How the Irish fared: Ronny Deila blasts talkative Anthony Stokes

At what point can an unbeaten run become a distraction? At first glance this might seem a stupid question but at a certain juncture the desire to keep a record intact can inhibit a team and take their focus off winning games.

Before Saturday, there had been signs of that at Brighton. Chris Hughton’s men went into Saturday’s Championship game against Birmingham as the only unbeaten side in top four divisions of English football.

That’s no easy feat but they also went into Saturday’s game off top spot on the back of a run of four draws in five games.