'Unbelievably simplistic' - Roy Hodgson bristles at journalist but offers praise for Graham Potter and Brighton

Neal Maupay gave Brighton the lead just before half-time with a well taken goal, followed by defender Adam Webster prodding home the visitors’ second from a corner to ensure all three points.

Speaking after the game, former England manager Hodgson praised Brighton, saying “we know Brighton are going to play well, that’s why they’re so high up in the league.

"They have so many good players and they’re playing with enormous confidence because they’re winning matches. We would’ve needed to play better than we did in order to counteract it.”

The Watford manager also gave an honest appraisal of his own side, and voiced his disappointment with their performance. “We weren’t good enough to win it, our first half performance was much worse than I was expecting it to be, having analysed the last two games and seen the players in training, we had high hopes.”

Hodgson was, however, happier with his team’s second half performance, believing their improvements to have put them in contention of clawing the game back from Brighton.

“In the second half I thought, with a couple of changes at half-time, the players did go about their job much better, and in actual fact, not only did we keep Brighton at bay, but we actually looked as though we might create some goal chances ourselves.

“A very good chance came when [Emmanuel] Dennis hit the crossbar, but that didn’t go in, and of course with four forwards on the field and only two central midfielders we were in danger of conceding from a counter-attack, and that’s basically what happened.”

The managing veteran was then prickly in his response to questions as to why he didn’t start the game with the team he fielded for the second half, branding it “an unbelievably simplistic question.”

“Really you’re asking me to start changing all the thoughts I have as a football coach, and start thinking as a journalistic. I’m afraid I’m not really in the mood for that type of discussion.”