At a glance
- Brighton & Hove Albion lost 1-0 to Leeds United after a 96th-minute goal
- Brighton still have a chance of qualifying for Europe on the final day
- The Seagulls host Manchester United at the Amex next weekend
Fabian Hurzeler has urged his Brighton & Hove Albion players to go “all in” against Manchester United in the final game of the season. Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Leeds United dealt a major blow to the club’s hopes of European qualification.
A 96th-minute winner from Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Elland Road condemned Brighton to a cruel defeat after the Seagulls had controlled large spells of the game and looked the more likely side to find the breakthrough.
Hurzeler reacts to Leeds heartbreak
With the race for Europe now set to go down to the final day, Hurzeler’s message was clear: recover quickly and focus entirely on beating United at the Amex.
“All in, overcome the disappointment,” the Brighton head coach said after full-time. Prepare well, have the belief we can do it. Stick to our things.”
Brighton dominated possession with 66 per cent and registered 19 shots, but failed to find a way past Karl Darlow before a late defensive mistake gifted Leeds the winner.
A misplaced back pass from Jan Paul van Hecke was chased down by Calvert-Lewin, who beat Bart Verbruggen to the ball and rolled into an empty net. It was Leeds’ only shot on target of the afternoon.
READ MORE: Match report: Brighton suffer late Leeds defeat in blow to Europe hopes – Read Brighton
Despite the damaging result, Hurzeler insisted his side should take confidence from the performance rather than dwell on the outcome.
“We controlled a lot of things today, we did a lot of things right and that’s the only thing we have to focus on now, not on the result.”
Pascal Gross was Brighton’s standout performer, going close twice from distance in the first half and later creating another chance from a set-piece for Charalampos Kostoulas, whose header was saved.
Final-day European race goes to the wire
The defeat leaves Brighton needing to beat Manchester United on the final day at Amex Stadium to stand any chance of securing European football for next season.
Hurzeler believes the path remains simple despite the setback.
“Focus on the controllables and then I’m quite sure that we can get the rewards for that,” he said.
Sunday’s defeat may have been a painful one, but Brighton’s season is still alive. One final home game now stands between the Seagulls and a possible return to Europe.
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