Brighton & Hove Albion boss Sami Hyypia tonight said his players deserved to win after they produced their best performance of the season - but was left frustrated with just a point, after a 1-1 draw with Cardiff City at the American Express Community Stadium.
The Seagulls dominated the game, bossing 62% of possession, had 26 shots and 12 corners - but found Scottish international David Marshall in inspired form in the Cardiff goal, and afterwards Hyypia admitted he felt for his squad.He told seagulls.co.uk, "The only thing we lacked tonight was a second goal. I feel sorry for the players as they played a great game but only came back to the dressing room with a draw.
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"It's a pity, but we need to live with that and make sure we go into the next game and play the same way and next time we will put the ball in the back of the net.
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"Their goalkeeper's performance was frustrating for us but that is football. He had a good night and we could not score the second which would have decided it. To concede that kind of easy goal as well is a pity but that is football – anything can happen.
"I enjoyed how we played and at times it was very good, but I did not enjoy that we did not score the second. We had lots of chances to score and the players also did their defensive tasks in a disciplined manner as well. The only thing we lacked was that second goal.
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"You can pick out many players tonight who played very well, but I think the whole team did their job out on the pitch and the players who came off the bench also performed well. I am very pleased [with the performance] but unfortunately I need to be happy with a draw, which I am not.
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"I like to play football and I think the players enjoy that we try to play and try to make problems for the opposition as well. I also like that we defended very well and in the last couple of games we have not conceded many goals which has been good."
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Meanwhile Hyypia refused to single out anyone for blame, after Kenwyne Jones cancelled out Bruno's opener."I don’t look for whose mistake it was. That kind of situation happens. The goalkeeper was coming out and Dunky was going to the ball with Kenwyne Jones.
"We know that Kenwyne Jones is very good in the air and he got to the ball in front of the keeper and that was it. I don't want to point the finger.
"We all make mistakes and the most important thing is how you react from the mistakes. He reacted very well to the situation and in the second half, he saved us.
The Albion manager praised right-back Bruno for his goal, but admitted he wasn't convinced as to whether the Spaniard actually meant to shoot.
"It was a good finish from Bruno, but I don’t know if he really meant it! I think he will say that he did, but either way it was a quality finish. We talked that sometimes he gets in those positions that he could shoot himself, and this time he did."
Hyypia also felt Albion had two good penalty appeals, one for handball in the first-half, then in stoppage time as LuaLua went down in the box.
"I've seen penalties given for less than that, let’s put it that way. [In the first half] I saw that it hit somebody’s hand, but the referee didn't give it. I'm not the one who decides what happens and we need to accept how the referee sees the situation, and we can't do anything about it."
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Albion are likely to be without Craig Mackail-Smith for Saturday's trip to Watford after he suffered a hamstring injury; while Jake Forster-Caskey is ruled out, having picked up his fifth booking of the season.
[h=2]UPCOMING HOME FIXTURES[/h][h=3]ALBION V CARDIFF
[/h]TUESday 30TH september, KICK-OFF 7.45PM
[h=3]ALBION V MIDDLESBROUGH
[/h]SATURDAY 18th OCTOBER, KICK-OFF 3PM
[h=3]Albion v ROTHERHAM
[/h]saturDAY 25TH october, kick-off 3pm
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