Club news

Knockaert: Our Quality Shone Through

By Kieran Cleeves • 05 May 2018

Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Anthony Knockaert highlighted the first Premier League victory of the season as a turning point for Chris Hughton’s team, and is now focused on building again after securing their Premier League safety last night.

The Seagulls overcame Manchester United at the Amex Stadium, thanks to a second-half header from Pascal Gross, but Knockaert reflected on the confidence taken from the 3-1 victory over the West Bromwich Albion in September.

He said, “The first home win against West Brom made the difference, as we knew we were capable of winning games and had the quality to do it.

“From then on, we managed to get some good results, such as away at West Ham and this one.

“We have more than enough quality in this team, and we proved against Manchester United that we’re a really good team.

“We have one year of experience in the Premier League and that will help us. We’ll try to build on this and I’m really excited for next season.

“We’ve got two really difficult games to come, but we’re going to give our best and see what happens.”

Knockaert has started three successive games after returning from suspension, and the Frenchman was pleased with his contribution against the Red Devils.

“I was working really hard after the red card, and I wanted to prove that it was a mistake. I’m happy with my performances since.

“I wanted to show that I’ve got the qualities to play at this level, and I think that’s what I did tonight.

“When you miss a lot of pre-season, it’s physically and mentally hard. It wasn’t an easy start to the season for me, but hopefully next season will be better.

“We’ve now got two enjoyable games coming up and they’re good games to play in. We wanted to make sure we got the job done and that’s what we did.”