West Ham and Brighton shared the points in a dour Premier League goalless

Brighton had the bulk of possession and better chances in their first match of the new year.

But they were unable to break through a West Ham defence which has now kept four consecutive clean sheets.

A point moves Brighton into seventh place, above Manchester United, while West Ham are three points further ahead in sixth.

In a first half low on quality and chances, West Ham came closest to taking the lead when James Ward-Prowse's powerful volley was saved by the legs of Jason Steele.

For Brighton, Jack Hinshelwood and Pascal Gross were both denied by point-blank stops from home keeper Alphonse Areola.

Brighton continued to dominate possession after the break, Areola again having to react sharply to Pervis Estupinan's low shot on 55 minutes before Joao Pedro shot straight at the Frenchman after a mazy run.

Tomas Soucek poked wide from six yards in West Ham's clearest second-half chance, before Jakub Moder slashed over for Brighton from close range in the closing minutes.