Norwich City boss Alex Neil reflects after their humiliating defeat to Brighton

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Norwich were one of the promotion favourites at the start of the season, but their collapsing form will have concerned their manager.

Norwich City boss Alex Neil has admitted that Saturday’s 5-0 humiliation at the hands of Brighton is his worst defeat in management, according to the Seagulls’ official website.

There was little to separate the two sides prior to this weekend’s clash, with the Seagulls just a point ahead at the front of the chasing pack behind league leaders Newcastle United, but Chris Hughton’s in-form outfit revealed a huge gulf in class at the Amex by inflicting a chastening defeat on one of the favourites for automatic promotion.

And Neil, who watched on helplessly as his side conceded four without reply in the final half hour, admits that he was left embarrassed by the performance.

“It is my worst defeat as a manager. I can only apologise to all the fans who travelled in huge numbers because we have let them down,” said the former Hibernian manager, as reported by Brighton’s official website.

“You don’t need me to tell you what was said in the dressing room. The players should be embarrassed by that. We need to go out and play better, it’s as simple as that.

“The game up until the second goal was like any tight game in the Championship with two sides near the top, but from then onwards we have to act like professionals and we didn’t.”

The surprisingly one-sided result means the Canaries are now seven points off the pace as they aim to bounce back to the top flight once more after just a single season in the second tier.

However, that ambition has been dented by a run of two wins in six Championship fixtures, bookended by their capitulation on the South Coast and a last-gasp collapse against Newcastle in late September.

With the likes of Robbie Brady, Alex Pritchard and Wes Hoolahan within his ranks, Neil has one of the division’s strongest squads at his fingertips but Saturday’s defeat will undoubtedly raise questions about the team’s mentality, if not their quality.