Club news

Hughton Delighted With First Top Six Victory

By James Hilsum • 05 March 2018

Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton believes a first victory over one of the so-called ‘big six’ sides this season will give his side a tremendous amount of confidence, following yesterday’s 2-1 win over Arsenal.

The victory was the first points that Albion have taken from a team in the top six of the Premier League all season, and Hughton hopes the win can give Albion even more momentum going into the final nine matches of the season.

He said, “If I was offered at the start of the season that we will stay up, but won’t beat any of the top six, then I would have settled for it.

“I didn’t think this before, but I do think that beating a team in the top six will do us a world of good.

“Most people didn’t expect us to win and we didn’t have the pressure of having to get a result, which was a nice position to be in. That also gave us more confidence.”

The result ensured the Seagulls moved up to tenth in the Premier League table and seven points clear of the bottom three, but Hughton remains guarded against complacency.

“Our place in the league is very comforting but we are all professionals around here, and we will be in on Monday focused on the next game, which will hopefully make us even more comfortable.

“In this game, as soon as you take your foot off the pedal and start thinking you are better than you are, there are other teams around that can knock you off that.”

The Seagulls boss also praised the performances of Anthony Knockaert and Glenn Murray following the result, and highlighted their crucial combinations this season.

“Knockaert is playing well and it’s understandable that he was frustrated to come off, but he's a very professional player and has been great for us and he will continue to be great for us.”

“Glenn is a striker that is prepared to work hard, and his work allows him into good areas to have opportunities. He's a player in really good form and he deserves all the credit he gets.”