'Wake up' - Brighton record signing 'not happy' after salvaging point against Leeds
Luka Vuskovic said Brighton ‘woke up too late’ after his first goal for the club rescued a point against Leeds United.
The £50m defender – a club record signing for Albion – headed home Maxim De Cuyper’s corner in the 71st minute as the Seagulls fought back to draw 1-1 at the Amex.
Brighton struggled to cope with Leeds in the opening stages, with Jayden Bogle putting the visitors ahead after 15 minutes.
Vuskovic, speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the game, acknowledged Albion had not started with the required intensity.
“I am happy to help the team a little bit but we are not happy because we woke up too late,” he said.
“We started slow, we lost a lot of balls. We need to start from the first second.
“It's not a worry – it's the beginning of the season. We are a young team and need to find solutions. It will be a lot better.”
The Croatian teenager's equaliser gave Brighton renewed momentum and they had chances to go on and win the game, with substitute Promise David and Pascal Gross both missing opportunities late on.
But Vuskovic, 19, believes Albion cannot afford to rely on their ability to fight back after falling behind.
“We need to wake up from the first second. Play from minute one through to the end,” he said.
“We never give up and that's one of our strengths, but we need to rely on our strengths from the first second.”
Vuskovic's comments highlighted the frustration within the squad after a performance in which Leeds could arguably have taken all three points.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke felt his side had created enough opportunities to win the game, but was satisfied to leave Sussex with a point.
“It's a good point on the road,” the German told Match of the Day.
"It's a tough place to come so it's a good point because Brighton are a good team.
“But we had a chances to win it. Normally if you miss so many chances in an away game, you come away with no points so I'm happy to have a point in our hands.”