Roberto De Zerbi sticks to Brighton DNA as they neutralise West Ham’s ‘best quality’

Albion had 68% possession and 22 shots on goal compared to the Hammers’ six but couldn’t get the three points they craved thanks to some superb goalkeeping from Alphonse Areola, coupled with the visitors’ profligacy in front of goal.

The Seagulls also kept their first Premier League clean sheet of the season and they did it with an assured defensive effort that restricted the east London side to a handful of chances. Jarrod Bowen, West Ham’s top scorer with 13 goals this term, was well shackled by Jan Paul van Hecke, although he did stretch the Dutchman with his pace on occasion.

After the match, head coach De Zerbi was quick to point out his team stopped David Moyes’ men from being successful on the counter – something they could not do in their 3-1 win at the Amex in August.

"I’m really pleased with the performance. We made a clean sheet so the journalists are happy! - and I think we played a great game and we deserved to win,” said De Zerbi.

“The best quality of West Ham is their counter-attack and we were focused not to concede goals from counter-attacks. We had eight clear chances to score and I am pleased with the understanding of the way we wanted to play. It was an amazing game, one of the best in my time. We played a smart game with a clear idea, we didn’t take any risk in our build-up.

“We made some mistake in the last pass, shot, assist or cross and the [West Ham] keeper played another great game, but I was delighted with the performance. We have a lot of injured players but we showed great spirit and character.”

Brighton have been criticised at times for conceding goals when trying to pass out from the back, including against Arsenal and Crystal Palace in the past month. But against West Ham, the Seagulls showed they can be precise when building out from defence. They are unlikely to divert from their DNA and defensive performances like this will only embolden that.