Graham Potter explains surprising Tariq Lamptey injury latest ahead of Fulham

Tariq Lamptey missed the match at Leicester and is a doubt for Fulham

Lamptey, 20, has been one of the form players for Brighton this season and his pace and skill were sorely missed during a poor showing at the King Power Stadium.

The former Chelsea man made his debut for Albion at Leicester last season and was fully expected to take his place in the starting XI last night.

Graham Potter explained before the match that Lamptey missed the game as a 'precaution' as the head coach tries to manage his squad for the hectic festive period.

Brighton will need to recover and respond quickly as they travel to fellow strugglers Fulham on Wednesday night before welcoming basement team Sheffield United to the Amex on Sunday.

“We will see," said Potter when asked if Lamptey will be fit for Fulham. "This one [Leicester] just probably came a bit too soon.

"We just want to make sure he was fully recovered.

"He was feeling a bit of a sensation on his hamstring, so we decided to err on the side of caution because of the nature of it.

"But we are hopeful he will be back for Wednesday.”

Brighton have just 10 points from 12 matches so far this season and they are in the thick of a developing relegation battle.

Skipper Lewis Dunk was hugely frustrated with their first half showing against the Foxes and expects the team to respond positively on Wednesday.

He said, "Sunday showed how punishing teams can be at this level.

"We had chances in the first half which we didn't put away, that was the difference.

"They took theirs and it was hard to come back from that.

"They're a strong side. Now we have to forget about the result and look ahead to Wednesday night.

"Confidence is still high, we have shown this season in a lot of games what we are capable of.

"We stuck at it after the break and showed determination not to concede again."

Graham Potter's side head to Craven Cottage in two days' time before hosting Sheffield United at the Amex on Sunday.

"We have two big games coming up, but every match we play in this league is important.

"We're a good side and we want to show that, starting on Wednesday."