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
'Brighton believe in this manager - that's all he wants'published at 10:59 BST 6 May
10:59 BST 6 May
Image source, Getty Images
Former Brighton midfielder Warren Aspinall says head coach Fabian Hurzeler has "rightly" agreed a new long-term deal with the club.
"It's commitment from the football club and they believe in this manager - that's all he wants. He wants to be backed by the board," Aspinall told BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited.
"They've probably had a chat with him, he's got a year left after this year and they've given him a new contract - rightly so.
"You're sitting eighth in the Premier League with three games to go, hopefully we can get into Europe.
"He mentioned last season that when he first came to the club, that they weren't fit enough so he had to do something about that and it's reaping its rewards now, this season. Not last season because it takes time.
"Moving forward, it's good for him and hopefully he can bring the right players in to go with him.
"When they went on that terrible run they could have gone trigger-happy and got rid of him but no, they knew what he was doing and they knew the long-term. You have to give managers patience."
Former Brighton defender Guy Butters added: "Tying him down to a long-term contract would give that confidence from the fans' point of view and give the confidence in the club that it's going in the right direction."
Hinshelwood switch key to Seagulls' surge - so how good could be become?published at 14:26 BST 5 May
14:26 BST 5 May
Scott McCarthy Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
As England manager, Thomas Tuchel is blessed by having more number 10s than he knows what to do with. The list includes Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White.
The competition is huge, which is presumably why nobody is talking about Jack Hinshelwood's England prospects - not necessarily for this summer's World Cup, but for the future.
Now, you might think it is mere Brighton bias to put Hinshelwood's name in such esteemed company, and maybe it is.
But what cannot be disputed is the cold, hard fact that Fabian Hurzeler pushing Hinshelwood into the number 10 role at the end of February has been one of the biggest factors in turning Albion fans' fears of being dragged towards the relegation battle into dreams of a top-six finish.
Brighton had one league win in 13 games when Hurzeler sprung a surprise by starting Hinshelwood behind Danny Welbeck for Albion's trip to Brentford - and it ended that abysmal run of form.
It has since given way to six wins and one draw from nine games.
While Hinshelwood's individual statistics of two goals and two assists over those nine matches are unlikely to have Bellingham, Palmer or Rogers quaking in their boots, he is just one of those players you have to watch live to appreciate how good he is.
His footballing intelligence is astonishing for a 21-year-old. It is why he can seamlessly switch from playing as a full-back to a number 10, something England already know about after he starred at right-back and left-back when the under-21s retained their Euros title last summer.
Hinshelwood links play brilliantly and gets into some excellent positions, but the one thing that currently lets him down is his finishing.
However, there are already signs he is working on that because his recent goals against Chelsea and Newcastle were taken with aplomb.
If he becomes more clinical, he could easily hit double figures and beyond for Brighton next season. At which point, his England claims would become impossible to ignore.
🎧 What does Hurzeler's new deal mean for Brighton?published at 14:24 BST 5 May
14:24 BST 5 May
In the latest episode of BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast, Johnny Cantor is joined by former Brighton players Warren Aspinall and Guy Butters to discuss Fabian Hurzeler's new contract.
They also review the Newcastle defeat, look ahead to the final three games and hear from Jan Paul van Hecke and Jack Hinshelwood.
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
Hurzeler a 'key part of stable set-up' or 'no connection with fans'?published at 12:22 BST 5 May
12:22 BST 5 May
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on Fabian Hurzeler agreeing a new long-term contract to extend his stay at Amex Stadium, after penning an initial deal to become the youngest full-time boss of a Premier League team in June 2024.
Here are some of your replies:
Andrew: I am very pleased, indeed. He has been doing well as our manager and I am confident will go on to do even better as his experience and knowledge of the Premier League develops. He has become a key part of this stable and sophisticated Brighton set-up.
Rich: Fantastic news. This will dispel any rumours of him moving. If Chelsea or any other club want him, it will cost them big now. After a shaky start to his career at Brighton, he's had his critics - but I like him. He has been a good manager for us. If he can find the consistency, he will be listed as a top-class manager.
Daniel: I am not happy. He has got the potential to be a great manager, but his tactics are bizarre sometimes. I want him out, no matter what happens this season, because he has no connection with the fans. Just look at Roberto de Zerbi and Spurs - that's what we need and what we miss.
Jonathan: Contracts can be broken, if performances reduce. I know that sounds negative but I haven't really ever seen or heard our players praising Fabian Hurzeler.
Nigel: We have to trust Mr Bloom. I hope he will back up this decision with some new experienced players to replace Danny Welbeck, James Milner and possibly Lewis Dunk. All three of them have been great for the club, but how long can Hurzeler continue to be lucky with them?
Melv: He took time to establish himself, but he got there in the end. He deserves an extended contract. There's more to come from this man yet.
The Seagulls 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.
Hurzeler, 33, had 12 months to run on his existing deal.
What do you make of the news? How do you rate Hurzeler's time in charge so far? And how far can he take you now?
'We've got three massive games to go'published at 11:44 BST 4 May
11:44 BST 4 May
Media caption,
Jack Hinshelwood says he can "assure everyone" that he and his Brighton team-mates will "work so hard this week and show a reaction next Saturday".
Albion are eighth in the Premier League following their defeat at Newcastle and face Wolves next at the Amex (Saturday, 15:00 BST).
He told BBC Radio Sussex: "The support we've had at the Amex recently has been unbelievable. We're going to need that again come Saturday.
"We've got three massive games to go - all really important games. It's going to be an exciting end to the season.
"We can be disappointed [with the Newcastle defeat] but all focus has got to be on the next game and doing what we have been doing - getting back to the basics, training really hard and coming out firing next Saturday."
Sixth will earn a Europa League place at the very least, with some of the contenders having never qualified for Europe before.
However, both elements needed for sixth place to become a Champions League spot seem quite plausible.
Aston Villa would need to finish in fifth, exactly where they currently reside, and win the Europa League. They trail Nottingham Forest 1-0 after the semi-final first leg, but they are at home for Thursday's return leg.
This scenario will only play out if Villa finish fifth - and not in the top four or below fifth - because of a quirk in Uefa's rules.
The Premier League landed a fifth Champions League place because of the English teams' performances in Europe - something called the European Performance Spot (EPS).
So if Villa win the Europa League and finish fifth, that EPS spot would be passed down to the team in sixth, who would qualify for the Champions League.
However if Villa finish in the top four, winning the Europa League would make no difference to any other English team and the sixth-placed finisher would qualify for the Europa League.
With Aston Villa six points clear in fifth, sixth place appears to be the highest any of the other teams could finish.
At the moment, Bournemouth are on 52 points - one point clear of Brentford, who are one point above Brighton.
The Cherries and the Bees have never played in European competition before, while the Seagulls' only Uefa campaign was in the 2023-24 Europa League.
Chelsea are four points behind Bournemouth, but they have a game in hand against Forest.
Fulham are level on points with Chelsea. Everton, who have a game in hand against Manchester City, and Sunderland are on 47 points - so they are just about in the race.
Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Leeds could still mathematically - but not so realistically - qualify for the Champions League.
Wesley: I stick with Eddie Howe, but his tactics are puzzling sometimes. You need a team to play 90 minutes, not chop around in the second half. Hard to settle three subs into the game. Harvey Barnes should be on every game... all game.
Chris: Newcastle were a touch fortunate. Brighton dominated and maybe deserved a point.
JD: Thought the score was flattering to Newcastle. You can see why Osula is keeping the big-money strikers out of the starting XI. His running and pressing is relentless and he's unpredictable, which makes defenders nervous. It stopped Brighton's build from the back. Best player on the pitch and no surprise Brighton came back into it once he was subbed off. Newcastle still look very shaky at the back though, a lot of loose balls and Pope doesn't look confident with the ball at his feet.
LostGeordie: A tense and difficult watch. Another dreadful second half - we are supposed to come out at pace but the deliberate slowing of goal-kicks by Pope, perpetually ineffective, was terrible to watch, inviting Brighton's inevitable goal. I'll not comment on Wissa.
Brighton fans
Fran: I thought we had cut out all this silly stuff by giving the ball away in dangerous areas. Verbruggen, again rushing out of his area, and Van Hecke dithering and then slipping. We gifted Newcastle three goals. They were not better than us and we should have won this game. Enjoy the last three games and forget about Europe. If it happens, great - if not, it shows we aren't ready.
David: The Brighton curse of this season strikes again - the inability to beat teams below them in the league. Could have been, should have been almost any score the number of chances created and were not taken. All is not lost - three games to go and we can still get into Europe.
CK: The same old story of attractive approach play was let down by poor delivery in the final third and lack of muscle up top to force the issue. A draw was probably a fairer result.
Jon: If they had been more clinical and defended better, they would have won easily. Verbruggen is a good keeper, but still makes ridiculous errors. Newcastle parked the bus for much of the game.
Newcastle 3-1 Brighton: What Hurzeler saidpublished at 20:13 BST 2 May
20:13 BST 2 May
Media caption,
Brighton didn't manage 'key moments' - Hurzeler
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "We dominated the game except a short period after the two goals. We lost a bit of structure but besides that dominated the game, had the ball and had chances. But the key moments we weren't able to manage well, and that's why we lost.
"Every time you concede a goal you can do something better. We knew they would have physicality on the pitch - height especially at set pieces. The first goal is unlucky decision. I like players who make decisions. If you make decisions and make mistakes then afterwards everyone knows better. I prefer players who take responsibility. All we can do is analyse it and bounce back next weekend.
"The first half we started really well, created chances and had the ball. They were dangerous at set pieces and in transition moments. We knew that, tried to control that, but it's hard to control. At half-time there wasn't much to change. My boys always believe and never give up. We got a goal back and the game could go in a different direction.
"It's not about feeling sorry for ourselves. We will take responsibility, analyse and bounce back."
Did you know?
Brighton and Hove Albion conceded 3+ goals in a Premier League game for the first time since a 3-4 loss to Aston Villa in December.
Bart Verbruggen has made more errors leading to goals (4) than any other player in the Premier League this season, while his 11 since the start of 2023-24 is four more than anyone else.
Analysis: Remarkable run endspublished at 17:48 BST 2 May
17:48 BST 2 May
Ciaran Kelly Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Brighton players and staff felt an unfamiliar emotion at full-time. This side had forgotten how to lose, having beaten Chelsea, Liverpool, Sunderland and Burnley in recent weeks and drawn against Tottenham Hotspur.
But manager Fabian Hurzeler will still take a lot of heart from this display.
The Brighton boss handed his players five days off following their impressive 3-0 win against Chelsea last time out.
It was a recognition of how much they had given him and, also, how much trust he had in them to go "all in for the final part of the season" and "give everything for this badge" as he told them when he delivered the news in the dressing room.
They certainly did that at St James' Park and Hurzeler will take a lot of heart from his side's response to going 2-0 down.
They refused to go under and set up a nervy finish at St James' Park after Jack Hinshelwood pulled one back.
Yankuba Minteh even had a glorious opportunity to make it 2-2 against his former club, only to blaze over from close range as Hurzeler dropped to his knees.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Brentford v West Ham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Fulham", for instance.
Sutton's predictions: Newcastle v Brightonpublished at 08:02 BST 2 May
08:02 BST 2 May
Newcastle still need a point or two to make sure of their Premier League survival, which is not something anyone expected to be saying about them come the start of May.
I do think the Magpies have enough points already - they have 42 and the most third-bottom Tottenham can get is 46 - but I also don't expect them to add to their tally here.
Brighton are on a roll and look strong candidates for sixth place and European football.
I am backing them to win and for Danny Welbeck to notch again for the Seagulls and finish the season as the top-scoring Englishman in the Premier League. He already has 13 goals this season, two more than Ollie Watkins for Aston Villa and Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Leeds.
Newcastle v Brighton: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 19:28 BST 1 May
19:28 BST 1 May
Chris Adams BBC Sport journalist
Newcastle United host Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday (15:00 BST) with the two teams in wildly contrasting form as the visitors push hard for a European spot.
Eddie Howe's Magpies are languishing in 14th having lost four league games on the bounce. January 2021, when Steve Bruce was at the helm, was the last time Newcastle lost five top-flight matches in a row.
Geordie chore
Since a goalless draw with bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers on 18 January – when Newcastle were eighth – they have lost nine out of 12 in the Premier League; a tough watch for the Toon Army, who were dreaming of a Champions League quarter-final a little over seven weeks ago.
At St James' Park, they have registered just one win in their past six games – last month's impressive victory over Manchester United, which came despite playing the second half with 10 men.
A delegation of officials from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Newcastle's majority owners, flew to the North East for meetings this week and the club's dire form was said to be high on the agenda.
One worrying trend for Howe to address is his side's inability to hold on to a lead. Twice last month – at Crystal Palace and in the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland – Newcastle lost the game despite going ahead.
They have dropped a league-high 25 points from winning positions this season. To compound the situation, the Magpies have won just three points from losing positions this term, the joint fewest in the division.
Brighton breezy
A superb run of six wins in eight league games since being knocked out of the FA Cup on Valentine's Day has left Brighton dreaming of some romantic European getaways next season.
The Seagulls are currently sixth, trailing Aston Villa by eight points. Finishing sixth should mean qualification for the Europa League, but there is still an outside chance it could result in Champions League football.
How? It would require Villa to win the Europa League - they trail Nottingham Forest 1-0 after Thursday's semi-final first leg - and finish fifth in the league, the position they currently occupy.
Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, Danny Welbeck's status as a cult hero in East Sussex is not in doubt. The Englishman will feel very hard done by if he isn't selected for World Cup duty by Thomas Tuchel after the best goalscoring season of his career.
Welbeck, 35, has notched 13 top-flight goals so far, including two in the reverse fixture in October, a game Brighton won 2-1. Only six players in the competition have scored more in a campaign while aged 34 or older.
One more for Welbeck would see him become Brighton's outright top scorer in a Premier League season. He is currently level with Glenn Murray, who bagged 13 in 2018-19.
But the former Manchester United and Arsenal man hasn't been alone in Fabian Hurzeler's side's climb the table. A strong supporting cast has helped the Seagulls score at least twice in each of their past four league games, something they last achieved over February and March 2025.
Welbeck 'feeling fit and strong' - and 'long may it continue'published at 18:30 BST 1 May
18:30 BST 1 May
Image source, Getty Images
Brighton forward Danny Welbeck says the extended break between matches has left him feeling "rested, recharged and ready to go" against Newcastle United this weekend.
Fabian Hurzeler's side have been out of action since their 3-0 win over Chelsea on 21 April, but they travel to St James' Park on Saturday to continue their push for European football.
"We are all definitely full of confidence," 35-year-old Welbeck told BBC Radio Sussex.
"We've had some really good results and performances recently, which gives us confidence and momentum going into the remaining four games of the season.
"You do have a look at the table at the end of the weekend to see how things are, but it is important for us to not focus too much on that. We have to focus on what we can do, which is getting three points."
On passing 50 goals and approaching 200 appearances for Brighton, Welbeck said: "I just keep pushing every single day. It has been a good period for me.
"I've really enjoyed my time here at Brighton - and long may it continue. I'm happy, I'm feeling fit and strong, I'm in a rhythm, and I'm feeling good."
'We love ideas from other sports' - Hurzeler on bringing in MMA fighterpublished at 12:26 BST 1 May
12:26 BST 1 May
Image source, Getty Images
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has explained why he enlisted the help of a German MMA fighter to help his side with their set-piece work.
It comes after 21-year-old midfielder Jack Hinshelwood revealed the head coach's alternative approach to training in a interview with BBC Radio 5 Live.
"It was a couple of months ago so Jack [Hinshelwood] has a good memory," Hurzeler said in his pre-match news conference. "We brought him in because we've spoken a lot about set-pieces, blocking and new trends in the Premier League.
"We are trying to adapt to it because I don't want this club to always be known as a club that is nice.
"In certain moments you have to be quite resilient in personal duels. There are different ways of using your body and skills to win one-v-one duels, especially in set-pieces, and an MMA fighter always has one-v-one duels.
"Their job is to find a way to beat their opponent and we love getting ideas from other sports.
"If players are still remembering it now then it is obviously staying in their minds, which is a positive thing. It proves that we got some ideas from it which have been helpful for us as a team.
"As a club, we have never been known as being dominant in set-pieces or recruiting only for set-pieces, so we need to find ways to be innovative.
"We don't want to be beaten easily when we face taller teams. We might not be that physical regarding our height, but there are always ways you can defend and attack in these one-v-one duels.
"This is why we're trying to use different techniques from MMA as well."
Image source, Getty Images
