Brighton players have not downed tools, says Hughton

South-coast club sit three points above the relegation zone in Premier League

LONDON: Brighton & Hove Albion players cannot be accused of not caring about retaining their Premier League status as they look to avoid the drop with four games left in the season, manager Chris Hughton said on Monday.

The south-coast club sit three points above the relegation zone but have endured a severe dip in form in 2019, winning only two of their last 14 league games to fall from 13th to 17th in the standings.

Brighton have also failed to score in their last five league matches, including the 0-0 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

"I don't think anybody could accuse a group of players at Wolves on Saturday of it not meaning enough or downing tools," Hughton told reporters ahead of Tuesday's trip to Tottenham Hotspur. "Absolutely that's not the case. We're a team of our level playing in the Premier League and, up until probably the last month or so, we've been in a decent enough position in the league.

"Probably our poorest period came at the worst time, but that happens when you're playing in a division as difficult as this one and when you are the level of club that we are. We have to find formulas and pull out results to get the points that we need."

Hughton, who spent over two decades as a player at Tottenham, said he was looking forward to playing at the new White Hart Lane stadium which opened this month.

"I was there all in all for 27 years and I have lots of memories as a player and as a coach," Hughton said. "I'm looking forward to going there. How much I'll enjoy it will be down to the performance the team put in but I'm hoping I can enjoy it."

Three points ahead of 18th-placed Cardiff City, Brighton end the season with games against Newcastle United on Saturday, Arsenal and Manchester City.