Soucek saves point for jaded Hammers

West Ham 2 Brighton 2

The afternoon begins with a very negative team selection from Moyes. He reverts to five at the back bringing in Ben Johnson, drops Fornals and brings in the ageing Mark Noble. The midfield of Rice, Soucek and Nobes just seems too similar in style and it's bizarre to leave the combined creative talents of Lanzini, Benrahma and Fornals on the bench.

The first half is a terrible performance, the worst of the season, and Rice and Soucek have rarely been so ineffective, while Noble scarcely gets a touch. The whole side looks tired which is odd as they've had six days' rest since Chelsea. Brighton dominate possession without penetrating too much until Maupay pops away a cross after Rice miskicks for Brightion to take a deserved lead. On WhatsApp my pal Fraser is all for sacking Moyes at half-time having booed the side off. Mind you, as Ben Johnson is up against Webster its not surprising there's a hint of tragedy. 

At least the West Ham boss corrects his own error at half-time, bringing on Lanzini and Yarmolenko for Noble and Bowen. Lanzini immediately wants the ball and West Ham look a lot more likely to create something. The equaliser comes when Yarmolenko gets in a decent cross and Lanzini prods the ball back to Ben Johnson, who shows composure to lift the ball into the net. Not often an Alchemist Elizabethan playwright scores for the Irons. 

WHU are still looking jaded though and it then goes wrong again as Dunk bundles in a corner as he gets ahead of Haller and Soucek. Dunk has some luck as the ball bounces off his chest and elbow into his path, though VAR rules it OK. 

But one thing the new West Ham side have this season is character and they keep attacking Brighton's four centre-backs. The equaliser arrives from a corner in the 82nd minute as Dunk gets under the ball and Soucek does well to power home a header. 

Happy to get a point from this after a very lacklustre performance, though a team with top half hopes should be beating Brighton. There needs to be a big improvement in the next matches at Southampton and Everton.

PLAYER RATINGS: Fabianski 6; Coufal 6, Ogbonna 6, Balbuena 5, Cresswell 5, Johnson 7; Noble 4 (Lanzini 7), Rice 4, Soucek 6; Bowen 4 (Yarmolenko 6), Haller 4.