BURNLEY, England, April 11 (Reuters) - Brighton & Hove Albion’s 2-0 win at Burnley on Saturday was their fifth Premier League victory in six games, form that has seen them rapidly climb the table and leave their fans dreaming of a return to European football next season.
A double from Mats Wieffer secured a victory that moves Brighton to ninth place in the table with 46 points from 32 matches and into the conversation for European places next season. At the final whistle, Brighton were three points off Liverpool in the last Champions League qualification place.
They had won one of their previous 13 league games before their current run, form that had seen them nervously looking towards the bottom three.
But instead they have now set their sights on European football, with as many as 11 English teams in UEFA competitions next season, though it would take a precise set of results for that number to qualify. Certainly top eight would have teams in the frame.
“If we perform how we're doing like the last couple of weeks then all is on. We shall see," Wieffer said. "We are on a good run, we feel good, we play good. In the end, if you win 2-0, nothing to complain about."
The Dutch midfielder revealed his double against Burnley was the first of his career.
“I've never scored a brace in my life, to do it now and also the 2-0 win, that's the most important bit,” he said. “It was a tough afternoon, We were not at our best, but at this stage of the season points are the most important.
"I'm really happy, that's the only thing I can say. We focus a lot on getting the full-backs and loads of people in the box. I joined the attack and Pascal (Gross) saw me.
"The second one I just followed the ball and it dropped onto my foot. It went into the net and I'm really happy."
Brighton’s next fixture is at struggling Tottenham Hotspur next Saturday.
The club's only previous season of European football was the 2023/24 campaign in the Europa League, where they were eliminated by Roma in the round-of-16.
(Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
