Championship: Brighton boss Sami Hyypia hails Lewis Dunk after Charlton draw
Monday 1 September 2014 11:56, UK
Brighton boss Sami Hyypia believes the "sky's the limit" for Lewis Dunk after the young centre-back scored twice in the Seagulls' 2-2 draw against unbeaten Charlton at the Amex Stadium.
Dunk rescued a point for Albion deep into added time by neatly heading in from a clever chip by substitute Kazenga LuaLua.
Dunk had earlier cancelled out a fourth-minute opener from Igor Vetokele by heading in a corner from Danny Holla midway through the second half.
Angolan striker Vetokele looked to have given Charlton maximum points by firing in a shot off a post 15 minutes from time before Dunk had the final say before a crowd of 26,189.
Hyypia, himself a defender of some repute during his 10 years at Liverpool, believes Dunk has all the attributes to make his mark in the game.
When asked how far he could go, the Finn said :"The sky's the limit, but he needs to keep his feet on the ground and not get carried away.
"I see him as a promising young central defender who can play football. He's as good as I thought and, in the last games, he has shown that he's improving.
"He has all the attributes of a centre-back - he's good in the air, quite quick and can play football. He's got three goals already so it shows he's got that capability and he is also great from set pieces."
Hyypia was relieved to get something out of the game after admitting his side did not play as quickly as he would have liked in the first half.
He said: "The second half was all ours and we showed character to come back twice. Both the goals we gave away came at bad times."
Charlton boss Bob Peeters paid tribute to his two-goal striker Vetokele, but stressed a team effort was behind the Addicks' unbeaten start to the league season.
He said:"I know Igor can do the business, but the whole team is working. He is important for the team.
"We are five games unbeaten so credit to the players. We kept our shape, our game plan worked well and Brighton couldn't break our line."
When asked how he felt to miss out on three points to such a late goal, Peeters added: "It's devastating to give it away like that. But if you get a point away from home against a good side you have to be pleased."
Last season Charlton finished 18th - six points off the drop - after surviving a tight relegation battle and Peeters is determined to have an easier ride this term.
He said: "We don't want to get into trouble, we want an easier season."
He is still looking to add to his squad ahead of the close of the transfer window on Monday and added: "Until late on Monday, anything can happen.
"We need to give credit to the squad we have and give the chance to the players we have."
