Brighton & Hove Albion defender Lewis Dunk dedicated Tuesday evening’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace to the Seagulls supporters.
First-half goals from Glenn Murray, Leon Balogun and Florin Andone sealed a memorable win over Roy Hodgson’s side, and the Albion academy product emphasised that the win was for the fans.
He said, “This one was for the fans – I know how much it means being a local lad, they would have loved that this evening and we played for them.
“They have the bragging rights now and they can celebrate this evening and enjoy it.
“The key for us was our determination, we knew they’d play narrow with high lines and so it meant we had to defend our box and our middle area very well.
“We did that outstandingly and worked our socks off. We’re into the top half now and we have to push on and continue from here.”
Chris Hughton’s men played an hour with ten men after Shane Duffy was shown a red card during an eventful first half on the south coast, and the captain praised the impact of the substitutes, singling out Florin Andone for plaudits after the Romanian’s second goal in as many matches.
“We’ve had to do it the hard way being down to ten men, but we’ve shown the character we have within the side with the way we responded and won the game.
“I think our substitutes in the first half had a key contribution, and when you’re up against it, you want players to come on and make an impact on the game.
“I thought Florin was the best player on the field, he worked his socks off for us and held onto the ball when we needed him too.
“His goal came when we were defending, and he plays on the counter attack. I’d say that’s probably our goal of the season already.”