MX23RW : Thursday, January 27 10:43:37| >> :120:75146:75146:

Graham Potter hails Danny Welbeck strike as "off-the-seat moment"

Graham Potter hails Danny Welbeck strike as
© Reuters
The forward sealed a comfortable win for Brighton.

Graham Potter said it was a shame there was no crowd to witness Danny Welbeck's sublime goal as Brighton took a significant step towards Premier League survival with victory over Leeds.

Former England forward Welbeck sealed a deserved 2-0 success at the Amex Stadium by lashing home after executing a perfect Cruyff turn on a dropping ball.

Pascal Gross' early penalty set Albion on course for only a third home league win of the campaign, which moved them on to 37 points and piled further pressure on 18th-placed Fulham.

Seagulls head coach Potter will not declare his side safe until it is mathematically assured but admitted Welbeck's moment of magic contributed to an important three points.

Danny Welbeck seals Brighton's win
Danny Welbeck sealed Brighton's win (Mike Hewitt/PA)

"It was a really good performance that ends in a result, so that's great for us," said Potter, whose team had gone four games without a win and three without scoring.

"It was important for us to get the second goal because we've had a lot of times this season where we've been 1-0 up, playing well, but haven't managed to get the second one which kills the game off.

"It was a great bit of quality from Danny to get it, so overall a fantastic team performance.

"It's one of those moments when you are just sad that there's not a crowd there to enjoy it live because it would have been an off-the-seat moment.

Graham Potter shakes hands with the officials
Graham Potter was delighted with his side's display (Ben Stansall/PA)

"The turn itself was a great football action and then to finish it off as well as he did is great for Danny."

Asked if Brighton were now clear of relegation danger, Potter replied: "Unless my maths is incorrect, we need more points. We want more points, so we need to focus on that, we keep fighting."

Albion controlled proceedings and would have won by a greater margin had Leandro Trossard and Neal Maupay not spurned golden chances.

Gross confidently found the bottom left corner from the spot in the 14th minute after Ezgjan Alioski clumsily hauled down Welbeck in the box.

Potter was eventually able to breath a sigh of relief in the 79th minute when Welbeck's deft touch took him away from Pascal Struijk and was followed by a ruthless finish.

With Welbeck's contract set to expire in the summer, Potter is eager to tie the former Manchester United and Arsenal player to fresh terms but says discussions will wait until the campaign is completed.

"The intention is there but the most important thing at this stage is that we finish the season off as strongly as we can, that's as a team and Danny as a professional," said Potter.

"He's a top guy and he wants to finish the season off well and he wants to complete the job that he's started with us.

"And then we will sit down with all of the guys and talk about the future but now it's just abut getting the points that we need."

ID:445705: cacheID:445705:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7716:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Did you know...?

rhs 2.0
Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City23183255144157
2Liverpool22146258193948
3Chelsea24138348183047
4Manchester UnitedMan Utd2211563630638
5West Ham UnitedWest Ham23114841311037
6Arsenal2111373325836
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs2011362624236
8Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2110471916334
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2261242323030
10Leicester CityLeicester207583437-326
11Aston Villa2182112832-426
12Southampton2251072634-825
13Crystal Palace225983134-324
14Brentford2365122638-1223
15Leeds UnitedLeeds215792440-1622
16Everton2054112435-1119
17Norwich CityNorwich2244141345-3216
18Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2129102143-2215
19Watford2042142340-1714
20Burnley181981627-1112

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Match previews - Daily
Transfer Talk Daily
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!