Carlos Baleba completed an incredible late turnaround for Brighton & Hove Albion as they clinched a dramatic 3-2 victory over West Ham United at the Amex Stadium.

West Ham thought they had secured a first win since the end of February after themselves coming from behind to lead.

After Yasin Ayari had given Brighton an early lead on Saturday, Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek turned the game on its head in the second half, and the Hammers led 2-1 after 88 minutes.

However, Kaoru Mitoma then equalised, and Baleba sent the home fans into raptures with his stunning stoppage-time strike, leaving former Brighton boss Graham Potter scratching his head on the sidelines.

Brighton move up to ninth, while West Ham stay 17th, now safe from relegation after Ipswich Town's defeat to Newcastle ensured the Tractor Boys will complete the bottom three.

How the match unfolded

It took just 13 minutes for Brighton to find the opener. Jack Hinshelwood teed up Ayari 20 yards from goal, and the Swede wonderfully picked out the top-right corner.

West Ham went close to a response as Soucek headed Maximilian Kilman’s cross onto the crossbar, with Bart Verbruggen getting fingertips to it.

Simon Adingra saw a second Brighton goal disallowed in the 36th minute. Alphonse Areola had made a double save to deny Pervis Estupinan and Mats Wieffer before the winger rifled in, but it was adjudged that Danny Welbeck had interfered with the initial effort from an offside position.

West Ham drew level three minutes into the second half, with Jarrod Bowen crossing to Kudus, who shot through Verbruggen’s legs.

Bowen was the provider again as he teed up Soucek to nod past Verbruggen in the 83rd minute, but the lead only lased for six minutes as Mitoma nodded in from close range.

And Brighton ensured the spoils were theirs when Baleba bent home a sublime long-range strike in the 92nd minute.

Brighton stay in the race for Europe

Brighton’s 4-2 defeat to Brentford last time out looked to have dented their chances of claiming a European spot this season, but the Seagulls have reignited those hopes.

AFC Bournemouth are not in action until Sunday, but with Fulham also beating Southampton, Brighton kept pace in the hunt for Europe, avoiding what could have been a costly slip-up.

They started well, with Ayari’s stunning finish giving Areola no chance, but they failed to take control for large parts of the game.

Only the slightest of margins denied them a second goal, though – Welbeck was inches past the last man when he tried to help on Estupinan’s strike, with Areola making two smart stops before Adingra’s strike was ruled out.

And even when West Ham grabbed the initiative in the second half, Brighton always posed a threat – Wieffer seeing a header kept out before Hinshelwood’s strike was deflected over.

The resilience Brighton showed after Soucek’s header will delight Fabian Hurzeler, and that never-say-die attitude will be required in the run-in. It is Newcastle next up for them.

Potter makes unhappy return

West Ham knew they needed a point, or an Ipswich defeat, to confirm their Premier League status, even if they had likely been confident of it for a good while.

But this is proving to be a difficult end to the season for Potter, who could not get one over on his old club.

They showed signs of promise in the first half, with Soucek their standout performer – he turned Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross into the side netting from a tight angle before almost catching Verbruggen out with a looping header, with Brighton only saved by the bar.

Niclas Fullkrug’s second-half introduction helped, giving West Ham a focal point, and his movement in the six-yard box opened up the space for Kudus to meet Bowen’s cross.

Soucek thought he had snatched West Ham’s first win since 27 February, but their shaky defence could not stand up against Brighton’s late pressure. Their wait for a win will stretch to over two months, and it is a run they will be keen to stop against Tottenham Hotspur next week.

Club reports

Brighton report | West Ham report

Match officials

Referee: Darren England. Assistants: Ian Hussin, Akil Howson. Fourth official: Simon Hooper. VAR: Paul Tierney. Assistant VAR: Mark Scholes.