EPL

David Moyes delighted to end Brighton hoodoo as West Ham top table with win

By Sports Desk August 26, 2023

David Moyes was delighted to see West Ham end their Brighton hoodoo with a convincing 3-1 win at the Amex Stadium which took them top of the table.

Summer signing James Ward-Prowse scored his first Hammers goal in only his second start to set the visitors on course for a first ever Premier League win over the south coast side.

Manager Moyes said: “I’m thrilled with the three points because usually we come here and struggle to get any points.

“We haven’t won here for years. It’s been the same coming here and not getting the results.

“Today was a well-deserved three points. Brighton did a good job, but we also did a good job in other parts of the game.

“Brighton have got an extremely good manager and his side are causing problems to plenty of teams, not just us.

“They are going to be hard for any manager to play against.

“They are very offensive, which is great, but that also means it can open up and give you chances on the counter.

“We worked hard on not getting picked off easily and we defended really well.

“Our counter-attacks were really good. Two or three years ago we were really good on the counter and we showed that. All the forward players made a really good contribution today.”

Moyes led West Ham to their first trophy in more than 40 years by winning last season’s Europa Conference League.

On their surprise early-season surge to the Premier League summit, the Scot said: “I didn’t realise we had gone top. It has been a long time since any West Ham manager did that also.”

Ward-Prowse got West Ham off to the perfect start when he opened the scoring after 19 minutes, following on from his two assists in last weekend’s debut win over Chelsea.

Michail Antonio was too strong for Brighton defender Adam Webster and picked out England international Ward-Prowse to tap in from two yards.

Jarrod Bowen added a second 13 minutes into the second half – expertly controlling Said Benrahma’s cross before firing into the bottom corner.

Bowen then teed up Antonio to seal the points in the 63rd minute with a drilled shot into the corner.

Brighton, who had 79 per cent of the possession, got a goal back with nine minutes to play when German midfielder Pascal Gross chopped back onto his right foot to rifle home through a crowded penalty area.

West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola made two crucial saves in the dying stages to keep out Joel Veltman’s volley and Ferguson’s fierce drive.

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi said: “I’m disappointed with the result. It wasn’t the best performance in my time at the club, but we didn’t play badly.

“We shot 27 times and created 11 chances to score. In the second half I’m disappointed because we lost the balance of the game.

“I’m very proud of the performance, the attitude, the passion and the mentality to play well and get points.

“I can analyse how we conceded the goals and how we made a lot of mistakes in the last 20 metres and how we conceded so many counter-attacks, but it is not a problem.

“We will start on Monday working on the last week.”

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    Jamaica College (JC) once again demonstrated why they are a force to be reckoned with, as they made light work of rivals Kingston College (KC) with a comfortable 3-0 win in their ISSA/Digicel Group A quarterfinal encounter at Stadium East on Tuesday.

    Led by Nashordo Gibbs’ 18th-minute penalty and a pair of clinical strikes from Jamoy Dennis (31st and 33rd) in quick succession, Jamaica College controlled the one-sided affair from start to finish, rarely allowing Kingston College to find a foothold.

    With the win, Jamaica College moved into pole position in the group on four points, relegating Kingston College into second on three points. Tivoli Gardens (three points) kept their hopes of a semi-final berth alive with a surprise 3-1 win over reigning champions Mona High (one point) in the other group contest.

    Jamaica College’s Head coach Davion Ferguson, expressed delight at the outcome.

    “We understand the competition in terms of how we prepare to peak at the right time. Today was a difficult game, the scoreline might seem as if it was easy but it was a tough game because we played three days ago, and the key was just to get the boys recovered to come here and deliver a good performance.

    “At this stage of the competition, it is not about the number in terms of goals, but more about continuity to ensure we consistently secure the three points,” Ferguson said.

    His counterpart Vassell Reynolds, also had a positive outlook.

    “I don’t think the scoreline was a true reflection of the game, but congrats to JC, they punished us. I thought that we gave away two easy silly goals, we weren’t concentrating, especially on the set plays. So there is no reason to be disappointed or hard on the boys, we just made some errors and we paid for them so it is just about refocusing and come again on Friday,” Reynolds said.

    Jamaica College asserted their intent early, with a warning shot just seven minutes in as Donte Logan’s long-range effort forced Kingston College’s goalkeeper Malique Williams to tip the ball over the crossbar.

    Excelsior in Group B action against Campion College which served as the curtain-raiser of the double header.

    Dennis, an ever-present threat, continued to test Williams, firing off a quick shot in the ninth minute from Jabarie Howell’s pass, and then a powerful strike from just outside the box four minutes later, both of which were kept out by the custodian.

    However, Jamaica College’s breakthrough inevitably came when Gibbs, a former Kingston College player, converted from the penalty spot after Jamone Lyle drew a crucial handball from Dejuan Green inside the area.

    That opener laid the foundation for what would become a commanding performance as Kingston College's best chance of the game came in the 27th minute when Damaine Smith delivered a pinpoint cross to Deshawn Byfield, whose effort from point blank range was kept out by an alert Taywane Lynch in goal for Jamaica College.

    Jamaica College quickly doubled their lead just four minutes later. Gibbs slipped past his marker and sent a precise pass to Dennis, who calmly slotted the ball past Williams to make it 2-0.

    Barely two minutes later, Giovani Taylor capitalized on Kingston College’s defence that appeared momentarily disoriented from a quick free-kick, sending another slick pass to Dennis, who made no mistake in finishing his brace and putting Jamaica College 3-0 up.

    The Old Hope Road boys again went close through Dyllan John, whose shot hit the upright in the 40th minute, adding to Kington College’s mounting frustrations.

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    The second half was a quieter affair as Jamaica College shifted gears to control possession and manage their lead.

    Though showing more positive signs in attack, Kingston College’s struggles were compounded when Green received a second yellow card in the 86th minute, as they not only finished the game with 10 men but will be missing his presence in midfield when they take on Mona on Friday.

    Tuesday’s Results

    Hydel 2, St Catherine 0

    Campion College 2, Excelsior 0

    Jamaica College 3, Kingston College 0

    Mona High 1, Tivoli Gardens 3

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    The Citizens sit top of Group D with nine points from their opening three games, with their latest result following up wins over St. Polten and 2023-24 champions, Barcelona. 

    Gareth Taylor's side also extended their unbeaten start to the campaign in all competition, winning every game since drawing with Arsenal on the opening day of the Women's Super League season. 

    Both teams went in at half-time level following a first half in which quality was at a premium, following a couple of half-chances for the home side.

    The hosts went ahead just two minutes into the second half after a finish from Laura Blinkilde Brown, after Aoba Fujino had struck the woodwork earlier.

    Khadija Shaw and Fujino both went close to doubling the lead, with the former having a goal disallowed in the 67th minute for offside after being picked out by Mary Fowler. 

    Fujino sealed a comfortable victory for City, netting their second on 79 minutes to seal a win in the first meeting between the two sides in the competition. 

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    Bayern went a goal up in 10 minutes, with former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder heading home from inside the box for her fifth strike in three games in the competition. 

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    “I had a good session with some of the lads. Obviously, some of the lads are still to come, but it was still a good group out there. Training and acclimatising to the weather... everything’s been fine; it has been smooth sailing. I am really enjoying myself so far,” Hayden shared enthusiastically.

    Hayden’s smooth transition in the Reggae Boyz setup has been aided by a trusted figure in Head coach Steve McClaren, whose guidance and familiarity have given Hayden an extra layer of comfort.

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    “I've known the gaffer for a while. We had a few conversations before, and it was something he thought I could add to the group in a positive way. For me, I wanted to come in and contribute the best way possible to improve the team’s chances of getting to the next round of the Nations League, and then obviously looking further ahead is obviously World Cup qualification, which is a huge, huge goal of everyone here,” he noted.

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