A pair of goals in extra time saw West Ham United U18s fall to a heart-wrenching 4-3 home defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion U18s.
Just a point from Saturday’s fixture would have secured the U18 Premier League South title for the young Hammers, who took a first-half lead thanks to Callum Marshall’s deflected strike.
Gideon Kodua headed in early in the second half for the hosts but Brighton bit back with two quick finishes, courtesy of Bailey Smith and Remeiro Moulton, in a four-minute spell.
The home side thought the storybook win had been secured when Lewis Orford latched onto a Marshall pass to slot home on 87 minutes, but Brighton grabbed their third on 90+2 minutes through substitute Harry Lee’s well-taken finish.
Despite fighting to hold onto the point that would claim the league championship, West Ham would concede again in the final minute as Moulton added a fourth for the Seagulls, inflicting a third league defeat of the season on the U18s.
Watch full highlights in the video player above.
