Chris proved class by refusing to hammer Toon

I LOVED Chris Hughton’s postmatch comments after Brighton won at his old stamping ground St James’ Park.

“We were up against a good Newcastle side, who had a lot of the ball in the final third, and we had to defend really well to get the win because we had more shots against us than we would in a normal game,” he said generously.

Some managers you could name, having been sacked in such an undeserving and humiliating manner by Mike Ashley, may have been tempted to smirk and imply that it’s easy to win at Newcastle these days, because, thanks to the clown who runs the club, they’re a soft touch who are heading for their third relegation under him.

The odd egomaniac may even have been tempted to raise a single finger to the director’s box to remind owner Ashley of the Championship title he won in his only full season in charge.

But Hughton (left) typically chose to play down the Seagulls’ first away win in almost a year and praise Rafa Benitez’s struggling Toon.

Class man.