When Brighton & Hove Albion host West Ham United at Broadfield Stadium this Sunday, the fixture will not only echo their recent history but—if patterns hold—deal another heavy blow to West Ham’s increasingly desperate bid for Women’s Super League survival. With Brighton riding sustained form and a psychological edge, expect the Seagulls to make a powerful statement that could hasten the Hammers’ relegation fears.
Recent History: A Fixture Defined by Brighton’s Resurgence
This match-up has, in recent seasons, been defined by Brighton’s emphatic superiority on home turf and their capacity to dominate when it matters. In the last 16 encounters across all competitions, Brighton have claimed eight wins to West Ham’s five, with three draws dividing the balance. But that record only hints at the narrative beneath the surface, where Brighton’s results at Broadfield Stadium have—with almost ruthless reliability—tilted the matchup. Brighton have never lost at home to West Ham in the WSL, recording three wins and a single draw in four meetings.
This dominance is not theoretical. Earlier this year, in February, the sides played out a hard-fought 0-0 draw at West Ham’s Dagenham home. But Brighton’s last home meeting—a dramatic 3-2 win in November—showcased both their attacking invention and their mental resilience. Even more telling: In March 2024, Brighton traveled to East London and routed West Ham 5-1, further deepening a trend of one-sided exhibitions when the Seagulls are at their fluent best. That March blowout sums up not just a fixture, but a rivalry in which Brighton’s attacking players have found persistent success.
Form Guide: Contrasting Fortunes
Brighton approach this clash buoyed by their recent form. The Seagulls have won three of their last ten matches—a modest return, but the quality of opposition has been stiff, and their performances at Broadfield have yielded three consecutive home victories. Just weeks ago, they pushed Chelsea to their limits, losing narrowly in a tightly contested affair—but registering a performance full of conviction, organization, and attacking initiative.
West Ham, by contrast, are fighting for their top-flight lives. They have managed just a single victory in their last ten and are without a win in four away matches, a stretch that has exposed both their defensive vulnerabilities and their lack of cutting edge in attack. The Hammers’ most recent result—a 1-3 home defeat to Leicester City—underlined their systemic issues: a porous defense, a midfield lacking steel, and a forward line struggling to fashion real chances.
West Ham sit 12th—bottom of the table—and in genuine relegation trouble. Brighton, meanwhile, are a comfortable 4th, their ambitions increasingly calibrated toward finishing in the European places rather than anxiously glancing over their shoulders.
Key Players and Goal Scorers: Where the Margin Lies
Brighton’s attack is spearheaded by Kiko Seike, the team’s standout scorer and a persistent thorn in West Ham’s side. Seike’s ability to stretch play with diagonal runs and her knack for late, intelligent arrivals in the box make her a constant goal threat—one both latent and explosive. Around her, Brighton have benefited from a supporting cast unafraid to press high and win second balls—crucial qualities in matches where they are expected to dominate territory and tempo.
West Ham's attack has revolved around Anouk Denton, whose work rate cannot be questioned but whose service often flatters to deceive in the context of an isolated, over-worked frontline. Viviane Asseyi’s distribution has been one of the team’s few creative bright spots, leading the team in assists, but West Ham’s lack of scoring support has left both players starved of the balls and opportunities they need to change games.
Numbers tell the story. Brighton have outscored West Ham 23 to 18 across their meetings, with an average of 1.44 goals per game compared to West Ham’s 1.13. This season, Brighton’s attack is registering 1.57 goals per match—one of the league’s best rates—while West Ham’s output languishes at 0.57 per game, a worrying figure for any side in need of three points.
Defensively, too, the gulf is significant. Brighton have conceded just 1.29 per match; West Ham are allowing 1.57, and have managed only one clean sheet to Brighton's three over this span.
The Tactical Picture: Styles, Risks, and Reputations
Managerial styles will define the tempo from the outset. Brighton have made a virtue of aggressive pressing, especially at home, where they force turnovers high up the pitch and exploit gaps in opposition shape. Their midfield pivots are disciplined, offering cover while fullbacks push forward to create overloads and secondary scoring threats.
West Ham, meanwhile, often opt for a lower defensive block away from home, hoping to absorb pressure and hit on the counter. The problem has been one of transition: Without rapid outlets and with confidence low, they often turn defensive withdrawals into protracted sieges, rather than opportunities to spring attacks. If West Ham are forced to chase this game from behind, as Brighton’s early home intensity often demands, the Hammers risk another rout akin to March’s 5-1 collapse.
Set pieces are another likely key battleground. Brighton’s movement from corners and wide free kicks has harvested not just goals but consistent pressure, while West Ham, in contrast, have often struggled in dead-ball situations at both ends.
What’s at Stake: More Than Three Points
For Brighton, victory consolidates their claim as one of the division’s best structured, most upwardly mobile sides—a team that, even without the budget or reputation of Chelsea or Arsenal, continue to redefine the second tier of the WSL.
For West Ham, defeat could be existential. Dropping another three points at Broadfield would leave them staring into the abyss of relegation, their top performers unlikely to remain if the worst happens and their margin for error obliterated.
“If the Pattern Persists, West Ham Will Sink Without a Trace”
The numbers, the history, and the form all point in one direction: Brighton, playing at home, are overwhelming favorites to claim victory—and to do so with style. Their attacking firepower, epitomized by Seike’s sharpness and supported by a collective confidence at Broadfield, sets them up to overpower a West Ham side low on belief and running out of time.
For the Hammers, unless something seismic shifts, Sunday’s visit to Sussex may well be the afternoon where hopes of survival move from improbable to impossible. And for Brighton? This may be the match where a season of steady progress tilts decisively towards historic achievement.