Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton has admitted that his side must improve defensively following their 2-1 defeat to Reading in the Championship.

The Seagulls boss said that he was disappointed his team failed to remain on level terms, having equalised from the penalty spot through Chris O'Grady in the 53rd minute.

"We were better in the second half, it's a difficult pitch to play on and they played to their strengths," BBC Sport quotes him as saying.

"The most disappointing thing was having fought to get back into the game in the second half, we needed to keep the score at 1-1 for a longer a period of time. We conceded again, albeit to a fabulous strike, but we have to defend better for both goals."

The result leaves Brighton in 19th place in the table, four points behind Reading in 16th.