Gus Poyet praised his Brighton side after a 2-0 victory over Peterborough sent them top.
Brighton boss delighted following victory over Peterborough
Brighton boss Gus Poyet felt his side deserved to be top of the Championship after goals in each half from Craig Noone and Ryan Harley gave them a fourth win in five league games, 2-0 against Peterborough.
The Seagulls are building on the momentum of their League One title triumph last season, and Poyet believes the fast start is due to excellent organisation.
He said: "We are top of the table and deserve to be, although it's very, very early.
"We were professional today and knew we had to be organised at the back.
"As soon as we scored, the game opened up a little bit, and although Peterborough tried their best to come back at us they had mainly to rely on shots from long distance."
Poyet was full of praise for former Plymouth winger Noone, who put Brighton ahead after only 11 minutes with his first goal at their new AMEX Stadium.
Midfielder Harley, signed recently from Swansea for £250,000, doubled the advantage with an exquisite free-kick on 64 minutes.
Noone is keeping Newcastle loanee Kazenga LuaLua on the bench and Poyet enthused: "It was a superb solo goal by Noone, and Ryan Harley demonstrated with his free-kick that his delivery is first-class."
Brighton lost their main creative force, Elliott Bennett, during the summer when he joined Premier League Norwich, but Poyet has no doubt Harley can make his presence felt as Brighton seek to make their mark in the Championship.
He said: "We had a chat with Ryan in the week, and he has responded with a very good free-kick. That is the kind of thing he is capable of.
"It was a spectacular strike, and it's very important for us to have a player at the club who can score like that."
Noone felt Brighton were excellent value for their victory, and confessed it was a "privilege" to have a starting berth in the team ahead of LuaLua.
He said: "With the international break coming up, it is going to be good to see us on top of the table for two weeks.
"We deserve to be there, and it is for us to carry on our good form.
"It was very pleasing to get my first goal at our new home, but the defence played a key role for us in this game.
"We were always going to score but had to be careful at the back, and the result can only give us more confidence and belief."
Posh reaction
Noone was allowed time and space by the Peterborough defence when he gave Brighton the lead, and Posh's assistant manager Kevin Russell was dismayed that, for the fifth league game running, his side had fallen behind.
Russell said: "For long periods there wasn't much between the teams, but we only created two chances. Our final ball was very disappointing.
"We are extremely disappointed with the first goal, in particular, as it was a poor goal all round.
"If goalkeepers make mistakes at this level, they are punished. That is football.
"Our two centre-halves, Gabriel Zakuani and Ryan Bennett, were outstanding. But we desperately lacked a cutting edge, and we never looked like getting past the Brighton defence."
Russell admitted that his side will welcome the international break.
He added: "We can now recharge the batteries. I am sure the boss Darren Ferguson would like to bring in new players before the transfer window shuts next week, and this is something that I am sure he will be working on."
