Chris Hughton remains defiant but Brighton seem paralysed by pressure | Dominic Fifield

Brighton manager confident of Premier League survival but slump towards drop zone has raised questions about recruitment and leadership

Chris Hughton resorted to rattling off the positives. There were the recent away performances, “apart from the Chelsea one”, at Crystal Palace and Wembley. Going back further and Wolves, Saturday’s opponents, had been beaten last autumn in trademark Brighton fashion: plenty of robust defending, a clean sheet and a Glenn Murray finish to claim the points.

Then there was Pascal Gross’s return to fitness and that of José Izquierdo, players who have missed huge chunks of the campaign. The pair contributed 23 goals and assists last season in a team who scored only 34 times. Throw in, too, the reality Hughton’s side may need to muster only one positive result from five fixtures, starting at Molineux, to secure survival. Cardiff, the team clawing at their backs, will surely need two from four games. It should not be all doom and gloom.

Continue reading...