Brighton & Hove Albion qualify for Europe for the first time in the club's history
Sunday's 3-1 win at home to Southampton means Seagulls are guaranteed a top-seven finish and will probably end even higher
![Brighton players celebrate one of their goals in the 3-1 win over Southampton in May 2023.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VFPCmTEQgjTjd7fHuZAa6C-810-80.jpg)
Brighton and Hove Albion have qualified for European competition for the first time in the club's history following Sunday's 3-1 win at home to Southampton.
Roberto De Zerbi's side bounced back from Thursday night's 4-1 loss against Newcastle by beating bottom club Saints in convincing fashion at the Amex.
Young striker Ewan Ferguson scored twice in the first half to give the Seagulls a comfortable advantage at the break and although Mohamed Elyounoussi reduced the deficit just short of the hour, Pascal Gross restored the home side's two-goal lead after 69 minutes.
The win keeps Brighton in sixth place and De Zerbi's side are guaranteed to finish in seventh at the lowest, with only Aston Villa now able to overtake them.
Seventh would see the Seagulls qualify for the Europa Conference League, while fifth or sixth would send the south-coast side into the Europa League.
With Brighton three points and 16 goals better off than Villa, and with a game in hand over Unai Emery's side, sixth seems almost certain for the Seagulls.
🎶 WE’RE ALL GOING ON A EUROPEAN TOUR 🎶May 21, 2023
Villa's last fixture is at home to Brighton next Sunday, with the Seagulls in action against Manchester City at the Amex on Wednesday.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
De Zerbi's side are five points behind fifth-placed Liverpool, with the Reds up against Southampton in their final fixture next Sunday.
Wherever they end up finishing, it has been a historic season for Brighton and their success is all the more impressive considering they lost manager Graham Potter to Chelsea early on in the campaign.
Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.
![A general view as fog sits above The Jakemans Community Stadium prior to kick off during the National League Cup match between Boston United and Newcastle United U21 at The Jakemans Community Stadium, Boston, on December 03, 2024 in Boston, England.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iDBEzBoKr8cVHHWVUcGQ6j-840-80.jpg)
The National League Cup: A Pathway for U21 Development or a Bridge Too Far?
![Arne Slot head coach of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC at Anfield on December 01, 2024 in Liverpool, England.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3xTbkGtr7hRGpxxB4hofcg-840-80.jpg)
‘Slot hasn’t come in and changed everything, making it all about himself – it’s been about the players he’s inherited, getting the best out of a system he likes’: Liverpool manager impressing former players with personality and tactical approach