Brighton boss Chris Hughton was sacked by the club following their torrid league form which saw them narrowly escape relegation. Albion scraped Premier League survival by the skin of their teeth having won a mere two of their previous 18 games. The Seagulls suffered a 4-1 hammering at the Amex, handing the Premier League title to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on the last day of the season. Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said : ‘Undoubtedly, this has been one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make as chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion, but ultimately one I have made due to how we struggled in the second half of the season. ‘Our run of three wins from 23 Premier League matches put our status at significant risk. It is with that in mind, and the performances during that period, that I now feel it’s the right time for a change.’ Despite making this tough decision, Bloom acknowledged the amazing work Hughton did for the club. ‘Chris has done an excellent job over the past four-and-a-half years. First stabilising our club, reaching the play-offs in his first full season, securing our first-ever promotion to the Premier League, and retaining our status in two successive seasons. ‘Chris will always be very fondly remembered by Albion staff and fans as one of our club’s finest and most-respected managers.’ Hughton replaced Sami Hyypia at the helm in December 2014 as the club sat just above the relegation zone in the Championship. He led the club to a play-off semi final in 2016 before guiding them to promotion the following year.<doc-sep>The 60-year-old has left the Amex Stadium after four-and-a-half years at the helm Chris Hughton has been sacked as Brighton boss. The Premier League club announced on Monday morning that they had taken the tough decision to bring Hughton’s four-and-a-half year reign to an end. 1 Chris Hughton’s time as Brighton boss is over The 60-year-old led the Seagulls to promotion from the Championship in 2016/17. They finished 15th last term to retain their Premier League status and again escaped relegation this season but have picked up just two wins from 18 top-flight matches since the turn of the year. His last match in charge was Sunday’s final game of the campaign against Manchester City, a 4-1 defeat which secured Pep Guardiola’s side the title. Hughton’s assistant Paul Trollope and first-team coach Paul Nevin have also left the Amex Stadium. Brighton & Hove Albion have confirmed that Chris Hughton has left the club with immediate effect. Hughton’s assistant Paul Trollope and first-team coach Paul Nevin have also left. #BHAFC 🔵⚪️ — Brighton & Hove Albion ⚽️ (@OfficialBHAFC) May 13, 2019 Chairman Tony Bloom said: “Chris has done an excellent job over the past four-and-a-half years. First stabilising our club, reaching the play-offs in his first full season, securing our first-ever promotion to the Premier League, and retaining our status in two successive seasons. “Undoubtedly, this has been one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make as chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion, but ultimately one I have made due to how we struggled in the second half of the season. “Our run of 3 wins from 23 Premier League matches put our status at significant risk. It is with that in mind, and the performances during that period, that I now feel it’s the right time for a change. “Chris will always be very fondly remembered by Albion staff and fans as one of our club’s finest and most-respected managers. MOST READ IN FOOTBALL NEWS Woeful De Gea stat, Solskjaer 'not at Man United's level', Rashford abused after final INQUIRY Questions will be asked of Solskjaer after 'master' Emery nullified Man United DRAMA Man United stunned by Villarreal as Solskjaer's search for silverware goes on shocker De Gea's commitment doubted as he concedes 36th straight pen and misses in EL final NEW BLOOD Zidane 'decides to leave' Madrid with immediate effect as Khabib calls for Conte KON MAN Liverpool stars given warning about Konate as RB Leipzig defender ‘passes medical’ gone Conte leaves Inter: Spurs would be 'match made in hell' due to 'trail of carnage' Unsettled Willian would ‘love’ Chelsea return as Arsenal eye £40million replacement force Van Dijk partnered with Konate and midfielder joins - Liverpool XI to challenge City PLAN Bale’s agent responds to claims Welshman could 'quit football to become pro golfer' “I would like to wish Chris, Paul and Paul – who have all worked extremely hard throughout their time here – every success for the future, and thank them on behalf of everyone at the club. “They will always be welcome at the Amex, and will be remembered here with great affection.” The club have confirmed that the process to find a new manager is already under way. Swansea boss Graham Potter is the odds-on favourite with the bookmakers to replace Hughton.<doc-sep>
Brighton & Hove Albion have dismissed Chris Hughton from his position as manager one day after the 2018-19 Premier League season ended. Cardiff's defeat to Crystal Palace on May 4 confirmed Brighton's place in the Premier League for a third season and they reached the FA Cup semifinal, but they won only two league games out of 18 in 2019 which saw them drawn into a relegation fight. "Chris has done an excellent job over the past four and a half years," Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said in a statement on the club's website. "First stabilising our club, reaching the play-offs in his first full season, securing our first ever promotion to the Premier League, and retaining our status in two successive seasons. "Undoubtedly, this has been one of the most difficult decisions I have had to make as chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion, but ultimately one I have made due to how we struggled in the second half of the season. Our run of 3 wins from 23 Premier League matches put our status at significant risk. "It is with that in mind, and the performances during that period, that I now feel it's the right time for a change. Chris will always be very fondly remembered by Albion staff and fans as one of our club's finest and most-respected managers. "I would like to wish Chris, Paul and Paul -- who have all worked extremely hard throughout their time here -- every success for the future, and thank them on behalf of everyone at the club. They will always be welcome at the Amex, and will be remembered here with great affection." Hughton's final game in charge was Sunday's 4-1 home defeat by title-winning Manchester City. Brighton, who said they have not decided on a successor, but the process is underway, ended the season two points above the relegation zone with 36 points. Information from Reuters was used in this report.