Tuesday 19 April 2016 23:48, UK
Brighton manager Chris Hughton hopes his side's automatic promotion challenge in the Sky Bet Championship will go to the final game of the season after the Seagulls made it six wins in the last seven matches with a convincing 4-0 win over over QPR.
Two goals from French winger Anthony Knockaert and other strikes from Jiri Skalak and Connor Goldson kept the pressure on leaders Middlesbrough and second-placed Burnley.
Albion would have climbed above Burnley but for a late equaliser for the Clarets in their 1-1 home draw with Boro, and Hughton feels the race is so close it is impossible to predict the outcome.
The former Newcastle, Birmingham and Norwich manager said: "I hope to goes to the last game because it will mean we would have won our next two matches."
Asked if he was disappointed that Burnley's equaliser had cost his men second place after this game, Hughton replied: "No one knows what is going to happen. It is certainly more enjoyable than being at the other end of the table.
"I don't know what the perfect result between Middlesbrough and Burnley would have been. It is always about us getting the wins ourselves."
Brighton, level on points with Burnley, finish the season with a trip to Boro and will be guaranteed promotion if they win their last three games.
Albion, who trashed Fulham 5-0 last Friday, are now the joint highest scorers in the Championship with Burnley and Hughton hailed this as a "transformation."
He added:" We have spread goals around the team. It is amazing how the season has changed as earlier we struggled to score many goals. It is a transformation for us at a good time."
QPR manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink admitted that Brighton "looked invincible" after taking the lead through Knockaert right on half-time.
He said: "Chris Hughton has done a magnificent job and Brighton are a good side; after they scored the first they looked invincible.
"They got into their stride and, after the first half when we were quite good, we couldn't get into our stride.
"As free-flowing and good as Brighton were, the first goal was key in the game. I must say, though, that I'm quite disappointed about the second and third goals and the fourth was offside. In overall play in the second half, they were better."
Rangers are winless away from home in their last eight games going back to mid January and Hasslebaink says it is imperative they show more consistency in their final three matches.
He added: "The consistency is very important as that makes a very good side and successful side.
"We need to finish our season on a high and today is hard to take; in the second half there were quite a lot of minuses."
Hasslebaink feels the battle for automatic promotion between Middlesbrough, Burnley and Brighton will go to the wire.
He said: "There is not a big difference between the three sides. It's going to be an exciting last three games."
