LONDON (AP) — West Ham slumped to its third straight loss to open the Premier League season as goals from midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Leandro Trossard earned Brighton a 2-0 win on Sunday.
Mac Allister’s 22nd-minute penalty and Trossard’s breakaway goal in the 66th maintained Brighton’s unbeaten start to the season after a win at Manchester United and a draw with Newcastle.
West Ham has now played Brighton 11 times in the Premier League and not won once.
Alarmingly, David Moyes' team has not scored a goal in the league this season so it was surprising to see Gianluca Scamacca, the offseason signing from Sassuolo in Italy who got off the mark against Viborg in the Europa Conference League playoffs on Thursday, back among the substitutes.
Recently signed defender Thilo Kehrer was given a full debut, but his Premier League career started inauspiciously when he brought down Danny Welbeck to concede a penalty.
Kurt Zouma had given the ball away in the middle of the field and Trossard’s pass found Welbeck, who was tripped on the edge of the area by Kehrer, signed from Paris Saint-Germain.
After VAR confirmed the foul was inside the box, Mac Allister stepped up to slot home and put the Seagulls into the lead.
Kehrer was enduring a tough debut and, after another defensive mix-up, found himself wiped out by his own goalkeeper, Lukasz Fabianksi, before the ball was cleared.
With Brighton looking comfortable, Trossard had a shot blocked at the far post and Joel Veltman missed a simple header from six yards.
It was an abject first-half display from West Ham, with Said Benrahma’s early curling shot that sailed wide its only genuine attempt on goal. The hosts were booed off at the interval.
Scamacca made his entrance on the hour mark, but five minutes later West Ham conceded another as Brighton doubled its lead.
Mac Allister’s pass forward found Pascal Gross, who beautifully held off Zouma while flicking the ball into the path of Trossard. He raced into the area and placed a neat finish past Fabianski.
The visitors could have a had a third but Solly March headed an inviting cross from substitute Pervis Estupinan narrowly over.
West Ham was denied a consolation goal when Sanchez palmed headers from Jarrod Bowen and then Tomas Soucek over the crossbar.
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