Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Maty Ryan insists that the side have set the level for away performances during the campaign after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
Mohammed Salah’s first-half strike was the difference between the two sides during a tight contest on Merseyside, and the Australian emphasised that the levels the side reached now have to be maintained on the road throughout the season.
He said, “We set the benchmark last weekend with the win over Manchester United, and I think we maintained it on Saturday with our efforts, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.
“The way we performed has set the bar with how our performances away from home need to be this season.
“We won’t be accepting any excuses from now on away from home because we’ve come and performed in this way against one of the best teams in the country, and they made the Champions League Final last season too.
“We came and gave it everything – we defended outstandingly, and the attitude was great, we ticked all those boxes, but it was just the one moment in the game that gives us the sour feeling.”
Salah’s goal saw the hosts capitalise on a loss of possession from Albion, but the Seagulls had chances to level the game in the second half, and Ryan reflected honestly on the contest.
“The manager said to us afterwards that it’s not often that you come to these sorts of places and you leave disappointed having lost the game because you feel you deserved better.
“But those are the sorts of fine margins that exist in this division, and the difference was when they punished us with the goal.
“We had a few chances from their mistakes too and we weren’t able to capitalise on them, including Pascal’s [Gross] header late on that we weren’t able to take, and that’s the difference today.”
The goalkeeper had a back four of Martin Montoya, Shane Duffy, Leon Balogun and Gaetan Bong ahead of him against Jurgen Klopp’s side – the same defence that had finished the win over Manchester United last weekend.
Ryan spoke highly of the efforts of his four teammates after the side’s third game of the 2018/19 campaign.
“The defence is quite new, but they’ve gelled quickly – that’s a credit to the individuals and the club itself.
“When they bring players in they’re always top professionals – there’s no egos in the group and we all get on well with anyone who comes in because we all have the right attitude.
“In football you’ll never know when someone will pick up an injury or similar, so the group always has to be ready – it’s already served us well this season with the injuries we’ve picked up.”
Tickets are on general sale for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Southampton at the Amex, with prices starting at just £12 for adults and £6 for under-18s if booked in advance. Visit BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com/tickets for more information and to secure your seats!