West Ham missed a chance to move closer to the top four of the Premier League as Brighton were denied a 0-0 draw by Alphonse Areola at the London Stadium on Monday.
Despite the defence being out due to injuries and suspensions, the Seagulls kept their first clean sheet of the Premier League season and earned all three points with their second-half performance.
Brighton had almost 70 percent of possession but lacked familiar flaws in the final third.
Areola had to prove his worth to deny Danny Welbeck, Joao Pedro, Pascal Gross and Adam Lallana and keep the Kladivars unbeaten.
David Moyes’ charges have won 10 of a possible 12 points over the festive period, but are still six points clear of the top four.
The home side’s threat was without the injured Lucas Paquet and Mohamed Kudus, who was denied a chance to play in his last club match before the African Cup of Nations by the Ghanaian federation.
James Ward-Prowse was West Ham’s top scorer, saved by Jason Steele before the break.
The point is enough for Brighton to move above Manchester United into seventh place, but they are three points behind sixth-placed West Ham.
David Moyes has once again done a remarkable job with the Hammers, notwithstanding the relegation the club suffered at the start of the season, which could otherwise have seen them occupy an even higher position in the standings at the moment.
With the Europa League alive and well, this could be another top season for the east London club.
However, all is not well behind the scenes.
West Ham recently activated the one-year option for Vladimir Coufal, who, according to Sky Sports, has the most assists from play of any defender in the English Championship this season.
Not only that, but it is also reported that Coufal is not satisfied with the new offer from West Ham and wants to leave at the earliest possible opportunity.
Such a scenario would be a big blow for Moyes, as the right-back has been one of his most reliable players over the last few seasons.