´We´re rock bottom´ – Dunk slams Brighton after capitulation to Forest

Lewis Dunk pulled no punches as he slammed an “embarrassing” performance from Brighton in Saturday’s heavy defeat at Nottingham Forest.

Brighton were hammered 7-0 by high-flying Forest at the City Ground.

Chris Wood scored a hat-trick, with Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams and Jota Silva also on target for the hosts.

However, it was an own goal from defender Dunk that kick-started Forest’s rout.

Dunk has scored seven own goals in the Premier League with only Richard Dunne (10) putting through his own net on more occasions in the competition’s history. Indeed, since the start of their first Premier League campaign in 2017-18, Brighton have scored more own goals than any other side (19).

“Everything [went wrong]. It was embarrassing,” a furious Dunk told TNT Sports.

“We let ourselves down. We let the travelling fans down. We have to take it on ourselves. It was us out there that performed like that. We have to look ourselves in the mirror and bounce back next week.

7 – Nottingham Forest enjoyed their biggest league victory since beating Chelsea 7-0 in the top-flight in April 1991. Meanwhile, this was Brighton’s heaviest league defeat since a 9-0 loss at Middlesbrough on the opening day of the 1958-59 season in the second tier. Resounding. pic.twitter.com/VizSSWnKue

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 1, 2025

“I don’t think we played with enough intensity or wanted it enough. As a whole team, we didn’t deserve [anything]. It could have been even more.

“We knew that we were coming here for a tough game. They are flying in the league and it is always a tough place to come. That tough? Probably not. And that is on ourselves.

“We have to work hard now and make sure we don’t let ourselves or the fans down like that again.

“It is doing it on the training field. Working hard every day, wanting it every day. It starts on the training pitch. Three games ago we were on top of the world again weren’t we after two wins in a row? Now we’re rock bottom again.”

Brighton now have a double header against Chelsea to look forward to. They host the Blues in the FA Cup on Saturday, before doing so again in the Premier League on February 14.