Arnautovic rescues 2-2 draw for West Ham vs Brighton
LONDON (AP) — Marko Arnautovic scored a quick double to rescue a 2-2 draw for West Ham against Brighton on Wednesday in a Premier League game that saw all four goals scored in a 12-minute span in the second half.
Brighton had taken a 2-0 lead in the 58th minute when Shane Duffy met a corner at the far post and flicked the ball into the net from a tight angle, just two minutes after Dale Stephens had scored from another corner to put the visitors on course for a fourth straight win over West Ham since earning promotion in 2017.
But West Ham also needed just two minutes to stage a comeback, as Arnautovic first met a ball over the top from Mark Noble and slotted a shot between the legs of goalkeeper David Button in the 66th and then took advantage of Michail Antonio's raid down the left to score the equalizer in the 58th.
"We know Brighton score most of their goals from set pieces, especially corners, so to concede two goals knowing the characteristic of this team, I was very disappointed," West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini said. "I don't remember one chance for Brighton except the two set pieces."
The second-half goal spurt was in stark contrast to a listless first half which had seen Andy Carroll handed his first start for precisely one year.
The big striker needed treatment for a cut head after a clash with Lewis Dunk, before he was withdrawn at halftime.
Antonio could have given West Ham the win when he skipped in between two defenders but blazed his shot wide.
