a big week.
Pascal Gross clipped a free-kick into the penalty area. The delivery was decent, as ever from Gross, but it was not from a threatening area of the pitch and it was not lashed in at pace, forcing defenders to panic.
It was curled on to the penalty spot, where Murray escaped Pedro obiang, drifted behind Michail Antonio and applied a firm header to leave Joe Hart with no chance.
Manager Chris Hughton clenched his fist. Goals have proved scarce since promotion in May and this one would turn up the pressure on Bilic and his team.
West Ham tried to generate more urgency as Brighton sank deeper and centre halves Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy dug in to defend the edge of their penalty area. Dunk blocked from Winston reid, an effort by Manuel Lanzini was deflected over and Duffy threw his body in the way to deny Javier Hernandez.
The Mexican led the line in the absence of Andy Carroll, serving the first game of a ban for a red card at Burnley last week.
Hernandez was booked for a nasty tackle on Anthony Knockaert, turning sideways to drop his studs over the ball.
West Ham over-committed as the interval approached and were stung by Brighton’s second goal in stoppage time.
Hart saved once from Murray when the striker ought to have finished off a slick counter-attack, but the visitors worked the ball out to the left, where Izquierdo was in space.
Izquierdo jinked inside, past an innocuous challenge from obiang, and let fly with his right foot.
Hart took off to his left and reached the shot with a full hand, but could not claw it away. He should have stopped it. Hart did not move his feet across the line and the ball was within his reach. Colombian winger Izquierdo celebrated his first goal since his £13.5million club-record transfer from Club Bruges.
West Ham fans booed their team into the tunnel at half-time.
Bilic made a change, bringing on striker Andre Ayew for midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate but Brighton defended well and Murray made it three from the spot having won the penalty by drawing a tired foul from Pablo Zabaleta.
WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Hart 5; Zabaleta 4.5, Fonte 5, Reid 5.5, Masuaku 5; Kouyate 5 (Ayew 46min, 5), Obiang 4; Antonio 6, Lanzini 5.5, Arnautovic 4.5 (Fernandes 74, 6); Hernandez 5. Subs not used: Adrian, Cresswell, Noble, Byram, Ogbonna. Booked: Hernandez. Manager: Slaven Bilic 5. BRIGHTON (4-4-1-1): Ryan 6; Bruno 6, DUFFY 7.5, Dunk 7, Bong 6.5; Knockaert 6 (Schelotto 84), Stephens 6, Propper 6.5, Izquierdo 6 (March 69, 6); Gross 6.5 (Brown 76, 5); Murray 7. Subs not used: Krul, Goldson, Suttner, Molumby. Booked: None. Scorers: Murray 10, 75 (pen), Izquierdo 45.
Manager: Chris Hughton 7. Referee: Martin Atkinson 6.
Attendance: 56,977.