Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton highlighted two of the talking points from today’s Premier League defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, and believes his side should have been awarded a penalty of their own.
Harry Kane opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Glenn Murray was penalised for handball, however Hughton commented on Erik Dier’s unpunished tussle with Lewis Dunk in the second half.
He said, “I’ve seen the [Spurs] penalty itself and I have no problems with that one. It was handball, but I haven't seen the actual contact before that.
“There’s no doubt that the ball hit his hand, but we see that an awful lot, and on more occasions than not, they’re not given as penalties. That was probably my frustration at the time.
“The other one is also a penalty [Dier pulling down Dunk], I have no doubts about that. He’s on his way down and he’s got a clear hold of Dunky’s shirt.
“Those are the balances that haven't gone in our favour. I have no problems with theirs, but we certainly should have had one as well.”
Anthony Knockaert replied in second-half stoppage time to make it 2-1 at the Amex, and Hughton thought his team showed creativity, but lacked the cutting edge that Spurs showed on the south coast.
“They showed their quality on the second goal. We pressed high to try and get back into the game, but probably some seven or eight seconds later they ended up getting the goal.
“It was very difficult because they’ve got quality players. They’re a very expansive team, and particularly on a wet surface like this, they can move the ball quickly.
“We had good chances as well. It was a very good goal from us to put us back in the game, and even right at the end, we had another decent opportunity [Knockaert’s late chance].
“I don’t think anyone can fault the commitment of the team and the willingness to get back into it. They were just more clinical in front of goal.”
Supporters can watch the manager's full reaction to today's game with Tottenham Hotspur at the Amex Stadium above.