Brighton midfielder Dale Stephens says they can quickly jump up the table in the coming week.

Albion travel to Newcastle United on Saturday before welcoming AFC Bournemouth to the Amex just two days later, and Stephens says the squad must look to take maximum points from the next two games.

He said, “We knew Christmas would be a difficult period for us, but we go into these next few games still confident in what we can achieve. Two games in quick succession could mean gaining points quickly.

“We've got six points to play for in the space of three days, and that's how we've got to look at it.

“It's not gone our way against Chelsea, but we've got two more important games coming up over the next few days.

“It's a big period for us, starting with Newcastle, and hopefully we can get the three points in the next game."

Meanwhile, Brighton manager Chris Hughton believes his team have learned a lot from their games against the Premier League's top six so far this season.

He said, “We haven't got any points from any of them [games against the top six], but you have to assess the performances.

“The Manchester United performance was certainly the best one, where we absolutely deserved to get something from it.

“The others are probably as you think - you're up against teams that are going to have more possession than you, and you've got to stay in the game and create enough opportunities.

“It's disappointing that I can't say we've got any points from any of them, but I think we've learned a lot."