Brighton captain Lewis Dunk has condemned the Seagulls’ “embarrassing” display in their crushing 7-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Dunk’s first-half own goal set Forest on course, and Nuno Espírito Santo’s side responded superbly to their previous 5-0 loss at Bournemouth. Chris Wood stole the headlines with a hat-trick, while Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams, and Jota Silva also found the net.

Brighton had the opportunity to climb as high as eighth in the Premier League table, depending on other results. However, they are now looking nervously over their shoulders and will drop into the bottom half if Brentford beat Tottenham on Sunday.

It was Brighton’s heaviest top-flight defeat in history and their worst loss in any competition since the 1960s. Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, skipper Dunk did not hold back in his criticism.

“Everything went wrong. It was embarrassing,” Dunk admitted. “We let ourselves down. We let the travelling fans down. We let the fans at home down. We have to take responsibility. It was us out there performing like that. We need to look ourselves in the mirror and bounce back next week.

“I don't think we played with enough intensity or desire. It’s difficult to admit as a footballer, but we simply were not good enough today. As a team, we deserved nothing. In fact, it could have been even worse.

“We knew this would be a tough game. They are flying in the league, and this is always a difficult place to come. But that tough? Probably not. That’s entirely on us. Now we have to work hard and ensure we never let ourselves or the fans down like that again.”

Dunk revealed that Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler had little to say in the dressing room after the crushing defeat, insisting it is now up to the players to respond on the training ground.

“Three games ago, we were on top of the world after two straight wins,” Dunk added. “Now, we are at rock bottom again.”

Brighton’s next fixture sees them take on Chelsea at the Amex Stadium in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Coincidentally, their following Premier League match will be against Chelsea once again.

Meanwhile, Forest will be back on the road after securing their seventh home league win of the season. They face League One side Exeter City in the FA Cup, followed by Premier League trips to Fulham and Newcastle.

“It’s all about taking things one game at a time,” said Forest winger Anthony Elanga when asked about their European qualification hopes. “We cannot afford to be complacent. We must keep working hard, let our football do the talking, and continue giving the fans something to believe in.”