West Ham United had to battle hard away to Brighton & Hove Albion but earned a precious 1-0 away win on Monday night.
With Sam Allardyce having to cope with injuries to several key players, he saw his men compete from start to finish on a rain-sodden night on the south coast. The victory moved the Hammers back up to second place in the npower Championship.
Kevin Nolan scored the only goal of the game with an opportunist strike on 17 minutes, seizing on to a defensive mistake before firing in past Albion debutant Steve Harper.
Brighton were in resilient mood and came back strong. They had several chances but the Hammers held firm in the first half to take a precious lead into the interval.
Big Sam's men knew they would face an onslaught from the home side in the second half as well as Brighton looked for the equaliser. But it was spirited stuff from the visitors and they got the precious three points.
Kevin Nolan struck early on to the delight of the travelling fans
The goal was the fourth scored by the skipper this season
Mark Noble returned to the side and was a combative presence
George Moncur got to experience his first taste of the matchday 16
Jack Collison was another back in the side and kept on going
It was a nervy finish for the manager but the team held on