Rutter saves Brighton with late equaliser against West Ham

Brighton striker Georginio Rutter denied West Ham a vital win to pull clear of the Premier League drop zone by netting a dramatic equaliser in the dying moments of a tense 1-1 stalemate on Sunday.

Nuno Espirito Santos team came so close to breaking free from the lower reaches after Jarrod Bowens effort in the second period at the Amex Stadium.

Yet Rutter struck back for Brighton during added time, ensuring West Ham remained rooted in 18th position.

The struggling Hammers sit two points adrift of 17th placed Nottingham Forest in their bid to stay up.

Such a late concession hit West Ham hard, though following their resilient 1-1 result versus Manchester United at Old Trafford midweek, this gritty performance highlighted their progress under Nuno, who took over from the dismissed Graham Potter back in September.

West Ham have dropped points in only one of their past six league outings, boosting their chances of avoiding the drop.

Brighton had squandered a two goal advantage in a 4-3 loss to Aston Villa earlier in the week, ending their 10 game unbeaten streak on home soil.

Securing a point before their supporters preserved seventh placed Brightons push for a spot in Europe.

Amid the wet and windy conditions on the south coast, both sides found it tough to handle the slippery pitch.

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo reinstated Lucas Paqueta following his ban for a rash red card caused by repeated dissent against Liverpool.

The 28 year old put his actions down to annoyance over a 2024 Football Association probe into alleged betting irregularities, which concluded this summer with Paqueta exonerated on all counts.

Nuno noted Paqueta was still impacted by the ordeal, but the Brazilian nearly opened the scoring with a fierce effort that Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen tipped aside.

Verbruggen preserved parity for Brighton with an outstanding double stop post interval, first blocking Bowens wayward shot then leaping up to deny Crysencio Summervilles follow up volley.

West Ham at last took the lead in the 73rd minute.

A loose back pass from Jan Paul van Hecke was snapped up by Callum Wilson, who fed the ball to Bowen, allowing the forward to rifle a low drive under Verbruggen from a tight angle.

Still, Brighton pressed hard on the West Ham defence towards the end and grabbed a deserved leveller in added time.

West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola thwarted two attempts during a chaotic spell in the box, yet Rutter reacted quickest to the rebound and poked the ball home from mere yards out.

FA Cup winners Crystal Palace could rise to fourth if they triumph over Fulham in the days other fixture on Sunday.