Brighton & Hove Albion boss Chris Hughton has insisted that his team "can take a lot of positives" from Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League.
A Sergio Aguero strike and Lewis Dunk own goal saw City overcome Brighton in the late kickoff at the Falmer Stadium.
Hughton has said that "it is disappointing" to lose the first game of the season, but the 58-year-old is confident that his team can compete at this level of football.
"It is disappointing but that is the quality Manchester City have got and we know that. We can take a lot of positives from the game. When you are playing Champions League quality teams, you know that they can hurt you," Hughton told BBC Sport.
"It was always going to be difficult for us to score. We have to make sure that come the end of the window, we have a squad that can do well enough in this division. We have to win the games that we can do.
"The fans have been absolutely brilliant in my time here and I think they are realistic. They will certainly be behind us. It is a wonderful place to be and a wonderful place to play."
Next up for Brighton is a trip to former Premier League champions Leicester City on August 19.
