Hughton Delighted To Secure Late Victory

Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton was pleased with the application of his players as they struck late on to seal a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium - booking a place in the fifth round of the Emirates FA Cup.

Glenn Murray’s goal in the 90th minute - which rebounded off his knee from George Friend’s clearance - won the contest for the Seagulls, and Hughton showed his satisfaction at getting the job done on Teesside.

He said, “I’m really delighted with the application of the players. It was a tight game as we expected, but as the game opened up, we had the better opportunities to work the ball into the final third.

“As we got towards the end of the game, it looked like it was going to be a replay, which was certainly something both managers would not have wanted - so I’m really delighted to have got the winner.

“It looked like one of those type of games where it wasn’t going to be a tap in - it was going to be a bit of brilliance from outside the box, somebody making a mistake or a little bit of fortune. Fortunately for us, it went our way at the end.

“When you make changes, it’s no detriment to the FA Cup, it’s a reflection of where we are. But mostly, it’s a reflection of the competition that we have [in the team].

“We felt we were strong enough to compete. You’ve got to go right through until the end of the game and, fortunately for us, we did.”

Albion are now in the last 16 of the competition and head to Southampton in the Premier League on Wednesday evening, and Hughton showed his delight at recording a positive result and performance ahead of the midweek game.

“I would always rather go through, win a game and go into games on the back of a win. It creates a good feel in the squad, particularly for the players that have played today.

“It creates something in the changing room and around the club, and of course it generates that little bit of momentum.

“What we need to do is take what we showed today into the forthcoming games, and try to get whatever results we can get.”