'We should be happy with what we achieved' - What Hurzeler saidpublished at 18:55 BST 24 May
18:55 BST 24 May
Media caption,
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler, speaking to BBC Match of the Day after his side qualified for the Conference League: "It was the worst time for this performance from us but we have to look at it overall in what we achieved.
"We had a difficult season with lots of highs and lows, so to finish eighth is good.
"We weren't good enough today or on our highest level today. We have to accept it. There is nothing to analyse because the season is over now. The goal distracted us and we couldn't react well to the goals.
"We had a bad run, kept going, kept fighting and that was quite positive. When you see the overall season we should be happy with what we achieved."
Brighton have lost six of their nine final Premier League games of the season (W3), indeed no team have more such defeats than the Seagulls since they entered the competition in 2017-18 (also six for Burnley and Wolves).
Analysis: Another momentous daypublished at 18:34 BST 24 May
18:34 BST 24 May
Simon Stone Chief football news reporter
Image source, Getty Images
There are some clubs for whom qualification for the Conference League would be seen as something of an embarrassment.
Brighton are not one of them.
Yes, there were grumbles during the game at a performance far below expectations but the cheers that rang round the stadium as Brentford's failure to win at Anfield were joyous.
'Europe again', the Brighton fans chanted. "Three months ago people were talking about relegation, now we are in Europe," chirped skipper Lewis Dunk as he took part in the post-season lap of honour.
Crystal Palace's appearance in the Conference League final on Wednesday gives their great rivals something to aim for and boss Hurzeler a Sunday-Thursday conundrum to solve now he has signed his new three-year contract.
These are first-world problems though. There are plenty at Brighton who remember all the dark times, when the future of the club was at risk.
Europe beckons again. Brighton are a different club now.
Brighton 0-3 Man Utd - send us your thoughtspublished at 18:03 BST 24 May
18:03 BST 24 May
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Brighton secured Conference League football next season despite suffering a 3-0 defeat against Manchester United.
Manager Fabian Hurzeler signed a new three-year deal earlier this month in a show of his commitment to the club.
Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know how you are feeling.
Brighton v Man Utd: Team newspublished at 15:02 BST 24 May
15:02 BST 24 May
Veteran James Milner returns to the Brighton starting line-up, with uncertainty over whether he will extend his career beyond the end of the season.
Fabian Huzeler makes three changes as Mats Wiefer and Diego Gomez are also recalled, with United transfer target Carlos Baleba among those dropped to the bench.
Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Milner, Van Hecke, Dunk, De Cuyper, Gross, Wiefer, Kadioglu, Hinshelwood, Gomez, Welbeck.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Everton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play West Ham v Leeds", for instance.
Will it be five or six teams? How Champions League qualification workspublished at 08:14 BST 24 May
08:14 BST 24 May
Jonty Colman BBC Sport journalist
This one gets a little bit confusing, but Aston Villa's Europa League final win over Freiburg make things clearer.
Because England has won one of two Elite Performance Spots (EPS) for next season's Champions League, five Premier League clubs will feature in the competition instead of four. Like England, Spain have also guaranteed five clubs.
But because of Villa winning the Europa League, there is a scenario where six English clubs qualify for the Champions League next term.
For that to happen, Villa would need to finish fifth.
Currently, they are fourth - three points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool. That means Liverpool would need to beat Brentford and hope Villa lose at City for them to overtake Unai Emery's team.
Fans of Bournemouth and Brighton will also hope this happens. If it does, it means one of them would join Liverpool and be a sixth English team in the Champions League.
The Cherries only need a point at Nottingham Forest to guarantee a top-six finish.
Meanwhile, the Seagulls would need to beat Manchester United and for Bournemouth to lose to finish sixth.
Liverpool only need a point to guarantee a top-five finish. But if they lose at home to the Bees, they would only not finish fifth if Bournemouth win at Forest and the Cherries overturned a six-goal deficit in goal difference. Of course, if they ended up in sixth then it would be Europa League and not Champions League for the Anfield side.
Whoever finishes in seventh will also enter the Europa League.
A win for Brighton would guarantee them Europa League football at least. If the Seagulls fail to win and Chelsea win at Sunderland, the Blues would overtake Albion.
Chelsea can also overtake Brighton with a draw, if Brighton were to lose by two goals and Brentford fail to win at Liverpool.
Whoever finishes eighth will enter the Conference League next season.
Carrick praise for his 'lad' Welbeckpublished at 22:31 BST 23 May
22:31 BST 23 May
Simon Stone Chief football news reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has praised the longevity of former team-mate Danny Welbeck – but wishes he would stop scoring against his old club.
Carrick was at United when Welbeck started to come through the ranks and was part of the same 2012-13 Premier League title-winning side.
But if he was a positive for United during his time at Old Trafford, he has been a pain since he left.
The 35-year-old has scored eight goals against them, more than he has managed against any other club.
His latest was Brighton's decisive second goal in their FA Cup third-round victory in January.
"He's scored against us too many times," said Carrick. "I still call him 'my lad'. He's an old man now, which makes me feel old.
"Huge respect for him. It's terrific that he came through here and made a massive impact.
"For him to go on and have the career he's had and still be playing so well at the age he is shows his mindset and his attitude and all those things enable you to play to 35.
"He deserves a lot of credit for that and I'm really delighted, genuinely, to see him doing so well."
Sutton's predictions: Brighton v Man Utdpublished at 17:12 BST 23 May
17:12 BST 23 May
A Brighton win would secure them seventh place and European football next season, and they could even finish sixth if Bournemouth lose.
It has not always been smooth progress for the Seagulls this season under Fabian Hurzeler, but they have finished the campaign strongly.
Manchester United have got something to play for too, though, or at least Bruno Fernandes does - he needs to set up one more goal to break the Premier League record for assists in a single season.
I think Fernandes will get his assist, but Brighton will take the points - with Danny Welbeck scoring the winner.
Brighton and Hove Albion v Manchester United: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 13:01 BST 23 May
13:01 BST 23 May
Chris Adams BBC Sport journalist
Brighton and Hove Albion welcome Manchester United to the American Express Stadium on Sunday looking to confirm their place in European football next season.
Fabian Hurzeler's side, currently seventh, have enjoyed a splendid campaign and can still book a spot in either the Europa League or the Conference League, depending on how results pan out elsewhere on the final day.
Can Welbeck haunt his old club again?
Central to that success has been the form of ex-United striker Danny Welbeck, who will make his 400th Premier League appearance if he features against his old club – the 46th player to reach that milestone.
A six-year spell in the first team at Old Trafford for the Manchester-born forward accounted for 92 of those, and he enjoys playing against his former employers more than anyone else.
Against no club has Welbeck scored more goals in all competitions than he has against United (eight). He played more games (36) and scored more goals (13) this term than in another season of his laudable top-flight career.
As they come tantalisingly close to realising another European dream – their only previous experience on the continent was a run the Europa League last 16 in 2023-24 – the Seagulls will be reassured to know they have an excellent record against United.
In fact, Brighton have the highest win rate against United of any side in Premier League history both overall (47%) and at home (63%). None of those 17 meetings have ended in a draw.
United back in the big time
Unlike their opponents, Manchester United have already guaranteed themselves a return to European football next season. Michael Carrick's side have sealed Champions League qualification after a two-year absence and will finish third regardless of Sunday's result.
The Red Devils' turnaround under their former midfielder is well-documented. Carrick, who has signed new contract running until 2028, has the best points-per-game (PPG) average of any manager in the division this season (2.25).
Indeed, it is the best PPG by any United manager in a league season since Sir Alex Ferguson's final campaign in 2012-13 (2.34), when Carrick made a career-high 36 top-flight appearances.
Having teed up Bryan Mbeumo against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, the pressure is off Bruno Fernandes in his pursuit of the record for most assists in a Premier League campaign.
Fernandes moved level with Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne on 20, but don't bet against the Portuguese playmaker linking up with his Cameroonian colleague again.
Against no side has Mbeumo been involved in more Premier League goals than he has against Brighton (five goals, three assists), with all eight coming in his last five starts against the Seagulls.
He scored two in the reverse fixture, a 4-2 win at Old Trafford in October, meaning United are looking to complete a league double over Brighton for the first time since 2020-21.
Despite boasting an excellent record at the tail end of the season – only Arsenal have won more games on the final day than United's 23 – it's far from a formality.
United have lost six of their last eight league matches against the Seagulls, in addition to being dumped out of the FA Cup by Hurzeler's charges at the third round stage in January.
Welbeck 'couldn't have done much more' for World Cup placepublished at 18:38 BST 22 May
18:38 BST 22 May
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on Danny Welbeck's omission from Thomas Tuchel's 26-man England squad for the World Cup.
Here are some of your comments:
Colin: Welbeck should be going in place of Ivan Toney. More experienced and he is playing higher level football.
Paul: There's no doubt that he would have been a huge asset for the team, but I guess his age played a part in the decision - if he was considered at all.
Jack: Seems mad to me that Tuchel has opted to bring Anthony Gordon over the likes of Welbeck and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, given his form this season. Presumably, Cole Palmer was left out for his similarly underwhelming performance recently, so what's the deal?
Chris: He couldn't have done much more to be part of it! Is this a mistake by Tuchel?
Andrew: It's a shame, in a way, that Welbeck misses the World Cup. He was showing in the last couple of months that he could be the extra striker we would need to support Harry Kane. I do think now that other players such as Ollie Watkins are hitting form, and maybe a better bet to take. Purely on a selfish side, not having Danny at the World Cup saves his legs. He is getting older and if we make Europe his skills are critical. For a successful season we need him fresh.
Zak: He definitely should've got in over Toney. He's the second highest scoring Englishman in the Premier League.
