Fabian Hurzeler admitted Albion "had to suffer" as they battled to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Bournemouth.

Danny Welbeck’s late strike sealed a third consecutive Premier League win for the Seagulls.

Albion dominated the first half, taking an early lead through Joao Pedro's penalty.

However, they were pegged back after the break by a stunning equaliser from Justin Kluivert.

With Bournemouth pushing forward and momentum shifting, Albion had to show resilience.

Hurzeler admitted: "We started the game well, aggressive and intense.

"In the first half, we won the second balls and deserved to lead.

"But in the second half, we suffered.

"Bournemouth controlled more, and in the end, we were the lucky winner."

Hurzeler admitted his side struggled to regain control after Kluivert’s equaliser but praised their defensive discipline in seeing out the win.

"We weren’t that aggressive anymore, we didn’t win the second ball," he said.

"Then Bournemouth controlled more of the game, and we had to stick together."

With the match in the balance, Welbeck, who had missed the weekend’s win at Southampton through injury, came off the bench and made an instant impact.

Receiving a pass from Georginio Rutter, the experienced forward took a touch before calmly finishing past Kepa via the right post.

"If you have Danny Welbeck, you think almost every second when to bring him on," Hurzeler said.

"But credit to the player, because in the end, I didn’t score."

Hurzeler praised his side’s togetherness and work rate, stressing that their defensive commitment was just as crucial as their attacking play.

"I saw a team that wanted to defend together, I saw a team that wanted to attack together," he said.

"That was the key to winning this game."

The win keeps Albion firmly in the hunt for European football, but their head coach remains cautious about looking too far ahead.

"Let’s wait for the next game, then we can talk about this," he insisted.

"We know we are still in a process, and we have to work hard and go really game by game."

With three wins on the bounce and momentum building, Albion will look to continue their push for a top-seven finish as the season enters a crucial stage.