Brighton and Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton was not prepared to criticise Glenn Murray for a costly penalty miss in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Burnley.
Murray blasted well over the bar in the 36th minute as the Seagulls failed to turn their early dominance at the Amex Stadium into what would have been a first win in six Premier League matches.
The 34-year-old's successful spot-kick in the 5-1 defeat to Liverpool earlier this month remains his side's only league goal in six games.
Hughton insisted the referee was right to award a penalty for Murray's tangle with James Tarkowski and accepted the miss as a rarity.
"You have two competitive players [Murray and Tarkowski] and there is always going to be that physicality. The penalty that was given was a penalty," Hughton told the BBC.
"Everybody misses them now and again.
"Glenn is normally very reliable and the majority will go in, but occasionally they will miss."
FULL-TIME Brighton 0-0 BurnleyHonours even after a full-blooded encounter ends goallessDecember 16, 2017
Hughton also paid tribute to Mat Ryan for preserving a point after the interval.
The goalkeeper positioned himself well for a double save from Scott Arfield and later denied Chris Wood in a one-on-one.
"We had to rely on Maty to make a really good save in the second-half, but it should have never got to that period. We had a lot of chances in the first half," the manager said.
"Burnley play a way that is very effective and they mix it up well. He made some big saves at crucial moments and we needed him."
