Chris Hughton Admits Defeat to Chelsea Has Left Brighton in a 'Tough' Position in Relegation Battle

Brighton manager Chris Hughton admitted that the defeat to Chelsea on Wednesday coupled with their loss to Southampton on the weekend has left his side in a tough position for the battle against relegation from the Premier League.

The Seagulls were thoroughly defeated 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, and this week's results have left them five points above Cardiff City in the relegation zone, tied with Burnley and Southampton on 33 points albeit with a game in hand.

Callum Hudson-Odoi helped the Blues take the lead in the first half, beating Anthony Knockaert with his quick feet and driving to the byline, before crossing for Olivier Giroud to flick home Chelsea's 37th-minute strike.

Forced to come out of their shell in order to chase the goal, Brighton were cut apart in a lethal three-minute period of the second half that saw Eden Hazard and Ruben Loftus-Cheek both curl delightful strikes past Matt Ryan.

Speaking post-match, as quoted by Sky Sports, Hughton said: "It's tough, as I expected, everyone is fighting.

Dan Istitene/GettyImages

"We did ourselves no favours by not getting any type of result against Southampton. That makes it tougher for us.

"It was always in our hands and that's the way you prefer it. You don't want to rely on other results. We have games that we need to pick up points.

"It was a hard game for us but nothing short of what we expected. We were very much in the game, in terms of defending well and making it difficult for them.

Dan Istitene/GettyImages

"It's very difficult to come here and be any other way, then try to make sure you are disciplined and keep good shape and when you get your moments try to make the most of them."

Hughton couldn't ignore Chelsea youngster Hudson-Odoi's first start in the Premier League, and according to Evening Standard reporter Vaishali Bhardwaj'sTwitter account he said: "He's a quality player and he's playing in a very good team. Because of their dominance, he had a lot of service and he made the first goal.

"[There's] no doubt he's a very, very good player for the future."

The Seagulls must now regroup and prepare for a monumental FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Wembley before turning their attention back to the Premier League relegation battle with a south coast derby against Bournemouth.