Georginio Rutter's stoppage-time equaliser for Brighton cancelled out Jarrod Bowen's superb finish as West Ham missed the chance to escape the Premier League relegation zone.

With 91 minutes on the clock, West Ham were unable to hold out for a win that would have lifted them out of the bottom three, as Rutter finished from close range.

The video assistant referee (VAR) checked whether Rutter handled the ball before finishing - but the goal was allowed to stand.

The Premier League Match Centre said: "The referee's call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR - with it deemed that Rutter's arm was in a natural position and he did not deliberately handle the ball, and the contact with the arm was not immediately prior to him scoring."

Konstantinos Mavropanos was inches away from then snatching a winner for the Hammers but he could only head wide from a corner with the last action of the game.

West Ham captain Bowen had given the Hammers the lead in the 73rd minute after he latched on to a Callum Wilson pass and finished from an incredibly tight angle.

Brighton almost responded immediately. A cross looped up off Max Kilman and looked goalbound, but Alphonse Areola was able to push the ball on to the woodwork.

The Seagulls continued to push for a leveller as Charalampos Kostoulas made a near-post run to meet Rutter's cross, but he could not direct his shot on target.

In a drab first half, Bowen tried to stamp his authority on the game - dancing his way through the Seagulls' defence to force Bart Verbruggen into a stunning stop. Crysencio Summerville latched on to the rebound for the Hammers, but the goalkeeper was there once again.

With Chelsea dropping points in their goalless draw at Bournemouth yesterday, this seemed like the perfect opportunity for Brighton to close in on the top four.

But it wasn't to be for Fabian Hurzeler's men, who largely looked devoid of creativity after losing a thriller 4-3 to Aston Villa on Wednesday.

In wet and windy weather on the south coast, Brighton failed to manage a shot on target in the opening 70 minutes.

It took Bowen's opener to wake them up - and although Hurzeler will be pleased with his side's response after falling behind, he may well feel frustrated they could not capitalise on Chelsea's stumble.

With two wins, three draws and a defeat in their past six Premier League matches, have West Ham turned a corner under Nuno Espirito Santo?

Hammers fans will rightly be disappointed after conceding such a late goal, but they are ridding themselves of their early-season losing habit, and they now sit just two points adrift of Nottingham Forest in 17th.

Trips to Manchester United and Brighton are by no means easy, and West Ham can be pleased with two points.

The Hammers can have reason for optimism for the festive period. They welcome in-form Aston Villa to London next, but can approach that test with confidence.

And with Bowen in their team, they are capable of scoring a goal out of nothing - much as they did at Amex Stadium.

It was a wonderful finish from the Hammers captain, who continues to attempt to drag his side towards safety.

Brighton travel to Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday, 13 December (15:00 GMT).

West Ham, meanwhile, welcome in-form Aston Villa to London Stadium on Sunday, 14 December (14:00 GMT).