Chris Hughton believes Anthony Knockaert was lucky to avoid being injured after being the victim of a shocking foul from Miguel Britos.

The Watford defender was shown a straight red card for the knee-high reducer midway through the first half, which left the Brighton wide man in agony.

Having just returned from an ankle injury, it was a worrying sight for the Seagulls boss who felt Knockaert could easily have come out of the challenge worse for wear.

“I haven’t seen it again and I don’t think I need to. My first impression at the time is that it was two footed and it has caught Anthony,” Hughton said.

“Anthony was lucky to avoid injury. It was a tow footed challenge that caught him. Credit to him he is a tough one, but he is lucky today.”