Duffy: Four Points Is A Good Week In This League

Brighton & Hove Albion defender Shane Duffy expressed his delight towards the start his team-mates have made, after the Irishman identified a four-game spell as golden chances to claim Premier League points.

The Seagulls have taken four points from last Wednesday’s visit to Southampton and Saturday’s home fixture against West Ham United, with Stoke City and Swansea City next up in the league for Chris Hughton’s team.

The 26-year-old central defender believes there are small margins that lead to sealing three points in these important games, and stressed the confidence running through the squad ahead of the weekend trip to the bet365 Stadium.

He said, “We’ve looked at these fixtures and thought they’re the best chances of us getting a run together.

“It’s started well but we know things can turn around quickly. The teams are all quite level in this league and it’s literally just moments of brilliance that make the difference.

“Either Jose [Izquierdo] pops up or a good bit of defending leads to a clean sheet - it’s so tight and the league shows that.

“You see Swansea have turned things around for themselves - it’s just so unpredictable and we’ve got to be on our game every week. We’re confident going into the game against Stoke on Saturday.”

Albion overcame West Ham at the Amex Stadium last weekend, and the Irishman reiterated his pleasure towards the points Hughton’s men were able to add to their Premier League tally after 26 games.

“It was a relief to get back to winning ways, because we’ve been a little unfortunate with some results.

“I felt like we could have won against Southampton, but we got the win against West Ham and it was a good feeling.

“At the end of the day, it was still a point away from home and we had to defend quite a lot down there [v Southampton].

“Four points is a good week in this league, against two teams around us - so bring on the next two games.”

Jose Izquierdo curled home a sensational goal for Albion against the Hammers to make it 2-1, and Duffy praised the Colombian for his quality on the ball and believes his stunning strike was a pivotal moment in the match.

“It was a great strike and he’s got that in his locker, he’s done it a few times in training. Sometimes it will go for a throw-in or it will go in the top corner - but it was a great moment and it changed the game.

“He’s got that little bit of brilliance about him - he can pop up and score wonder goals. He’s got a lot of pace, and you even see the best players, like [Mohammed] Salah, missing two or three before putting it in the top corner.

“He’s still adapting to this league, as it’s his first season, but I think he’s done great and he’s a massive threat for us. A moment like that is probably our goal of the season so far.

“It was quite tight when it was 1-1, and that’s what you need in this league, a bit of magic. We then controlled the game until the finish and Pascal [Gross] rounded it off.”