With Brighton suffering a disappointing defeat to Everton in the last game, manager Chris Hughton has called on the side to show a response when we face Manchester United this weekend in the FA Cup.
Meeting with the media this week as he looked both forward and back, Hughton told the Official Site that despite the disappointment, everyone at the club knew knocks came during a season but what was important was how you responded to those and reacted, and that’s exactly what he’s looking for in what will be another tough game.
‘One trait that you`ll always need to have is bouncing back. This isn’t the first time this season that we`ve had a disappointing performance and result. You try to raise your players for every game and sometimes it`s very difficult when you`re playing against good opposition. But it`s about bouncing back, and that won`t be any different with all of the teams that are around us in this division.’
With two second half goals for the Goodison Park outfit, Hughton again spoke about riding our luck in the first half but then even more disappointingly not showing improvement in the second period as that was unlike the group.
‘I was surprised, particularly because of the form that we`d be in. You can’t come to Everton, who have been very good at home, and play at a level that doesn`t allow you to get anything from the game. Despite not playing very well, we went in at half-time still very much in the game. For all of the corners that they had and balls into the final third, they never really had any clear chances. We had an opportunity to improve and come out better in the second half, but unfortunately we didn`t.’
With a sixth round tie against United this weekend, Hughton ended by saying.
‘I have decisions to make – but I`m also very conscious that it`s Manchester United away at Old Trafford. It`s one of the toughest games that we could have. In any way that we`re going to win it, we`ll have to put in a performance that will give us a chance. If anything, I`ll look to put out the strongest side that I can to get a result.’
