Brighton boss Gus Poyet saluted his side after a 100 per cent start, but Malky Mackay was disappointed.
Mackay disappointed with sloppy performance
Brighton manager Gus Poyet saluted his side after a 100 per cent start to the Championship season, but Malky Mackay was disappointed with Cardiff's sloppy defeat.
Ashley Barnes scored in either half before substitute Will Hoskins added a late third to seal a 3-1 win for Brighton in Wales and a third successive league victory for the newly-promoted outfit.
Peter Whittingham grabbed a late consolation for Cardiff from the penalty spot as new boss Mackay tasted defeat for the first time.
Poyet believes this was the Seagulls' best display of the campaign to date after his men joined Southampton and Derby on nine points at the summit of the table.
Poyet said: "I'm very pleased. When you start in a new division playing against good teams, you need to prepare for the worst.
"But I can't complain so far. It's full credit to the players. They have been excellent. They understand the game and how we want to play.
Different style
"I think this was the best of the three wins without any doubt. The first one was at home in a new ground and there was pressure on us.
"We needed to win and get our first points in the Championship. It took us a while to settle down.
"Then last week was a different style and we were fortunate with the penalty. But, here, we were very good in the first half.
"As soon as we scored, we knew we could go on and win the game. And then even at 2-0, we could have just defended but the players wanted more."
Whittingham's late penalty for the hosts after Kenny Miller was pushed understandably did not improve Mackay's mood
And he said: "I was pleased with the amount of effort the players put in, but I'm disappointed with the goals we lost.
"We put a lot of pressure on Brighton in the first half and, not taking anything away from the goal because it was a smashing strike, but we lost possession in a sloppy area without any pressure on us. It wasn't great defending."
