Brighton boss Chris Hughton insists the scoreline in defeat to Chelsea was exaggerated.

A brace from Eden Hazard and goals each for Willian and Victor Moses secured all three points for the Blues, and Hughton felt the timing of the first two strikes gave his team an uphill battle from the sixth minute onwards.

He said, “We didn't do ourselves any favours by being 2-0 down as early in the game as what we were.

“At that stage, they were in the ascendancy and the fear is then that it will become three or four. In full flow, they are a super team, but I don't think the result is a fair reflection of the game.

“We had some really good periods, but the difference between the two teams was two appeals that you need against a team like Chelsea, the quality they've got in the final third and the difficulty we've got with scoring goals at the moment.

“What I have to think about at this moment is that we go into a cup game next, and I need to make sure I've got a group of players that look at the positives.

“There were a lot of positives to take from today, but it wasn't like us to concede the goals that we did."