Chris Hughton Disappointed by Brighton's Defending in 2-1 Defeat to Man Utd

Brighton manager Chris Hughton has blamed his side's slow start for their defeat at Old Trafford against Manchester United; suggesting that had his side not

Brighton manager Chris Hughton has blamed his side's slow start for their defeat at Old Trafford against Manchester United; suggesting that had his side not conceded from a Paul Pogba penalty, then they could have earned something from the game.

Hughton's team fell behind halfway through the first half after full-back Gaetan Bong fouled Paul Pogba in the area, leading to the Frenchman dispatching the penalty which got United on the road to victory.

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United added their second through Marcus Rashford, as the Englishman was allowed to cut inside from the left hand side with a sublime piece of skill to finish powerfully from a tight angle. Pascal Gross did halve the arrears for the Seagulls, however the two first half goals proved too much for Hughton's side to turn around.

Hughton said (as quoted by Sky Sports): "It's disappointment. When you come here you know you've got to stay in the game, and we've paid the price for a slow start and poor goals conceded.

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"We did show character after that, but it should never have got to that stage. I don't think we were at our best, and probably United weren't either.

"The biggest disappointment is the goals we conceded, we know the quality they have will test our goalkeeper. I thought we very much gave them a game.

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"I thought there was a chance for us today, and if we started the game better, allowed ourselves not to be behind, particularly with the goals we had conceded, we could have got something."

Hughton will be hoping his side can avoid an upset in their next fixture, as they face Championship side West Brom at the Amex Stadium in the FA Cup fourth round.