Boss Chris Hughton has blamed Albion's defensive frailties on a desire to win more games.

The Seagulls have kept two clean sheets in their last 22 Premier League matches.

That compares unfavourably with eight shut-outs in their first 22 games.

Only Southampton had more than Albion's 13 draws last season.

Hughton said: "There's always that hard balance between making yourself hard to beat - and you could go out with a philosophy where you are going to play such a rigid game - but you also want to be able to win more games.

"Sometimes that balance means it's going to tip a little bit more towards conceding or conceding some more space.

"Probably that's where we are at the moment. Our experiences last year and also the season before were can we win more games?

"Maybe there is a little bit more of a conscious effort to be a little bit more expansive, take that little bit more of a risk, and sometimes what comes with it is a little bit of balancing the other way.

"We have also conceded three penalties, so I think that plays a part as well."

Albion will try to join Huddersfield at the Etihad today as the only team to stop Manchester City scoring at home in the Premier League in 26 matches since April 2017.