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
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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."
Hurzeler on Gomez, 'refreshing not relaxing' and 'unpredictable' leaguepublished at 11:36 BST 1 May
11:36 BST 1 May
Millie Sian BBC Sport journalist
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Newcastle United at St James' Park (kick-off 15:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Despite being forced off with an injury last time out, Mats Wieffer will be available. The right-back is managing "a small issue in his ankle" but has taken part in training all week.
James Milner and Solly March will not feature at St James' Park. It is hoped both players "will be an option for the next game" against Wolves.
When asked about both of their contracts expiring next month, Hurzeler replied: "I will never discuss internal things about contracts. All I can say is that working with them is great. We've had conversations with them both, so they know how we see them and our plan for the future."
It is the same case regarding the futures of defenders Adam Webster and Joel Veltman.
Diego Gomez is expected to play again this season despite picking up a knee injury last month. Hurzeler said: "I'm very happy about it. It is one of the best pieces of news I've received in the past few weeks." However, the central midfielder will not be part of this weekend's matchday squad.
Danny Welbeck will "always be an option to start" due to his scoring record against the Magpies.
When asked if the 35-year-old forward should be on the plane to the World Cup this summer, Hurzeler replied: "He is a great goalscorer, he can help every team in the world, he makes all the players around him better and he takes care of his team-mates off the pitch. A player like him is difficult to find. I can only give a lot of praise to him. I'm very grateful for the job he does at this club, so I hope he will get his chance."
The extended break between matches was used as time to "refresh not relax". The Albion boss explained: "It was about refreshing mentally and physically after a very intense game against Chelsea. We came back with a lot of energy, enthusiasm and positivity."
He doesn't take a lot of "personal satisfaction" from being nominated for Premier League manager of the month: "I'm responsible being the head coach, but I'm only as good as my players and my staff. It is never a one-man show. One of the biggest strengths of this club is its togetherness."
Pascal Gross, who has also been nominated for Premier League player of the month, has been "superb" this season. Hurzeler praised the midfielder for being "a great connector on and off the pitch", understanding "players of different ages" and having "unbelievable quality".
When asked how he is keeping his players focused on the European push, he replied: "I always keep my approach the same. We have a blue line in our daily work, which means we will never get too depressed when we have our lows and we will never get too euphoric when we have our highs. We know we have the ability, resilience and belief to get the result we deserve."
The fact that Brighton could finish either third or 16th in the Premier League table with just four games to go proves that the league is "unbelievably tight and unpredictable" this season.
On facing Eddie Howe's struggling side, he said: "We have a lot of respect for Newcastle. They have a great squad with great individual quality. They play with such an intensity and energy at their stadium, so we need to go there with the belief we can win. It will be a lot of hard work and we might have to suffer, but we want to be dominant and give ourselves a chance to win."
Gossip: Spurs eye Verbruggenpublished at 07:42 BST 1 May
07:42 BST 1 May
Tottenham will sell goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to Inter Milan this summer, with Brighton stopper Bart Verbruggen on their list of possible replacements. (Teamtalk, external)
Score early 'and crowd will turn on Newcastle' - Aspinallpublished at 16:24 BST 30 April
16:24 BST 30 April
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Brighton should aim to "get at" Newcastle from the first minute at St James' Park on Saturday, says former Albion midfielder Warren Aspinall, who believes the home crowd will "turn on" their team.
On the back of a dominant 3-0 victory against Chelsea last weekend, Aspinall doesn't want a lot to change from Fabian Hurzeler's side.
"I think Danny Welbeck will come in for Georginio Rutter but that will be it," Aspinall told BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast.
"It's all about what we do and I'm sick of saying this but, who's going to be the X factor for Brighton on Saturday? Who's going to step up to the plate and keep this run going? That's what I'm asking and I think it will be our wide players.
"They need to put the foot down on the accelerator from the word 'go' - high intensity football like we did in the Chelsea game.
"This crowd will turn on Newcastle. I'm sure some of these players will go into their shell and not many of them go into the trenches when the going gets tough so, I'm hoping we get after them, get an early goal and the crowd will turn on them."
BBC Radio Newcastle's Matthew Raisbeck provided squad news for the Magpies as they're set to navigate injuries in their backline.
"Anthony Gordon's missed two matches with a minor hip injury but they're hoping to get him training this week and as of last Friday, Eddie Howe said they were looking at this Brighton match for him to get back," Raisbeck said.
"No Tino Livramento – he's picked up a thigh injury. Fabian Schar, the centre-half, wouldn't expect him back in the squad just yet.
"But they actually don't have too many injuries which is a good thing because they've been without so many players throughout the season."
Will Bloom's other clubs pose European issue for Brighton?published at 12:48 BST 30 April
12:48 BST 30 April
Dale Johnson Football issues correspondent
We have received some questions via our Brighton 'Ask Me Anything' form around what happens if Hearts and Brighton qualify for Europe and get drawn against each other, does Tony Bloom's financial interest in both teams become problematic?
Bloom has expanded his football interests after making such a success of Brighton.
He now holds shares in Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts and Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise.
All three could qualify for the same European competition this season.
If Hearts or Union Saint-Gilloise secure a place in Champions League qualifying, that could threaten Brighton's place in Europe.
That is because the team in the higher-ranked European competition would get priority if Uefa were to find a breach of multi-club ownership (MCO) rules.
For instance, by losing in Champions League qualifying Hearts or Union SG could potentially drop into the same competition as Brighton.
MCO rules would not allow this and the Seagulls would not be admitted into the competition at all.
Bloom had to reduce his controlling stake in Union Saint-Gilloise below 30% before the 2023-24 Europa League season, as Brighton had also qualified.
When he bought into Hearts last year, Bloom clearly had this conflict in mind by purchasing 29% of the Edinburgh club.
Champions League football is 'the dream isn't it?'published at 08:59 BST 30 April
08:59 BST 30 April
Image source, Getty Images
Brighton will have big decisions to make on which players they will let go to "bigger clubs" this summer, says former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton, as Albion prepare for potential European football next season.
"I think Brighton are a club viewed from the outside where so-called 'bigger' clubs can come and poach their players," Sutton told BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast.
"They are a selling club essentially. It's not what Brighton fans want but I think they understand the model.
"The concern from the outside is how long can Danny Welbeck go on for? Because he's had a phenomenal season so I don't think, for his sake, that Brighton fans want him to go the World Cup. They'll want him resting and recuperating and putting his feet up.
"But I suppose there are always decisions to be made at the end of every season in terms of bigger clubs coming in for players and who Brighton are prepared to let go for a certain fee."
Fabian Hurzeler's side currently hold a Europa League qualification spot, as they sit sixth in the Premier League, and Sutton believes the south coast outfit will need the numbers if they want to compete in all competitions next season.
"I think Newcastle are a good example," Sutton said.
"They are a squad that hasn't coped with Champions League football [this season] and that would be the worry.
"But if you're a Brighton supporter, that's the dream isn't it? Champions League football is what you want. There's always that worry in the back of a supporter's mind - 'is the squad big enough and strong enough to compete on the European front?'.
"People talk about the volume of games players already have to cope with anyway and I get that, but as a fan you want to be involved and have those journeys across Europe with your family and the memories."
'Dreaming of getting Champions League'published at 13:26 BST 29 April
13:26 BST 29 April
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on Brighton's chances of qualifying for European football this season, with just four fixtures left for Fabian Hurzeler's side to stake their claim.
Here are some of your thoughts:
Charlie: Who knows, only time will tell! I am confident though, as we have a good run-in and a good group of lads. The morale is high and we are playing beautiful football at this point in time. We can only hope and pray but I believe we can make it over the line.
David: We have a group of players who are capable of beating any Premier League team, plus three of our four remaining games are against teams below us in the table. The positive goal difference may well be worth an extra point too. So yes, we will qualify for Europe for next season.
Julian: Brighton have a propensity for drawing with teams they should be beating, if you look at our results against the bottom three. But, if they can beat Newcastle this Saturday, I am optimistic they will do enough to qualify for Europe at some level.
Daniel: I've been trying not to focus on the table but take it game-by-game, although, I'm starting to get excited now. I'm dreaming of us getting Champions League, if Aston Villa win the Europa League.
Andrew: I would be very pleased with qualifying for the Conference League. I've heard too many warnings recently that makes me think we would need to invest in the squad, so surely the Champions League would leave our finances on a knife-edge. There are several former Premier League teams in the lower leagues who tried to fly with the gods.
Brighton say new women's stadium 'will give team identity'published at 11:14 BST 29 April
11:14 BST 29 April
Image source, BBC Sport
Brighton and Hove Albion say their plans for Europe's first purpose-built women's football stadium, announced on Tuesday, will "provide a permanent home and identity for the women's team" in an attempt to drive long-term fan growth.
Located at Bennett's Field, a site adjacent to the Amex Stadium - the home of Brighton's Premier League side - and costing cost £75-80m, it will hold an initial capacity of 10,000 and will be connected to the Amex via a bridge walkway.
With work under way on a planning application, the club hope to officially open the stadium for the start of the 2030-31 season.
Brighton have the momentum to finish sixth in the Premier Leaguepublished at 08:38 BST 29 April
08:38 BST 29 April
Pat Nevin Former footballer and presenter
Image source, Getty Images
Not only are ups and downs going to be happening at breakneck speed at the bottom of the table, don't be surprised if that happens into the final day with Arsenal and Man City slugging it out at the top.
It will happen in the race for the European places too.
When there are currently only four points between seven teams fighting for those spots, a one-point swing would be incredible but there will be bigger swings than that every week.
As we saw this weekend, everything can change in 10 minutes, making predictions futile.
But having said that, I reckon Brighton might just have enough to get to sixth. They have the momentum which is vital at this time.
Gossip: Brighton in the mix for Japan striker Uedapublished at 07:46 BST 29 April
07:46 BST 29 April
Feyenoord striker Ayase Ueda, 27, has been added to the shortlist of attacking players wanted by Everton this summer, with Leeds, Tottenham and Brighton also showing interest in the Japan international. (Teamtalk), external
🎧 The battle for European footballpublished at 19:56 BST 28 April
19:56 BST 28 April
A new episode of BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast is now available to listen to and download on BBC Sounds.
Johnny Cantor talks can Brighton cope with European football as they strive for the Champions League, with former Premier League striker Chris Sutton joining the debate.
There is also a lookahead to Saturday's trip to St James' Park with the help of BBC Radio Newcastle's Matthew Raisbeck.
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
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