Chris Hughton accepts Brighton & Hove Albion defeat

Brighton & Hove Albion boss Chris Hughton has admitted that his side deserved their 1-0 defeat to Rotherham United.

The Seagulls slipped down to 18th place in the Championship table on Monday as Matt Derbyshire's early goal made the difference at the New York Stadium.

Hughton believes that Brighton's poor display in the first half was at the heart of their third loss in six games.

"We weren't good in that first-half period. Probably in the end I can't say we deserved to get anything out of the game because of our first-half performance," he told BBC Sport.

"We need to start better in games and we have got to be more productive in that final third otherwise we will put pressure on ourselves. Our work in that final third has got to be more productive."

Brighton continue their league campaign on Friday when they host leaders Bournemouth.