Brighton’s 2-0 triumph over Burnley in January was their solely win in 13 league matches between 30 November and 21 February, and supplied little greater than a quick aid amid a worrying run of type.
But Saturday’s 2-0 win in opposition to the identical opponents carried far larger weight and objective because it stored the Seagulls firmly in competition for a spot in Europe subsequent season.
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They have now gained 5 of their final six matches and, extra importantly, didn’t let their momentum drop after three weeks with no recreation within the worldwide break, following a 2-1 win against reigning champions Liverpool.
With the congested nature of the desk and affirmation of the Premier League having at least five teams within the Champions League subsequent season, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler will fancy his probabilities of guiding the membership to solely their second continental marketing campaign.
He was compelled to observe this recreation from the stands as he started a two-match touchline ban for accumulating six yellow playing cards this time period.
But his facet nonetheless delivered a efficiency that mirrored the German supervisor’s affect – enjoying with self-discipline, urgent excessive up the pitch and making the possession depend.
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Dutch defender Mats Wieffer, who solely returned from a toe harm on the finish of February, proved to be an unlikely hero, scoring his first league objectives since a 1-1 draw at West Ham again on 21 December 2024.
Staying inside attain of the highest six has been fairly an emphatic turnaround for Hurzeler and Brighton, who’ve discovered type on the proper time.