The Media Review: Baleba strike stuns West Ham

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Albion came from behind to beat the Irons on Saturday.

Nick Szczepanik

2025-04-27T10:45+01:00

Carlos Baleba scored a terrific goal to ensure Albion beat West Ham. 📷 by Sam Stephenson.

Spectacular goals in a come-from-behind victory settled by almost the last kick of a thrilling match - not to mention a first home win against a bottom-six side this season - so the reports in the Sunday papers made for satisfying reading. Well, most of them.

James Sharpe captured the joy that most of the spectators in the Amex felt in his intro for The Mail on Sunday. “Carlos Baleba watched the ball curl into the top corner and then off he went, backflipping, jumping and screaming his way towards touchline to be mobbed by team-mates, coaches and fans alike,” he wrote.

“Brighton were never going to be happy to settle for a point here on the south coast, not when Kaoru Mitoma headed a last-minute equaliser after Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek thought they had secured a comeback for West Ham.

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Yasin Ayari gave Albion a first half lead, before Kudus and Soucek turned things around for the visitors. Albion fought back first through Kaoru Mitoma in the 89th minute, before Carlos Baleba picked his spot to secure all three points for Albion.

“They pushed and they pushed and, eventually, they won it. Brajan Gruda found Baleba 30 yards out and West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola could only stand and watch it fly past him and into the net.

“What a ridiculous, frantic, breathless game of football. A match that Brighton had dominated in the first half and taken a deserved lead when Yasin Ayari had picked up the ball on the edge of the area and curled his own long-range effort into the top corner.”

Xaymaca Awoyungbo of The Guardian wrote that “Brighton dominated possession in the first half and Hürzeler’s side looked much more threatening than [former Albion head coach Graham] Potter’s team.

“Brighton’s pressing and probing paid off in the 13th minute when Yasin Ayari curled a stunning strike into the top right corner from the edge of the box. Simon Adingra, who often found himself in space on the left, played the ball infield to Brajan Gruda [actually Jack Hinshelwood] who teed up Ayari for the finish.

“Adingra found himself involved in the action again when his goal was ruled out for offside after a fantastic double save from Alphonse Areola.”

After West Ham’s equaliser, “against the run of play, Bowen curled in a perfect cross for Soucek, who had the simple task of heading past the keeper from four yards out.

“Potter was seven minutes away from the biggest victory of his West Ham career but his former club did not get the memo. With the clock ticking down, Brighton launched the ball into the box. Gruda headed the ball across to Kaoru Mitoma who headed in the equaliser with two minutes to go. The stadium erupted.

“Then, just when you thought it could not get any louder, Carlos Baleba decided to rival Ayari and curl in a winner from the edge of the box. Delight for Hürzeler and despair for Potter.”

On the BBC website, Joe Nelson looked beyond that goal, writing that “Baleba has been impressive for Brighton this season and Saturday's performance against West Ham was another example of that.

“Not only did the 21-year-old score the stunning last-gasp winner, but the Cameroon international snuffed out West Ham's advances on many occasions and was a key link between defence and attack for the hosts.

“The midfielder was signed by Brighton from French side Lille in 2023 and his emergence helped the Seagulls deal with the departures of Moises Caicedo, Yves Bissouma and Alexis Mac Allister.

“In January, former Brighton striker Glenn Murray said Baleba had “even more potential than Yves Bissouma and Moises Caicedo” and he is established as one of the key components in Hurzeler's team.”

As this column has said before, few writers describe match action with more verve than Isabelle Barker, and she was at her colourful best in The Sun on Sunday.

“Ayari looks as though he will be a monster next season and he broke the deadlock with a rocket strike which melted into the top corner like a knife in butter,” she wrote. “Alphonse Areola had no hope of stopping the screamer.

Carlos in the 93rd minute! 🤯 @MonsterEnergy ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/ESKDg4Lly4
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) April 26, 2025

“Up the other end Bart Vebruggen leapt like a salmon to keep out a bullet header from Tomas Soucek which kissed the woodwork.

“Brighton looked like they had inflicted more misery on the Hammers when Simon Adingra appeared to have doubled the lead, but it turns out Mats Wieffer was offside in the build up and VAR concurred with referee Darren England’s decision.

“The West Ham players took it in their stride though and Jarrod Bowen threaded the ball through a pile of Brighton defenders, to Mohammed Kudus who fired home from the edge of the six-yard box.

“A pinpoint delivery fell to Soucek who guided the header in smack bang in front of a boisterous away end.

“But it was all square again when Brajan Gruda headed the ball back across the face of goal and Mitoma was there in the six-yard box to nod past Areola.

“The Seagulls were 2-1 down just moments before but a moment of magic from Baleba put them in front as the ball soared into the top corner, giving Ayari a run for his money.”

James Gheerbrant struck a rather different note in The Sunday Times, seeing the result as a West Ham defeat rather than an Albion win. Not until his eighth paragraph did we learn that “West Ham were rocked by a brilliant individual goal by Yasin Ayari, who curled a glorious strike into the top corner from the edge of the box.

“West Ham got their deserved equaliser when Bowen picked out Mohammed Kudus, whose shot went through Verbruggen’s legs. Brighton came back strongly but West Ham weathered the storm and then struck. Bowen’s superb cross was met by Soucek with a flying header.

“But West Ham couldn’t hold on. Ayari [actually Diego Gomez] found Brajan Gruda alone at the back post and he measured a clever header towards the waiting Mitoma and he nodded in a simple equaliser.

“With West Ham deflated and Brighton suddenly rampant, there was one final twist. From 25 yards out, Baleba curled an unstoppable shot that started outside the goal frame and nestled inside Alphonse Areola’s post, sending West Ham’s players to their knees.

“Brighton are firmly back in the European race after their own difficult run. Potter’s misery, on the other hand, only deepened.”