Roy Hodgson defends Crystal Palace smash-and-grab at Brighton, says the only stats that matter are goals

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson said the only numbers he is interested in are goals scored after his side were criticised despite beating Brighton 2-1 with a last-gasp winner on Monday. Palace had only three attempts on goal to Brighton's 25, with substitute Christian Benteke's 95th-minute volley securing all three points for the Eagles. The hosts also enjoyed 75 per cent possession, but Hodgson said the only stat that mattered was goals. "The game is not about touches in the opposition box," he said. "The statistic that counts at the end of the day is the score. "They had the better of the possession, that's for sure, they had the ball in our box more often, they had more quality but I'm not going to apologise for coming away with what we consider to be a very good victory." He added: "We get so hung up on statistics these days. The game is decided by goals. Goals are a question of how well you take your chances and defend theirs. "Until there are prizes for corners and touches in the box, it's very important we keep in mind that results are borne out by goals you score and goals you don't concede. I get no satisfaction when we lose and we have more corners or touches in their box." Palace opened the scoring through Jean-Philippe Mateta before Joel Veltman equalised for Brighton. Veltman said Brighton, who are 16th on 26 points, four clear of the relegation zone, did not deserve to come out of the game with nothing. "It is unbelievable they are getting away with it," he added. "It feels like a robbery. Because of this result we are getting in the danger zone. We have to react and West Brom away is a very important game." Brighton are still looking over their shoulders at the bottom three after a night that summed up so much of the season for Graham Potter's men. "That's the nature of the league, how punishing it is, we have done a lot but clearly not enough," said Potter. "The boys were doing everything to score, it felt like it was always in their penalty box never mind their half." Palace, who are 13th on 32 points from 25 games, host Fulham on Sunday.