West Ham boss Graham Potter was in “too much pain to talk about positives” as he struggled to contain his emotions after being left “devastated” by a dramatic late collapse at former club Brighton.
The lowly Hammers were on course for a first Premier League win in seven games when second-half goals from Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek overturned Yasin Ayari’s eye-catching opener.
But substitute Kaoru Mitoma levelled a minute from time before Carlos Baleba sensationally curled home from distance in added time to snatch a stunning 3-2 success for the Seagulls.
Potter, who left Brighton to join Chelsea in 2022, was jeered from the pitch by gloating home fans at full-time and has picked up just 13 points from 14 fixtures since being appointed by the Hammers in January.
“The pain at the moment is pretty hard,” he said. “The lads are devastated, we’re all devastated.
“We’re unable to sustain what we need to do to win games in the Premier League at the moment. That’s the reality.
“Honestly, I don’t feel like I want to speak about anything positive because I’m in too much pain to talk about positives, because no one wants to hear positives.
“But there were some. Of course there were. There were lots. I’m not stupid. But we’ve lost.
“Two goals have gone in from 35 metres. Congratulations to Brighton; we’re suffering.”
Potter grew increasingly agitated as his post-match press conference wore on.
“I’m going to be frustrated, of course I am,” he said. “I’m not a robot. I’m a human being as well. I give everything to what I’m doing.
“Of course I’m going to be upset, of course I’m going to be frustrated. I have to come here and speak calmly to you guys (the media) but that’s not how I’m feeling inside. If you want me to swear, I can swear.”
With the bottom three of Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton heading for the Sky Bet Championship, 17th-placed West Ham are in danger of finishing as the worst of the rest.
Chants of “Potter, Potter, what’s the score?” rang around the ground following Ayari’s stunning first goal for Brighton.
The 49-year-old, whose only previous return to the Amex Stadium ended in humiliation when his Chelsea side were thrashed 4-1 in October 2022, looked set to have the last laugh after Soucek nodded home seven minutes from time following Kudus’ 48th-minute equaliser.
But Mitoma’s header was quickly compounded by Baleba’s sensational strike from long range as ninth-placed Brighton reignited their European push with a first win in six top-flight matches.
The sold-out away end added to Potter’s problems by singing in support of Hammers striker Niclas Fullkrug, who came on as a second-half substitute following his public outburst after last weekend’s 1-1 draw with relegated Southampton.
“They’re entitled to sing whatever they want,” said Potter, who said Fullkrug was not dropped because of his interview following the Saints game.
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler hailed the calmness and togetherness of his players as he savoured a “special” match-winning strike from Baleba.
“The most impressive thing was that we stick to our match plan, also in the last minutes,” he said.
“We had a clear plan of what we want to do and the guys, they perfectly performed in that moment.
“Although there were some setbacks during the game, they stayed very calm, they stayed together, they were very positive and therefore I’m really happy how we reacted and how we finished the game.
“For sure, it was a special moment, a special goal. We know that he has a special ability to score goals, but like this, I don’t see it so often to be fair.”
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