Chris Hughton Heartened by Brighton's Performance But Rues Missed Chances in Spurs Defeat

Tottenham Hotspur had to grind out a hard fought league victory against Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday night. 

A fortunate goal by defender Serge Aurier in the first half and a late Son Heung-min header two minutes from time condemned Brighton to a third consecutive defeat. 

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Nevertheless, there was enough in Brighton's defensive performance to give the manager and the club's supporters hope for the remainder of season. 

The dogged determination to remain in the contest was one to be admired and the organisation of the team made them tough opponents to breakdown. 

The concern Hughton will take away is the fact that for all the good work his side does defensively it is in that attacking third where the Seagulls look toothless and this could potentially hinder their chances of retaining their Premier League status come May. 

Speaking to the club's official website, Hughton said: “Overall, I thought we did all right. It was always going to be difficult with the quality that they’ve got, and in particular the quality that they can bring off the bench.

“We probably conceded two poor goals, especially the second one - we didn’t need to give away the free-kick in the first place. The first goal was incredibly fortuitous.

“I thought we grew in confidence. We were always going to be up against it, but I thought we defended well and restricted them to minimal chances.

“But I thought we had good periods in the game, certainly in that second-half period when Hemed had a good chance - you’re not going to get many good chances here.

“What we’ve got to do is bounce back for the next one and make sure we give ourselves the best opportunity to get a result."

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The former Spurs defender will be hoping that his side can turn the corner quickly and find a win to reignite their season after making such a confident start to the campaign. 

They now have two home games to look forward to with a resurgent Burnley visiting on Saturday followed by Watford. Two wins and this difficult run of results will be quickly forgotten.