Brighton & Hove Nail the Hammers

West Ham United took newbies Brighton & Hove Albion lightly and paid the price.

The Seagulls had no trouble at all with this scrambling East London side, pounding them with a resounding 3-1 result.

Both clubs stand mid-table, but looks can be deceiving.

The reality is they're now both on 27 points after 26 matches, and the drop zone has teams sitting on 24.

 

What used to be known as Falmer Stadium -- now called the Amex for commercial purposes -- didn't have to wait long for the first fireworks to blast off.

Glenn Murray scored within eight minutes:

 

A beautiful team play matched by an equally beautiful finish.

West Ham didn't back down ... at least, yet.

The just as elegant Javier Hernández levelled it up in the 30th minute:

 

Brighton’s first goal was right up there in style points, but this one had to go down as the goal of the day.

However, this isn't figure skating. Quanity counts.

 

The Seagulls were good with that.

José Izquierdo put them in the driver's seat with one of the season's best goals:

 

Pascal Groß sealed the deal 16 minutes later.

 

 

Gotta say, for a mid-table match, this one provided one masterpiece after another.

It also gave a wake-up call to West Ham United that newbies aren't to be taken lightly.