Brentford captain Pontus Jansson said he was 'very happy and very proud' to lead the Bees out for the first time in six months for the 3-3 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion.
And the centre-back, whose last Premier League start was a 0-0 draw against Bournemouth in October, was back in the starting XI for a high-intensity game at the Amex Stadium.
“To lead the boys out was something I've been waiting for, something I’ve been fighting hard for in the gym over the last five or six months, so I'm very happy and very proud to be back," Jansson said.
“I can't wait for the next game.”
He added: “It felt like a boxing game! It was a tough 90 minutes against a very good team and we got a point, which we probably take before the game.
“It felt like a boxing game! It was a tough 90 minutes against a very good team and we got a point, which we probably take before the game"
“But, of course, when you lead three times, it would’ve been even better to get three.
“You can’t necessarily say it was a solid performance when they had around 30 shots but, in the second half, we were 3-2 up and I think we controlled it quite well.
“We gave away some half-chances, shots from outside the area, which sometimes you have to against a good opponent like Brighton.
“And, before the 3-3 goal, we also felt dangerous on counter attacks and in our high pressure when we pressed. We created some half-chances as well."
Jansson was busy in both boxes, having scored the opening goal of the game, while also trying to stop a Brighton side who have one of the most talented attacks in the division.
And the Sweden international described how he and his team-mates attempted to stop the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March.
When asked about what’s important when playing against a team like Brighton, Jansson explained: “The communication and the preparation before the game, with how we set up in the training ground to prepare for this.
“We decided and we believed in going high when their keeper had the ball in a man-to-man system.
“I think the second goal we scored is from us being brave - I headed it out to Bryan [Mbeumo] who flicked it to Ivan [Toney] from their throw-in.
“I think it worked quite well from that perspective of the high pressure but, maybe in the low pressure, we should defend it a bit better.
“But sometimes you have to also respect your points and Brighton are one of the best teams that we’ve played this season.”