Can Seagulls beat Newcastle again?published at 11:40 2 May
11:40 2 May
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Former Brighton striker Warren Aspinall spoke to the Albion Unlimited podcast before Sunday's match against Newcastle: "I think if we can score first, we will win the game convincingly. They [Newcastle] crumble - we saw that against Aston Villa.
"They haven't got the pace at the back to chase games. Once [Kieran] Trippier and [Tino] Livramento get forward, [Fabian] Schar goes wandering and we can really exploit them.
"Brighton will have a spring in their step and the confidence is there after the comeback [against West Ham]. There is togetherness again and there are no individuals playing for themselves.
Hurzeler takes 'small advice' from Toure on reaching 'the highest level'published at 15:49 1 May
15:49 1 May
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Brighton welcomed former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure to the training ground this week, with Fabian Hurzeler pleased by what he and his team learned from the Premier League title winner.
"In general we are a very open club and we always want to learn from other departments and other personalities," said the Brighton boss. "He's an unbelievable personality and he was a great player, so therefore we have two aspects when he was here.
"The first one is he has a good relationship to the African players and I think it's very important we have someone there who can talk with the players, who has an understanding of where they come from, how is the culture there and what are their needs. I think that's something where I also can learn from.
"And on the other side he was a great player so he can give me and the players some small advice on what it needs to be at the highest level.
"We had a really interesting exchange. Although I didn't have that much time, I took away a lot of things and for sure we'll stay in touch and let's see how this relationship continues."
Toure made 229 Premier League appearances in his eight seasons at Manchester City and won three league titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups.
Ayari and Baleba nominated for goal of the monthpublished at 14:14 1 May
14:14 1 May
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Brighton midfield duo Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari are both up for the Premier League's goal of the month award for April.
Both strikes came in Albion's 3-2 win against West Ham last Saturday, Ayari picking out the top corner in the first half before Baleba's beautiful curler won Brighton the points in the dying moments.
Fans have until Monday, 5 May to cast their vote on the Premier League's official website.
Hurzeler on Dunk, positive energy and Newcastlepublished at 11:02 1 May
11:02 1 May
Katie Stafford BBC Sport journalist
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Newcastle (kick-off 14:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke trained with the team on Wednesday and is "ready to start" after recovering from a head injury.
Joel Veltman, Tariq Lamptey, Karou Mitoma and Igor Julio are also in contention to play, with Adam Webster another who returned to training this week: "We have a lot more options so it is all looking a lot more positive."
He said Brighton "showed character and personality" in the victory over West Ham and the group "are full of positivity and energy" for the remaining games.
He said it is "important to live the moment" and that is why he enjoyed celebrating with the fans after that home win to the Hammers.
On having Yaya Toure around the training ground this week: "We are a very open club and we want to learn from other personalities. It is important you have someone who can talk to the players who understands where they have come from and their needs. I can also learn something [from that]."
On Lewis Dunk's influence in the team: "We can't praise him enough. He has had a difficult season and not really got got into rhythm but he is always there. He never hides and there for me shows his big character."
He hopes Dunk's return will boost everyone's confidence: "I try to be a role model regarding positivity and giving joy to the players even when we have bad results because you have to love the challenges you face."
On opponents Newcastle: "We know it is another big, big challenge for us but we are looking forward to it and after training this week, we are ready for it."
He agreed it is a challenge "to stop their dynamic play" and it will require "physicality" to compete against them."
'He has got everything, but a lot to learn' published at 11:06 30 April
11:06 30 April
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Former Brighton striker Warren Aspinall spoke to BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast about midfielder Carlos Baleba:
"He's got amazing attributes. For a young player, he's got everything. What frustrates me is that when he plays, it's like he's playing with his mates in the park. He knows he can switch it on and off whenever he wants.
"He sometimes gets caught out and Lewis [Dunk] has to be on to him. He's got a lot of things to learn because you have to be disciplined in that position. His pace has got him out of trouble on a couple of occasions.
On his goal against West Ham: "The bend on it was incredible - he's got that goal in his locker. He's clever, he bent it round the defender and used him as a wall so that the keeper couldn't see the ball. It was a wonderful strike."
180 seconds... was it season-defining?published at 12:30 29 April
12:30 29 April
Scott McCarthy Fan writer
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You can boil an egg in 180 seconds. You can pour a perfect pint of a well-known black stout from Ireland in 180 seconds. But can you turn around a football season which was heading off the rails in 180 seconds?
Brighton will be hoping so. With 89 minutes on the clock at the Amex on Saturday, plenty of Albion fans who had not walked out when West Ham went 2-1 ahead six minutes earlier were preparing to go into meltdown.
Graham Potter was getting ready to celebrate the Hammers ending their six-game winless run.
It seemed set to be the ultimate blow for those Seagulls ers still unable to forgive Potter for walking out to Chelsea in September 2022, followed by comments like "If I wanted an easy life, I would have stayed at Brighton."
Doctor Brighton had cured another opposition's ailing form. The Albion meanwhile were about to make it seven games of their own without victory. Leaving any hope of European football hanging by the thinnest of threads.
That was until everything changed. In 180 seconds. Kaoru Mitoma equalised and Carlos Baleba struck a 93rd minute rocket as the Albion somehow staged an epic comeback.
It left Potter as the crestfallen one, talking in a madcap post-match press conference about swearing and not being a robot.
What has characterised Brighton under Fabian Hurzeler this season is the way they go on lengthy good runs of form and lengthy bad runs of form. One incident or performance has often determined what happens for the next five or six games.
This trait has been most evident over the past two months. Lose 7-0. Win six in a row. Get knocked out the FA Cup. Don't win again for another six in a row.
Which is why what happened against West Ham has the potential to be season-defining. Is it the spark the Albion need to go on a run of results over the final four games and qualify for Europe? Fingers crossed.
David: Astonishing effort from the whole squad. We were so determined to win the game, so good!
Oscar: What an ending! Yasin Ayari - where do I start? He bossed the midfield and scored a goal to fit his perfect performance. Kaoru Mitoma was an amazing super-sub, using his pace down the wing. Carlos Baleba was in a different position to where he usually plays, but he played it really well. The whole team played amazing to comeback from 1-2 to win 3-2. Just amazing!
Tom: An absolutely incredible end to the game. A rollercoaster of emotions; however we cannot rely on late equalisers and winners. We need to build on this result and try to get maximum points. If West Ham hadn't switched off towards the end of the game, we would have gone away with no points. Fabian Hurzeler is a lucky man!
Noddy: No goalkeeper in the world would have been able to save those two goals.
Chris: A decent 'paper-over-the-cracks' performance at last, but that still can't win over a disappointing season. European football is only a very slim chance given Fulham and Bournemouth are still collecting points, our on and off form and unpredictable player performances. It really has been a wasted run-in so far. A change is needed at the top for next season.
West Ham fans
Steve: A better performance - very encouraging. We have nothing to play for, ittedly. It's about building for next year now. I think Potter should be given time, I'm starting to see us on the front foot. We move on.
Justin: Poor, lacklustre, abysmal! Take your pick. Potter has shown no tactical ability in his starting line-ups or substitutions. The team has shown no signs of improvement under him. I wasn't enamoured by his appointment. To only avoid a relegation battle because the three teams below us are so dire just isn't good enough for a man who was at one time going to be England's new manager.
Anthony: We were doing well and then we brought on Vladimir Coufal and he immediately helped Brighton score. It was a poor decision from Potter. They are playing well under him, and gradually improving, but they are either missing scoring opportunities or giving goals away by poor defending. Plenty of work to be done this summer.
Rod: Shocking, embarrassing, limp, laughable, clueless and unprofessional. Did I miss anything?
Peter: No amount of feeble excuses from Potter will disguise the fact that he has failed to fulfil his mandate.
Baleba has 'got that in his locker'published at 08:08 28 April
08:08 28 April
Chris Wise Final Score reporter at Amex Stadium
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An auxiliary centre-half scoring a screamer to win the match with the last kick of the game? Sounds like the stuff of fantasy.
Perhaps that is why the reaction to Brighton's Carlos Baleba's sublime goal against West Ham was met with almost disbelieving scenes of chaos at Amex Stadium.
But to nab a well-used sporting phrase - 'he's got that in his locker'.
Baleba's attributes are well spread - physically imposing, athletic, comfortable with the ball, and clearly a scorer of very decent goals.
It will be interesting to see if Brighton persist with Baleba as a centre-half. Speaking to several people around the club at the weekend, the general consensus was that he would make an excellent defender. Mind you, he might need some convincing if the club do think that is a plausible route.
Fabian Hurzeler will hope that moment revitalises their season, because the headlines could have been very different at the weekend.
They have still got Newcastle and Liverpool to come at home, so there was a real sense that they needed this win.
Gossip: Van Hecke on Newcastle shortlist published at 07:47 28 April
Catch up on the Premier League actionpublished at 12:29 27 April
12:29 27 April
Mark Chapman presents highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures, which saw Ipswich Town's relegation from the top-flight confirmed.
'We didn't stop believing'published at 20:43 26 April
20:43 26 April
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Brighton goalscorer Yasin Ayari has been speaking to BBC Radio Sussex following the important home win: "I had goose-bumps, it was an amazing feeling seeing the ball go into the net and celebrating with the fans at the end. It was an amazing feeling.
"I think we deserved the three points but it wasn't our best game to be fair. We can play much better. I think we dropped our intensity when I scored my first goal and they then came into the game and started to create some chances.
"In the end, I think we showed a good winning mentality. We didn't stop believing today.
"The winning mentality we have in this team, amongst this group of lads, is unbelievable. I'm grateful to have them as teammates. Everyone is training hard and staying humble, and for sure it paid off."
On scoring his first goal for the club: "I'm so happy about it. I can't describe it really, it's amazing."
On getting back into the starting XI: "I think I've been playing a lot. I think I'm deserving it. I show every time that I deserve to play, and today I scored my first goal so I'm happy."
'You always have to believe and trust your ability'published at 18:15 26 April
18:15 26 April
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Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to Sky Sports about his side grabbing the last-minute winner at Amex Stadium: "I didn't enjoy it because shortly before the end we were 2-2 and we wanted to win the game.
"But the moment when we scored, that was unbelievable. You saw the reaction from the players, the crowd, the staff and the fans. We really wanted to win so this was a special moment.
"You always have to believe and trust your ability - and that is what the guys did today. They had setbacks but they reacted in the right way. They stayed together, especially the way skipper Lewis [Dunk] led the team was impressive."
Brighton stem poor run with defiant comebackpublished at 18:00 26 April
18:00 26 April
Joe Nelson BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Going into Saturday's game against West Ham, Brighton had not won in the Premier League since beating Fulham at the start of March.
Fabian Hurzeler's side have struggled with consistency this term, having gone unbeaten in their first nine.
These fluctuating performances mean the Seagulls have dropped out of Champions League and Europa League contention, but against West Ham they got back to winning ways.
After Yasin Ayari's early stunner was overturned by second-half efforts from Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek, Hurzeler's team could have felt sorry for themselves and settled for another defeat but they didn't.
They piled on the pressure before Kaoru Mitoma's header and Carlos Baleba's fine strike took them from defeat to victory in a matter of three late minutes.
The jubilant celebrations at the Amex Stadium demonstrated that Brighton believe they still have plenty to play for this season.
Brighton 3-2 West Ham: Key statspublished at 17:34 26 April
17:34 26 April
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Only in 2022-23 (62) and 1981-82 (52) have Brighton earned more points in a top-flight season than their 51 points this term.
Six of Kaoru Mitoma's nine Premier League goals for Brighton this season have come in 2025, netting as a substitute in each of his past two appearances.
'We have shown great character after a tough run'published at 17:12 26 April
17:12 26 April
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Brighton captain Lewis Dunk has been speaking to Sky Sports following the win: "That was good fun. We started excellently but, once we went 1-0 up, we stopped playing and the intensity dropped.
"In the second half, they started better but we showed character to win the game.
"I'm just buzzing. We have shown great character after a tough run. It is massive to keep us in the race to where we want to go."
On Carlos Baleba's goal: "We have worked on tactics around needing a goal in the last minute, but that wasn't a tactic. But he put it in the top corner so the gaffer can't say anything."
Brighton 3-2 West Ham - send us your thoughtspublished at 16:54 26 April
Sutton's predictions: Brighton v West Hampublished at 11:16 26 April
11:16 26 April
Both of these teams are badly in need of a win - Brighton have gone five games without a victory, while West Ham are on a run of six.
There are a lot of unhappy Hammers fans at the moment, especially after they could only draw with Southampton last week.
That is not the kind of result that wins fans over, and seeing Graham Potter take Jarrod Bowen off with the score at 1-0 did not help.
Potter has picked up fewer points per game since taking charge than his predecessor, Julen Lopetegui, and I don't see much changing for him on his return to the Amex, where he had a much happier time.
Brighton have issues too - their form has fallen off a cliff of late and their ers are not pleased with the way they are finishing the season either.
They have still had a decent campaign, but they have become leaky at the back and they could do with a positive result or two if they are going to stay in with a chance of making it into Europe.
Image source, Getty Images
