Niclas Fullkrug (left) attempts to close down Carlos Baleba
West Ham’s Niclas Füllkrug (left) struggled to keep up with the pace of the game
Barely 60 seconds passed between Niclas Füllkrug going off, Jarrod Bowen moving to the middle and West Ham United scoring from his saved shot.
That pretty much summed up Füllkrug’s Premier League starting XI debut. West Ham were better off without their £27 million striker, who was as slow and cumbersome as they come.
It was Mohammed Kudus who scored West Ham’s equaliser, but the goal was a result of Bowen’s pace and industry through the middle – two things 31-year-old Füllkrug failed to show in 57 miserable minutes.
The kindest thing you could say about Füllkrug is that he can surely only get better and he will need to take some time to get up to speed after spending so much time out with an Achilles problem.
Mohammed Kudus celebrates scoring his side's first goal with Crysencio Summerville
Mohammed Kudus (left) celebrates scoring West Ham’s equaliser with Crysencio Summerville
Quite what his top speed proves to be remains to be seen, however. Against Brighton and Hove Albion, he managed to commit two fouls, gave the ball away as West Ham tried to launch a promising break and did nothing much else.
West Ham owner David Sullivan was spotted on the telephone next to the agent Will Salthouse not long after Füllkrug had gone off. Many more performances like this one and he will want some explanations over how the German ended up at the London Stadium.
Manager Julen Lopetegui will remain under pressure with supporters, but the people responsible for sanctioning Füllkrug’s signing might not be so comfortable themselves.
West Ham originally wanted Aston Villa’s explosive striker Jhon Durán and it is hard to see how Füllkrug was judged to be the next-best option.
Mats Wieffer scores for Brighton
Mats Wieffer put Brighton ahead after a mistake from West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski
Mats Wieffer had volleyed Brighton into the lead after a mistake by West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. Kudus’s goal and Fabianski’s right-hand post spared West Ham a damaging defeat, but in truth this game mirrored the performances of Füllkrug – very ordinary.