Potter delighted as Maupay equals goals record

Albion boss Graham Potter was full of praise for Neal Maupay after the striker equalled Glenn Murray’s record of 26 Premier League goals for the Seagulls.

The Frenchman netted his eighth top-flight goal of the season with a stunning effort before Adam Webster poked home in the second half to secure all three points in a 2-0 win at Watford.

“That’s good company for Neal and nice for him,” said Potter when informed of the record. “It was a fantastic finish. I was sat down and didn’t have the best of views, but it looked a really, really good finish and from a nice passage of play.

“We were patient and you have to wait for the opportunity to find the right pass, the right time to attack, and it was a good ball from Tariq [Lamptey] and a nice goal.”

Albion dominated their opponents in terms of possession and shots to pick up their fourth away win in the league this season, and Potter felt it was a deserved three points.

“It was one of our better performances in terms of controlling the game as much as you can away from home in the Premier League. Apart from maybe a 15-minute spell in the second half I thought we were in a good place throughout the game and, as we said beforehand, it’s not easy to create chances against Roy [Hodgson]’s teams, and you’re aware always of the counter-attack. But we managed the game quite well and I thought the personality of the players was really good.

“Whenever we lost the ball we reacted well, we passed it well with patience and, at the same time, with a purpose when we could. It’s not easy; it’s a Premier League side we’re playing against with dangerous players, but the boys had real courage, real personality, and overall, it was a really good performance from us.”

The win takes Albion on to 33 points with the fans singing of a European tour at the final whistle. Potter, naturally, was looking no further than Tuesday night’s trip to Manchester United.

“It was nice for the fans to enjoy their day, they were brilliant for us. It sounds a boring one but all we do is go to Old Trafford on Tuesday and try our best to get three points and perform well.

“We’re looking forward; we respect the competition, respect the table and we’re in a good position, but we need more points, we want more points. It’s an ambitious group, it’s a hungry group, and we’ll do our best to keep that running going and to keep more points coming.”