West Ham United overcame the absence of seven senior players to complete an unbeaten festive season with a goalless home Premier League draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at London Stadium on Tuesday night.

Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola was the star of the show in the first stalemate since Burnley away in December 2021, making a string of superb saves to ensure the Hammers kept a fourth successive top-flight clean sheet.

The Frenchman made no fewer than seven important stops to deny Facundo Buonanotte, Danny Welbeck, Jack Hinshelwood, Pascal Gross and João Pedro, ensuring his injury, illness and Africa Cup of Nations depleted team would pick up a hard-earned point.

At the other end, West Ham went closest through Tomáš Souček, who prodded Saïd Benrahma’s deflected cross wide from six yards.

In truth, a share of the spoils was an acceptable return for an Irons squad shorn of Vladimír Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Thilo Kehrer, Lucas Paquetá and Michail Antonio due to either illness or injury, and Africa Cup of Nations bound Nayef Aguerd and Mohammed Kudus, and a point kept David Moyes’ side in sixth place.