Roberto De Zerbi believes his team can still improve after Albion beat Arsenal 3-1 to progress to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
Albion came from a goal down to win 3-1 at the Emirates thanks to first goals of the season by Danny Welbeck, who converted a penalty against his former club, and Tariq Lamptey either side of a fine finish by Kaoru Mitoma, who scored for the second successive game.
De Zerbi said, “I am happy, but we can play better. We made mistakes but I’m happy for the win. The youngsters played for the first time and it is difficult when you don’t play so much.
“We were a bit lucky in the first part of the second half because Arsenal could have scored one or two times, but for the rest of the game I think we played well.
“I hope this win gives us confidence. Our young players - Colwill, Lamptey, Enciso, Sarmiento, Mitoma - are really good players and I hope they believe in themselves and their quality. They have an ability to play at a high level.”
De Zerbi said he asked the players to show more ‘energy and courage’ after the break.
“I want them to play every game with personality and confidence. I wanted the players to play with more energy and courage in the second half.
“We are Brighton and we have to play every game with the same mentality, with respect for our club and our fans. I think we did that and it is nice to go through in this competition, it is important for us."
Albion are back in action against Aston Villa at the Amex on Sunday and De Zerbi wants a positive end before the World Cup break.
“Tomorrow we have to prepare in the best way for the Aston Villa, it is very important to close the first part of the season on 24 points and we want to win another game in our stadium in front of our fans.”