But Chris Hughton argues that's what we needed to gain success this season.
Chris Hughton: “I think expectations had got higher and higher after our start to the season.
“But the little slump was a timely reality check. It reminded everyone that we are not going to simply walk this division. We are not going to run away with it.
“We have a six-point cushion again and that is good, but we have to maintain our recent form. We have seen how difficult this division is now because we didn’t know too much about it before we actually got into the games. If you look at the season so far, everyone is taking points off each other.
"If you look at the teams that came down from the Premier League, Middlesbrough have found it hard, particularly at home, and West Brom have lost games they weren’t expected to.
“So, although we have lost games, to be top of the league is pleasing at this stage, but there is still a long way to go. We are six points clear of the play-off places – that is a good position to be in.
“The most pleasing thing has been the way we have responded to the little wobble we had.” added Hughton, who has no immediate plans to add to his squad as he waits for the January transfer window to open.
“We drew two games and lost two in October and suddenly questions were being asked about the squad, but we have come back from that and put a good run of three wins together.
“Even when we were winning games they were tight affairs. If you look at the Leicester game and the Sheffield Wednesday one at home, their managers probably thought they deserved to get something out of them.
“Then came the little dip. Nobody inside the club has got carried away, but I think there was an expectation from people looking in that we were going to find it easy to get promoted because of the start we had.
“The little dip was a timely reminder that nothing is going to be easy and we are going to have to fight for every single point. Thankfully we have managed to do that.
“We are doing the things we were doing well at the start of the season and the three back-to-back wins have pushed us back to the top of the table. The players had to respond to the poor results and they have done so.”