Defending champion Mark Allen admitted there was no margin for error at the top level as he crashed out of the Dafabet Masters at the hands of Luca Brecel.

The Northern Ireland potter lost against Brecel 6-5 in a superb encounter as the competition at Alexandra Palace got off to an enthralling start.

And despite losing, Allen remained philosophical after his exit and reserved praise for his opponent after the Belgina's below-par run this season.

“I didn’t feel like I did that much wrong, other than a few loose errors over distance, but you get punished highly at this level and Luca’s proven that he’s a top 16 player all day long,” said Allen.

“He’s been on a bad run, but I think he’s put that behind him now.

“I got a few bad runs [of the balls] but I can’t really complain as I’ve had bit of good run in the last few months – it’s just one of those things.

“There are small margins in this game and unfortunately I was on the wrong end of them today.

A delighted Brecel added: “I was already confident going into this tournament, but now even more.

“It’s such a special tournament, before the game I was so nervous – more nervous than maybe even playing in the world championship – it’s a very special tournament.”

Watch the London Masters LIVE on Eurosport and Eurosport Player, with analysis from Jimmy White and Neal Foulds