Brighton & Hove Albion boss Chris Hughton has said that his side conceded "three poor goals" in their 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace.

The Eagles netted three times in the opening 24 minutes at Selhurst Park and although Brighton fought back during the final hour of the game, it was not enough to prevent another setback in the Premier League.

Hughton has acknowledged that he was concerned with how his team let Palace take control of the contest and admits that seeing his team concede in such fashion was "hard to take".

The 59-year-old told BBC Sport: "They were three poor goals from our point of view. What we will do is talk about the second half and the fact we gave ourselves a chance but it's almost impossible to turn it around when you give away the goals we gave away.

"We came here in good spirits, knowing the meaning of the game as regards to the fact it's a derby and the points at stake. It's about doing everything right.

"We had a problem with set pieces earlier in the season, addressed it and since the West Brom game, I don't think we've conceded like that so to concede, especially Wilfried Zaha's goal when we know the type of run he makes, is hard to take."

Despite the defeat, Brighton remain seven points clear of the relegation zone.