Sussex

Scott McCarthy
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

You can boil an egg in 180 seconds. You can pour a perfect pint of a well-known black stout from Ireland in 180 seconds. But can you turn around a football season which was heading off the rails in 180 seconds?

Brighton will be hoping so. With 89 minutes on the clock at the Amex on Saturday, plenty of Albion fans who had not walked out when West Ham went 2-1 ahead six minutes earlier were preparing to go into meltdown.

Graham Potter was getting ready to celebrate the Hammers ending their six-game winless run.

It seemed set to be the ultimate blow for those Seagulls supporters still unable to forgive Potter for walking out to join Chelsea in September 2022, followed by comments like "If I wanted an easy life, I would have stayed at Brighton."

Doctor Brighton had cured another opposition's ailing form. The Albion meanwhile were about to make it seven games of their own without victory. Leaving any hope of European football hanging by the thinnest of threads.

That was until everything changed. In 180 seconds. Kaoru Mitoma equalised and Carlos Baleba struck a 93rd minute rocket as the Albion somehow staged an epic comeback.

It left Potter as the crestfallen one, talking in a madcap post-match press conference about swearing and not being a robot.

What has characterised Brighton under Fabian Hurzeler this season is the way they go on lengthy good runs of form and lengthy bad runs of form. One incident or performance has often determined what happens for the next five or six games.

This trait has been most evident over the past two months. Lose 7-0. Win six in a row. Get knocked out the FA Cup. Don't win again for another six in a row.

Which is why what happened against West Ham has the potential to be season-defining. Is it the spark the Albion need to go on a run of results over the final four games and qualify for Europe? Fingers crossed.

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brighton and West Ham United at Amex Stadium.

Here are some of your replies:

Brighton fans

David: Astonishing effort from the whole squad. We were so determined to win the game, so good!

Oscar: What an ending! Yasin Ayari - where do I start? He bossed the midfield and scored a goal to fit his perfect performance. Kaoru Mitoma was an amazing super-sub, using his pace down the wing. Carlos Baleba was in a different position to where he usually plays, but he played it really well. The whole team played amazing to comeback from 1-2 to win 3-2. Just amazing!

Tom: An absolutely incredible end to the game. A rollercoaster of emotions; however we cannot rely on late equalisers and winners. We need to build on this result and try to get maximum points. If West Ham hadn't switched off towards the end of the game, we would have gone away with no points. Fabian Hurzeler is a lucky man!

Noddy: No goalkeeper in the world would have been able to save those two goals.

Chris: A decent 'paper-over-the-cracks' performance at last, but that still can't win over a disappointing season. European football is only a very slim chance given Fulham and Bournemouth are still collecting points, our on and off form and unpredictable player performances. It really has been a wasted run-in so far. A change is needed at the top for next season.

West Ham fans

Steve: A better performance - very encouraging. We have nothing to play for, admittedly. It's about building for next year now. I think Potter should be given time, I'm starting to see us on the front foot. We move on.

Justin: Poor, lacklustre, abysmal! Take your pick. Potter has shown no tactical ability in his starting line-ups or substitutions. The team has shown no signs of improvement under him. I wasn't enamoured by his appointment. To only avoid a relegation battle because the three teams below us are so dire just isn't good enough for a man who was at one time going to be England's new manager.

Anthony: We were doing well and then we brought on Vladimir Coufal and he immediately helped Brighton score. It was a poor decision from Potter. They are playing well under him, and gradually improving, but they are either missing scoring opportunities or giving goals away by poor defending. Plenty of work to be done this summer.

Rod: Shocking, embarrassing, limp, laughable, clueless and unprofessional. Did I miss anything?

Peter: No amount of feeble excuses from Potter will disguise the fact that he has failed to fulfil his mandate.

Chris Wise
Final Score reporter at Amex Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

An auxiliary centre-half scoring a screamer to win the match with the last kick of the game? Sounds like the stuff of fantasy.

Perhaps that is why the reaction to Brighton's Carlos Baleba's sublime goal against West Ham was met with almost disbelieving scenes of chaos at Amex Stadium.

But to nab a well-used sporting phrase - 'he's got that in his locker'.

Baleba's attributes are well spread - physically imposing, athletic, comfortable with the ball, and clearly a scorer of very decent goals.

It will be interesting to see if Brighton persist with Baleba as a centre-half. Speaking to several people around the club at the weekend, the general consensus was that he would make an excellent defender. Mind you, he might need some convincing if the club do think that is a plausible route.

Fabian Hurzeler will hope that moment revitalises their season, because the headlines could have been very different at the weekend.

They have still got Newcastle and Liverpool to come at home, so there was a real sense that they needed this win.