Would a corner rule change work?published at 11:18 BST 13 May
11:18 BST 13 May
Media caption,
Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann has outlined his idea to improve how corners are officiated in future.
In the aftermath of weekend controversy over players grappling in the penalty area, he has told BBC Sport a rule whereby attacking players cannot enter the six-yard box until a corner has been taken would be his preference.
Ex-Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha backed the idea and thinks it will add "creativity" to corner kicks and the move would force "people to think in a different way".
You can watch a clip of the debate above, with Onuoha stating:"Twenty players standing in the six-yard box, you have to ask yourself, is that what you want to see? And is that the best version of the game?"
🎧Albion Unlimited: Pushing it to the Maxpublished at 18:58 BST 12 May
18:58 BST 12 May
Albion Unlimited from BBC Radio Sussex is back with a new episode.
Midfielder Jack Hinshelwood assesses the win against Wolves. There's chat on Maxim De Cuyper and football finance expert Kieran Maguire explores the possible pros and cons of a second season in Europe.
Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.
Listen to every Brighton game live on BBC Radio Sussex, with all the build-up and full commentary with Johnny Cantor and Warren Aspinall, and there is a full preview of all Seagulls' matches on Fridays at 18:00 in The Weekend Warm-up
Brighton need 'one final push' published at 07:46 BST 12 May
07:46 BST 12 May
Joe Sayers Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
There comes a point every season when football stops being something you simply watch and starts taking over every spare thought in your life.
For Brighton fans, this is definitely that point.
With just a couple of games remaining and so much still on the line, everything suddenly feels bigger. Work becomes harder to focus on, conversations drift back to permutations and fixtures, and every notification on your phone feels like it could change the mood of your entire week. You try to distract yourself, but somehow football always creeps back in.
So how are everyone's nerves holding up?
Are people throwing themselves into work to avoid overthinking the table? Refreshing social media every five minutes? Watching highlights from earlier in the season for reassurance? Or perhaps convincing yourselves not to look at rival results before inevitably checking them anyway?
That is what makes this stage of the season so brilliant and so exhausting all at once. Every tackle feels massive. Every goal swings emotions wildly. One minute you are dreaming about Europe again, the next you are calculating every possible scenario in your head.
But this is also what being a supporter is all about. These are the moments you remember. The tension, the excitement, the sense of hope building with every passing week.
And the most exciting part of all is that Albion have put themselves in this position through quality, belief and consistency over the course of the season.
Now it comes down to one final push.
The players need us more than ever over these last games. We are so close to achieving something truly special once again, we just have to stay loud, stay proud and get the boys over the line.
Robin: Yet again the influence of Lewis Dunk held the team together. Two up in five minutes we took our foot off the pedal, no point in taking too many risks. Europe is within our grasp.
Fran: Comfortable win as it should have been especially getting the really early goals. But as happens when the other team then sit deep to stop further damage we cannot break them down. Today was a chance to improve the goal difference and just like we did against Burnley we couldn't do it. It's so obvious we need a good striker for next season.
David: The most impressive opening 15 minutes of any Brighton game I have watched. Wolves were blown away, although they were woeful.
Brian: Not Brighton's finest performance, but exactly the result we needed. European dream just two games away. I believe four more points will do it.
Wolves fans
Richard: No leadership, no communication, no defence. How on earth are we going to survive in the Championship? Terrible display - the players are just picking up their wages now, don't care about the badge they're representing.
Robin: Shambolic defending at the start and a two-goal deficit after just five minutes meant the result was inevitable. An improved effort after the break but it always seems they need to go behind before they show any intent in getting forward.
Kevin: As bad as ever. No improvement, just people who don't want to play for the club. Not sure on Rob Edwards yet as he inherited these players. Can see us struggling in the Championship next season.
David: An absolute shambles from the players. Rob Edwards is right to stop protecting them from criticism. It's obvious that players want to leave and it's up to Rob Edwards and the board to sort out the whole squad and bring in players who want to wear the old gold and black with the same pride as the fans who pay their wages.
'Europe is the first objective' - Balebapublished at 11:56 BST 11 May
11:56 BST 11 May
Image source, Getty Images
Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba says he is "excited" by the prospect of European qualification and that it is the team's "first objective".
The Seagulls climbed to seventh in the Premier League to boost their hopes of European qualification with a comfortable 3-0 victory over bottom club Wolves on Saturday.
"We scored two goals in seven minutes which was the perfect start," Baleba told BBC Radio Sussex post-match.
"We don't concede a goal, keep a clean sheet, it's a perfect win at home.
"They came back into the game but we kept pushing because we fell down a bit and got back up and kept playing our style. Like the gaffer said, intensity, and then we take the game and continue to play.
"I'm very excited for Europe. Europe is the first objective for the team - we want to play in Europe. We are in seventh position, we keep going, we have two games and we go step-by-step. At the end of the season we will see.
"I am happy to play regularly, I am happy for the group. My game is getting better and better. I learn from the few bad moments. It's OK - I am happy with that."
Hinshelwood executes Hurzeler's team talk perfectlypublished at 09:23 BST 11 May
09:23 BST 11 May
Image source, Getty Images
Brighton midfielder Jack Hinshelwood says his opening goal with 35 seocnds on the clock epitomises what head coach Fabian Hurzeler installs in his team.
It took them just over half a minute to breach the Wolves defence on Saturday as Hinshelwood made history as he headed home a cross from left-back Maxim de Cuyper.
"The manager always speaks about starting the game fast and with intensity so that our opponents feel it," said Hinshelwood.
"And we did that. It was such a nice feeling [to score] and it set us on our way.
"It probably wasn't our best performance in terms of the ball, but it's results at this stage of the season that matter.
"We've just got to do what we can do. We did that against Wolves and we go to Elland Road next weekend and try to do the same again.
"We just have to give our all like we have been doing and get two good results to see where it takes us."
Hinshelwood's 'the breakout star'published at 12:13 BST 10 May
12:13 BST 10 May
Laura Kenyon Final Score reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Jack Hinshelwood is one of the Premier League's breakout stars of this season.
His versatility has been widely praised because of his ability to play at right-back , and increasingly in central midfield, and he now has a club record under his belt.
The Brighton academy graduate scored the Seagulls fastest ever goal in the Premier League on Saturday, with just 35 seconds on the clock.
And at just 21-years-old, he has a promising future ahead.
There are four generations of Hinshelwood's – all professional footballers – but none with a senior England cap. Could Jack be the one to change that?
If he continues to impress in the manner he has this season, then he will very likely be on Thomas Tuchel's radar in years to come.
Analysis: Brighton stroll past Wolves to boost Euro hopespublished at 17:34 BST 9 May
17:34 BST 9 May
Adwaidh Rajan BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
It took Brighton just 35 seconds to find the response they were looking for in their commanding 3-0 win against Wolves on Saturday.
The Seagulls were undone by two early Newcastle goals in a disappointing 3-1 defeat at St James' Park last weekend.
This time, though, it was Fabian Hurzeler's side that delivered quickfire blows inside the first five minutes to seize control against Wolves.
Full-back Maxim De Cuyper replaced the injured Mats Wieffer and provided the assists for both goals - first floating in a cross for Jack Hinshelwood to score his fourth of the season.
It was further proof of the 21-year-old relishing the number 10 role offered to him by manager Hurzeler in February.
Brighton had one league win in 13 games when Hinshelwood was moved behind striker Danny Welbeck in the 2-0 win at Brentford. Since then, they have won seven of their 10 games.
Hearing the Champions League anthem at the Amex next season might not have been high on most supporters' wishlists, but it is now a possibility - and would be a fitting reward for Hurzeler after he committed his future to the club with a new deal until 2029.
Brighton 3-0 Wolves: What Hurzeler and Dunk saidpublished at 17:29 BST 9 May
17:29 BST 9 May
Media caption,
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler talking to the BBC's Final Score: "Good start, really good start, two goals definitely helped our game and then we created a few more chances. We defended really well.
"Second half we got a bit sloppy, not that intense or high quality in our actions. We defended well, we tried, we kept going, I think it was a deserved win."
On upcoming games and European hopes: "We have to go all in now and approach it as unchanged. We will keep going and focus on the things we can control and our performance and then we will see what happens."
Brighton's Lewis Dunk speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "Started the game top, 2-0, started excellently. Took the foot of the gas the second part of the first half, got sloppy. And then second half they had to come out stronger and it was a bit end-to-end, but we scored the three and kept a clean sheet - it was massive."
On being back, scoring and his celebration: "I've been dying for one, I've had a lot of chances this and last season, but I should've got more. It's nice to get on the scoresheet.
"I want to score goals. I'm good at scoring goals. It's been frustrating, but now I have one I can hopefully get another next week.
"Our kit man, Buzz, his son had a brain tumour and had surgery two weeks ago. He is recovering well so we wanted to send him some love. He's the nicest and happiest kid. I always get videos of him chatting about the Seagulls and we wanted to give some love to him."
On a potential return to Europe: "I think if you look at that period, it was frustrating. [James] Milner was a massive impact. If you look at the team that gaffer put out, we needed men to turn it around and Milner was a huge impact in that to understand what the group needed. He was fundamental.
"The whole group stuck together and now we're looking at Europe again. It's a mental season, one minute we're looking at relegation and now we're talking about Europe, it's great fun football, isn't it?"
At 35 seconds, Jack Hinshelwood's opening goal was Brighton and Hove Albion's earliest in the Premier League, overtaking Alexis Mac Allister's effort after 49 seconds against Aston Villa in November 2022.
Maxim Cuyper became just the third player to assist two goals in the opening five minutes of a Premier League match after Andrey Arshavin for Arsenal v Newcastle in February 2011, and Islam Slimani for Leicester v Manchester City in December 2016.
Wolves manager Rob Edwards makes just one change from the 1-1 draw against Sunderland.
South Korea forward Hwang Hee-chan comes in to replace Tolu Arokodare who drops to the bench, which also features defender Ladislav Krejci, who is back from injury.
Wolves XI: Bentley, Hugo Bueno, Santiago Bueno, Andre, Joao Gomes, Armstrong, Hwang, Mosquera, Lima, Toti, Mane.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Bournemouth" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Man City v Brentford", for instance.
Sutton's predictions: Brighton v Wolvespublished at 11:03 BST 9 May
11:03 BST 9 May
I thought Brighton would get the better of Newcastle last week and they certainly had their chances. They ended up losing that game, but there is no way they won't win this time.
Wolves had an upturn in form for a while under Rob Edwards but it doesn't feel like they have sustained that improvement. Yes, they got a point against Sunderland last week, but the Black Cats played for more than an hour with 10 men.
The Seagulls are at home and are one of the teams who have sixth place in their sights. I don't see them slipping up.
Brighton v Wolves: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 19:07 BST 8 May
19:07 BST 8 May
Brighton look to get back on track in their European quest on Saturday (15:00 BST) against a Wolves side yet to win away from home in the Premier League this season.
Hurzeler in it for the long-term at Brighton
This summer promises to be a managerial merry-go-round with several clubs and head coaches involved in the various imminent vacancies – but Brighton and Fabian Hurzeler won't be among them.
Hurzeler's new long-term deal comes with the Seagulls firmly in the mix to qualify for Europe, despite losing at Newcastle last weekend, a defeat which halted a run of four wins in five games.
The 3-1 scoreline was a bit misleading as Brighton dominated possession but failed to take their chances and were guilty of defensive errors. But they showed enough fight to suggest they will be determined to ensure that this weekend they don't suffer back-to-back league defeats for just the second time this season.
Hosting a poor Wolves side should also help on that front, especially given that the Seagulls are unbeaten in their last eight league games against the Molineux side (W5, D3) since a 1-0 home loss in December 2021.
But there are a host of other teams also in European contention - and with a trip to Leeds and a visit from in-form Manchester United to come, this is a game Brighton need to win.
Wolves seeking first league away win
It's been a miserable season for already relegated Wolves but it's been particularly grim away from Molineux, where they have at least won matches.
Wolves' only victory away from home this season came in the FA Cup against League Two side Grimsby Town, where they scored with their only shot on target in the match.
They haven't won away from home in this season's Premier League. In total, they are winless in their last 19 away Premier League matches (D5, L14), their worst such run since 2004, when they were winless in 23 games on the road.
Behind this damning statistic is the fact that Wolves have scored just seven goals in 17 away Premier League matches this season, an average of just 0.41 per game.
It's half the total of the team with the next worst record, which is Sunderland, who have scored 14 on the road. It's only just over a third of the total of Burnley, the team nearest to them in the table, who have scored 20 away goals.
Failure to score in both of their remaining away games would see Wolves equal the lowest-ever average of away goals scored in a single Premier League season. That record is held by Norwich City, whose seven goals in 19 away matches in 2019-20 gave them an average of 0.37.
Hurzeler '100% deserves' contract extension - Veltmanpublished at 18:09 BST 8 May
18:09 BST 8 May
Image source, Getty Images
Brighton defender Joel Veltman says head coach Fabian Hurzeler "speaks our language" and "100% deserves" his new contract extension.
Hurzeler, 33, signed a new long-term deal at the club on Thursday. He is the youngest manager in Premier League history and has his side eighth in the table, on 50 points with three matches remaining, as they seek European football for only the second time in the club's history.
"He [Hurzeler] has done well for the club," Veltman, who is two years older than his head coach, told BBC Radio Sussex.
"He deserves this extension 100%. We will try and get to the next level with the club and that's what he has been doing now for two years in a row fighting for Europe.
"I think we are in a good place, fighting for the European places.
"For me, because of his age he speaks our language a bit more. He has really good staff around him who are really close to the players. The mix of not just him but his staff also are a good mix to be around here."
The Seagulls host already relegated Wolves on Sunday, before a trip to Leeds and a visit from Manchester United on the final day.
"It's just the final push," Veltman added.
"Last three games, get everything out of it, and then everyone will go their own ways. That's the mindset at the moment - three finals. At the end we have to see where we are at."
'I'm confident Hurzeler can take us to Champions League'published at 12:30 BST 8 May
12:30 BST 8 May
Image source, Getty Images
Fabian Hurzeler has said one of his aims is "to build a high-performance culture", after signing his new long-term deal as Brighton head coach, because that puts them in a better position to win silverware in the long-term.
We asked for your views on what his main priorities should be.
Here are some of your comments:
Chris: The only thing that has been consistent about our "on-pitch performances" in the last two seasons is the inconsistency. I'm still not 100% convinced by Fabian, but I was never one of those calling for him to go when things were spiralling this season and, now he has signed a new contract, I'm sure all genuine supporters will be wishing him success.
Luke: Good that we have some certainty going into the summer. Now we need a summer transfer window that really strengthens the first 11, regardless of if we are in Europe or not.
Ian: With a couple of new signings and retaining key players, I am confident that Fabian can take us to Champions League football in the next two seasons.
Jon: Firstly, getting into Europe so we have a chance of holding on to key players like JP and Ferdy. The obvious summer priority is boosting our forward line so we have more options, what with Welbeck getting older and our young Greeks lacking experience.
Hurzeler on team fitness, his new deal and Wolvespublished at 10:23 BST 8 May
10:23 BST 8 May
Katie Stafford BBC Sport journalist
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Wolves at American Express Stadium (kick-off 15:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Mats Wieffer is a doubt because of a "small ankle issue", while Diego Gomez will be assessed to see if he can be available.
On Gomez, who Hurzeler expected to have back for this game: "I'm hoping, but it's important we understand we can't risk his health and we have a responsibility for the players."
Solly March and James Milner return and "will definitely be an option".
He said Lewis Dunk did not feature against Newcastle "because he wasn't fully training", but he has this week and there's "always an opportunity for my captain to come back in and play".
On opponents Wolves: "When you only look at the results it's one perspective, but they have a really good coach, structure and plan. We expect a team that's very disciplined and defend in a low block. They can still sting you."
Hurzeler said their "biggest challenge is to bounce back" from the Newcastle defeat by overcoming "small margins" and eradicating "small easy mistakes" they made.
On signing a new long-term deal: "I feel the trust. I feel the connection. I'm here to achieve something together with the players and staff. I always felt we were building something. I am really excited at what's ahead of us because I see a bright future for the club. I'm looking forward to being part of it."
He said one of his aims is "to build a high-performance culture" because that long-term puts them in a better position to win silverware.
What will be enough for Europe?published at 09:16 BST 8 May
09:16 BST 8 May
Image source, Getty Images
Success in Europe for Aston Villa and Crystal Palace has a knock-on impact on what Premier League finish may be required to qualify for continental competition next season.
A host of clubs can still dream of a European adventure but the picture is ever changing.
'A shared long-term vision' - what next after Hurzeler's new deal confirmed?published at 17:22 BST 7 May
17:22 BST 7 May
Image source, Getty Images
Fabian Hurzeler says to receive a long-term commitment from Brighton is an "honour" after his new deal was confirmed.
The 33-year-old joined the Seagulls from St Pauli in the summer of 2024, having led the Hamburg club to promotion to the Bundesliga in his first full season as head coach, and had 12 months to run on his current deal with the south coast club.
Brighton are eighth in the Premier League, on 50 points with three matches remaining, as they seek European football for only the second time in the club's history.
"I absolutely love working for this club and living in the city and I am delighted to have agreed a new contract," Hurzeler said after the news was announced.
"To have this long-term commitment from the club is an honour, and one which only reinforces my desire to succeed in delivering on our shared long-term vision.
"From the beginning our focus has always been on forging an identity, developing the team, challenging the establishment and pushing our standards every day. I'm proud of what we have done so far, and even more excited about what is still to come."
Chairman Tony Bloom added: "Since his appointment, Fabian has continued the progress the club has made in recent seasons with consistent on-pitch performances, and he has developed a clear playing identity.
"Fabian's principles and approach align with our values as a club, and we're delighted to have agreed this new extended contract; it reflects our commitment to a shared long-term vision."
Now it has been confirmed Hurzeler is here to stay for the long-term, what should his main priorities be going forward? And how far can he take you?
A chance to beat goal difference?published at 10:13 BST 7 May
10:13 BST 7 May
Image source, Getty Images
Ex- Albion players Guy Butters and Warren Aspinall believe facing Wolves on Saturday (15:00 BST) is a good chance for Brighton get another three points on the board in their quest for Europe and could also be an opportunity to boost their goal difference.
Butters told BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast: "As soon as you lose a game, you can't wait to get back in and onto the next one.
"A good week of training, try and get a bit of confidence back, bit of fun around and few smiles on faces in the camp, going into a really important game against Wolves who let's be honest, should be there to put to the sword.
"They have conceded 63 goals this year - the goal difference is awful - minus 38. It's a good chance to get another three points."
Warren Aspinall added: "It's a must-win game and for me, as well, it's about goal difference. I think this is a chance to get your goals up as well."
Listen to the podcast in full below or on BBC Sounds
