Mohammed Kudus scores but West Ham fall to late Brighton comeback

Mohammed Kudus scored but couldn’t save West Ham from a dramatic 3-2 defeat against Brighton at the American Express Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Brighton took an early lead through Yasin Ayari’s stunning 30-yard strike. Kudus brought West Ham level just after halftime, slotting home smartly from Jarrod Bowen’s cutback. The Ghanaian midfielder was lively all afternoon, completing a game-high seven dribbles, but he also lost a match-high 11 duels as he battled Brighton’s press.

West Ham seemed to have stolen it when Tomas Soucek headed them 2-1 ahead in the 83rd minute. However, Brighton showed great fight. Substitute Kaoru Mitoma leveled in the 89th minute after a slick team move, before Carlos Baleba smashed in the winner deep into stoppage time.

It was a painful end for West Ham, who had won just three of their previous 17 meetings with Brighton. Kudus, who has now scored four goals in the Premier League this season, played the full 90 minutes.

The Hammers will hope to bounce back quickly when they face Tottenham on May 4th.