Brighton manager Graham Potter is still looking for ways his side can improve after starting their Premier League campaign in fine fashion with a 3-0 victory at Watford.
The 44-year-old secured his first competitive win in charge of Albion on Saturday as Brighton ended the Hornets’ impressive record of being unbeaten on each of the last 12 opening-day fixtures.
The Seagulls took the lead in the 29th minute when Abdoulaye Doucoure turned the ball into his own net before second-half goals from substitutes Florin Andone, with his first touch, and Neal Maupay on debut sealed the win.
Speaking after the game, Potter, who replaced Chris Hughton as Brighton boss this summer, was keen to look at the season ahead and not get carried away with the win.
“I’m really pleased for those guys and I’m really pleased for the group collectively because they put a lot of work into that and it’s not easy to win away from home in the Premier League. To score three goals and keep a clean sheet is something for us to build on and improve,” he said.
“We’re not perfect and we’re not going to get too carried away and we won’t get too carried away when we don’t have a good day.
“In this competition you can lose at any point but we also need to feel like we can win and then be respectful enough to know that, whatever the result, we need to try and improve and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Brighton formed a new-look side with three at the back and a more attacking style of play, with Potter saying he wanted his team to be more aggressive defensively.
The Seagulls boss was also impressed with defender Dan Burn, saying: “He’s a top professional, he’s applied himself fantastically every day and he’s done his best every day.
“(He) takes on board what you ask him to do and then carries it out to the best of his abilities.”
Watford boss Javi Gracia also insisted his side would improve, and expressed his desire to focus on the next game against Everton on Saturday.
“It’s true the first two goals came from two individual mistakes. We have to improve these actions,” he said.
“I trust we will do better in the second game. We have time to analyse and improve, I want to focus on the next game.”
When asked whether new signings Danny Welbeck or Ismaila Sarr were likely to feature in the next game, Gracia said: “I don’t like to miss the players I don’t have.
“The best way is try to improve with the players you have, we see what happens for the next game.”
