Cardiff City vs Brighton match report: Chris Hughton's Brighton spurn big promotion chance

Masters of their own downfall. That was Brighton manager Chris Hughton’s assessment of his side yesterday as they missed the chance to climb into the automatic promotion places.

With Middlesbrough and Hull not in league action, Brighton could have moved above them in the table but were well beaten by a Cardiff side who boosted their own play-off aspirations.

The game was effectively over once Peter Whittingham, Anthony Pilkington and Lex Immers had capitalised on defensive errors to give Cardiff a 3-0 lead inside half an hour, and Hughton said: “It is very simple, if you concede three goals in that manner it is very difficult to win any match. We never allowed ourselves to get into the game. At 3-1 we had two good chances but I cannot say we deserved anything.

“The damage was self-inflicted, we conceded three poor goals in that crucial period and that is nothing to do with form, formations or tactics. It is about defending well and we did not. It was a good opportunity for us and we did not take it.”

Both sides had entered the game on the back of five-match unbeaten runs. Cardiff, however, produced their best display of Russell Slade’s 16-month tenure as Whittingham added a second-half penalty to ensure Cardiff found the net four times in one game for the first time since December 2012.

Brighton fell behind against the run of play in the 16th minute when Steven Sidwell failed to track the forward run of Whittingham, who controlled Matthew Connolly’s pass and gently guided the ball beyond David Stockdale and low into the net.

While the Seagulls keeper had little chance of keeping out the opener, he was culpable for the second just three minutes later when his poor clearance fell straight to Stuart O’Keefe. Cardiff swiftly moved the ball to Pilkington through Immers and the stand-in striker cut inside his man to fire the ball through Stockdale’s hands.

Inigo Calderon’s optimistic curling effort was Brighton’s only real strike on goal in the opening half an hour as Cardiff buzzed with confidence.

More poor defending from the visitors made a bad situation worse as they fell 3-0 adrift on the half-hour. Connor Goldson’s block tackle on Whittingham only diverted the ball across his own area and darts fanatic Immers hit the bullseye by sliding home from just inside the area.

Brighton should have pulled a goal back seven minutes before the break when Jiri Skalak’s excellent cross found Bobby Zamora’s run, but the striker steered the ball wide from eight yards on his 150th league appearance for the visitors.

Chances continued to come at the other end with Tom Lawrence forcing a sharp save from Stockdale and Immers curling an effort narrowly wide either side of the interval.

Brighton’s hopes were lifted when Dale Stephens got across his marker to glance a close-range header beyond David Marshall and it sparked their best spell of the game.

Substitute Tomer Hemed ended a smart break by driving a shot against Scott Malone, while Anthony Knockaert blazed wildly over when a poor Connolly clearance fell straight to him.

But their hopes were extinguished in the 66th minute. Pilkington tricked his way into the box and drew a clumsy challenge from Goldson, and referee Darren Bond pointed to the spot.

Whittingham stepped up and despatched thekick emphatically into the top corner of the net.

Slade said: “That is a big boost for us and I have told the players I still feel there is plenty of improvement to come.

“I say that because we have new partnerships out there. Stuart O’Keefe and Joe Ralls have not played together that often in midfield, Anthony Pilkington has been up front and we have also added new faces to the equation in Tom Lawrence and Lex Immers.

“It is a new team, a young team in certain areas and we are maturing. It was a real mature performance. We were tactically disciplined against a side who are kings of the counter-attack. If you leave yourself open they can hurt you, the balance was key to this game and we had that.”

Cardiff City: (4-4-2) Marshall; Fabio (Peltier, 56), Manga, Connolly, Malone; Lawrence (Zahore, 85), O’Keefe, Ralls, Whittingham; Pilkington (Gunnarsson, 74), Immers.

Brighton & Hove Albion: (formation 4-1-4-1) Stockdale; Bruno, Goldson, Dunk, Calderon (Rosenior, 45); Stephens; Knockaert, Crofts, Sidwell (Hemed, 45), Skalak; Zamora (Baldock, 67).

Referee: Darren Bond

Man of the match: Whittingham (Cardiff)

Match rating: 7/10