Hammer blow for Moyes

West Ham’s top-four chances fade after Brighton draw

WEST HAM’S hopes of a place in next season’s Champions League were all but ended after a 1-1 draw at Brighton yesterday. The Hammers are now five points adrift of the top four with just six left to play for after two late goals at the Amex Stadium.

Danny Welbeck dinked home the opener for Brighton with just six minutes to go with the visitors caught chasing a winner.

Substitute Said Benrahma levelled with his first Premier League goal three minutes later, but a point leaves David Moyes’s men still in sixth.

“It’s obviously horrible because we had the Champions League in our sights,” said West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, who made his return from injury.

“We can’t be relying on other teams to lose.

We have to go out and win. We’ve drawn too many and lost a few.

“This season has been outstanding,” added Rice.

“We learned to win ugly this year. It’s been a rollercoaster but we can still finish on a high.”

West Ham only secured survival in their penultimate game of last season, but have posed an unexpected challenge for Europe and can still secure a place in the Europa League should they win their final two games.

“I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t take more but when you go 1-0 down with six minutes left, it’s good to get a draw,” Moyes told Sky Sports.

“I thought we played really well. In the final third it didn’t quite work. We brought Said Benrahma to get us goals and assists – it was good he got one tonight.”

Brighton remain in 17th, but are already guaranteed a fifth consecutive season in the top-flight.

“It’s always a bit disappointing when you’re 1-0 up with not long to go (and you don’t win),” Brighton boss Graham Potter told BBC Sport.

“Over the course of the game a draw is a fair result – I wouldn’t say we deserved more. West Ham were better than us in first half, we were better in the second half.

“West Ham have a lot of good attacking players who can attack in different ways – they’re challenging for Europe for a reason. Our boys stuck at it and did well, it’s a good point in the end.

“You think you can hold on but we didn’t manage that situation well and they scored. That’s been a fault of ours over the season – too many winning positions dropped – and that’s something to improve.” – AFP/Agencies