Georginio Rutter’s stoppage-time equaliser for Brighton cancelled out Jarrod Bowen’s superb finish as West Ham missed the chance to escape the Premier League relegation zone.
With 91 minutes on the clock, West Ham were unable to hold out for a win that would have lifted them out of the bottom three, as Rutter finished from close range.
The video assistant referee (VAR) checked whether Rutter handled the ball before finishing – but the goal was allowed to stand.
The Premier League Match Centre said: “The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed that Rutter’s arm was in a natural position and he did not deliberately handle the ball, and the contact with the arm was not immediately prior to him scoring.”
Konstantinos Mavropanos was inches away from then snatching a winner for the Hammers but he could only head wide from a corner with the last action of the game.
West Ham captain Bowen had given the Hammers the lead in the 73rd minute after he latched on to a Callum Wilson pass and finished from an incredibly tight angle.
Brighton almost responded immediately. A cross looped up off Max Kilman and looked goalbound, but Alphonse Areola was able to push the ball on to the woodwork.
The Seagulls continued to push for a leveller as Charalampos Kostoulas made a near-post run to meet Rutter’s cross, but he could not direct his shot on target.
In a drab first half, Bowen tried to stamp his authority on the game – dancing his way through the Seagulls’ defence to force Bart Verbruggen into a stunning stop. Crysencio Summerville latched on to the rebound for the Hammers, but the goalkeeper was there once again.
