Brighton & Hove Albion

James Milner has just signed a new deal at Brighton and I can say the man is an absolute machine and one at the highest order.

That is why he is just 20 games away from breaking Gareth Barry's Premier League record of 653.

From 16 years old, his dedication to the job has been insane. That includes his diet and the way he goes about himself.

He is an athlete and a top-end one. Just incredible.

You would be shocked how good he is in pre-season. He will still be smashing all the records and be right at the top of interval and long-distance training. It is only the quicker stuff where he will begin to struggle.

I cannot tell you how fit he is and long term he has the right mentality to be a coach.

He is very balanced and almost obsessive in what he does. If he could do that in coaching then he would be very good!

He is a role model, so the way he will help in the Brighton dressing room with the younger players is huge. They will all listen to him because he has an aura about him.

When he is physically doing what he is doing, they will all be thinking: "How is he doing this." And that will only earn more respect too.

Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Image source, BBC Sport

Wolves are in the news this week for their pursuit of a vote on the scrapping of VAR.

Their wishes drew further scrutiny on Wednesday when Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon found himself in the middle of a contentious call before offering a strong view on the technology after his side went down at Manchester United.

"Modified" is the word when we are talking about VAR going to a vote.

We are still getting to grips with it, but we have seen some good come from it. There have been some instances of indifferent decisions because calls are getting too many looks at them from so many angles.

They still do not know what is a good tackle and what is not. I think they need help from some former players, who have been in that situation and understand what the differences are in those challenges.

We keep talking about different angles and that is not going to go away because with VAR or without it, on certain challenges we would still disagree. You could have two current players in a room and they still would not agree.

It is Wolves' opinion on VAR and if they feel it is not working for them, then you can understand why they are saying to have a go without it again.

Molineux boss Gary O'Neil has been very frustrated, but he has also been balanced and tried to stay quiet. Now he does not want to stay quiet because he feels it does not benefit them and decisions are not going their way.

Overall, we have seen good things from VAR, even if it does bring with it a delay and a wait.

It would be a shame now for it to all go away when we have all the technology in place.

Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Here are the key facts and figures before Brighton host Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

• Brighton have won their past four Premier League games against Manchester United. The last side to beat the Red Devils in five consecutive league games was Norwich City between 1988 and 1990.

• United have lost four of their six Premier League away games against Brighton (67%) - their highest loss rate away against any side in the competition.

• Brighton have lost their final game in four of their six Premier League campaigns - the exceptions being a 2-1 win at Burnley (2019-20) and a 3-1 home win over West Ham (2021-22).

• Manchester United have lost their final league game in two of the past five seasons, as many times as they had in the previous 33 campaigns (W23 D8).

We asked for your views on Thursday's Premier League game between Brighton and Chelsea.

Here are some of your responses

Brighton fans

Keith: We will be back next season. Some good transfers in the summer and we will be OK.

Mark: The seagulls are really back on form. The Aston Villa, Newcastle and Chelsea games were all excellent football and showing of a deserved place at 10th. Pedro and Adringa have been outstanding!

Richard: Poor season continues. Play like this and the Championship beckons.

Chelsea fans

Matthew: Great win that puts us into sixth place. Great goal from Palmer and it is also great to see Nkunku on the scoresheet (and his celebration, of course), but we did make it nervy before full-time. One more game left which could see us confirm our place in Europe. I am really proud of the team for the way they have performed in the last five games.

Paul: I thought Chelsea were excellent against a very difficult team. We dominated the game especially in midfield and Cole Palmer was his usual incredible self. He is definitely the steal of the season and I hope there is no buy-back clause. But the one real low point was Reece James. Really James - you are better than that. You are one of our own.

Freddie: Ending the season looking like a proper team and everyone working fluidly together. It was great to see Nkunku back on the pitch and scoring too. Let's see the season out and trim the squad over summer to get back into Europe where we belong.

Fossie: Generally a good performance. Pochettino has got them playing well, especially against teams below us in the league. Up to sixth with Europe on the horizon and I now think Poch should see out the next year of his contract. The blight on the performance was Reece James. He is a liability and if we need to sell someone to meet Financial Fair Play rules, it is him we should sell.

Aaron: Happy with a strong finish to the season but some inconsistencies remain. We seem to be maturing with game management, especially given the James red card. I feel optimistic of a top four-finish next season if we sign a top centre-back and hold on to Gallagher.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton have recorded just three wins since the start of March and have now tasted victory in just one of their past nine matches.

With 10 minutes remaining against Chelsea a point seemed out of the question.

But the Seagulls finished strongly with Simon Adingra striking the inside of the post moments before Danny Welbeck's late consolation goal.

"We lost against a top team with great players," Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi told BBC Match of the Day.

"We didn't play well in the first 20 minutes but after that we played a good game."

Things may have been very different if the hosts had taken their chances before Chelsea's second.

They also had a penalty shout early in the second half when Malo Gusto appeared to catch Adingra, but referee Michael Salisbury waved play on.

Brighton ultimately fell to a seventh defeat in nine matches but remain in 10th place.

The Seagulls end their season at home to Manchester United on Sunday.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi to Sky Sports: "I think we played a very good second half and the second part of the first half as well. We know the qualities of Chelsea.

"I think we gave our best and we have another game to reach the top 10 position.

"It has been a very tough season and the fans have understood everything.

"We have competed in a good way but have lost too many points at home, especially in the first part of the season and we have paid for that.

"I think it was a clear penalty today. But the problem is not VAR, the problem is the level of the referees. Today I did not like the performance of the referee.

"But I make more mistakes than the referee.

"I am happy for this season but I am sorry because I am disappointed and wished we would compete in a different way. Next season we can be a stronger squad and team."

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton goalscorer Danny Welbeck said: "Disappointing, frustrating. We didn't play to the best of our ability and that's the frustrating part. We have to analyse and see where we can do much better and finish the season strongly against Manchester United.

"This is a game we wanted to win and we have to brush ourselves down and go again.

"It has been a long time [since he scored] and I'm not happy at that but obviously happy to get a goal. Overall we're disappointed with the result, it's very frustrating. As professionals we want to finish very well, the best we can and we want to give the fans a good lasting moment for the summer."

On signing a new contract this week: "This has been a very special place since I came here and season on season it has got better. It's a great club, with great people and I'm really enjoying it here and looking forward to making more special memories."

Here are the key facts and figures from Wednesday's game between Brighton and Chelsea in the Premier League.

• Chelsea have won four successive Premier League games for the first time since October 2022, while it is as many wins as in their previous 12 matches in the competition (D5 L3).

• Only the Premier League's bottom four sides – Sheffield United (seven), Luton (11), Nottingham Forest (13) and Burnley (13) – have collected fewer points in 2024 than Brighton (18), with the Seagulls winning just one of their past nine games in the competition (D3 L5).

• Chelsea's Premier League games this season have seen 137 goals in total (75 scored, 62 conceded), their most in a single campaign in the competition.

• Cole Palmer has now scored 22 goals for Chelsea in the Premier League this season, only Didier Drogba (29 in 2009-10) and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (23 in 2000-01 and 2001-02) have more for the Blues in a single campaign.

• Only against West Ham (six) and Aston Villa (five) does Danny Welbeck have more Premier League goals than against Chelsea (four), while the Brighton striker is just the eighth different player in the competition to score at least 15 goals as a substitute.

Cole Palmer's brilliant season with Chelsea continued as his goal helped the Blues boost their European qualification hopes with a win at Brighton in the Premier League.

Palmer netted his 22nd league strike of the season, meeting Marc Cucurella's cross with a looping header into the far corner in the 34th minute.

And the visitors added a second 14 minutes after the restart when Christopher Nkunku coolly dispatched Malo Gusto's cutback.

Having been so dominant Chelsea gifted Brighton a way back into the game when substitute Reece James - playing just his second match in 2024 after coming back from a long-term injury - was shown a straight red card for kicking out at Joao Pedro.

In the 97th-minute Danny Welbeck netted to halve the deficit, tapping in a Pedro cross, but the visitors held on.

Chelsea moved up to sixth in the table and currently sit in a Europa League spot.

They will guarantee a place in Europe next season if they claim a point at home to Bournemouth on the final day.

Brighton fell to a seventh defeat in ninth matches but remain in 10th place.

Were you at the match or did you follow it from elsewhere?

Brighton fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here

How did the Blues perform, Chelsea fans?

Follow all of the post-match reaction here

There are four Premier League teams in action today and we will keep you updated on all of the action from the two games.

Follow all of the team news and build-up

Image source, Getty Images

In an extended interview with BBC Sport, Paul Barber, the CEO who joined Brighton in 2012 - five years before they were promoted to the Premier League - has reflected on the turnover of staff while the team have achieved historic landmarks in recent seasons.

Manager Graham Potter joined Chelsea in September 2022 and key recruitment personnel Paul Winstanley and Sam Jewell have also since made the move to Stamford Bridge.

“We have lost good people - and Chelsea have taken a lot of them,” says Barber.

"They are taking the hose, not the water supply. The water supply is Tony [Bloom] and the incredible data we use.

“We work very hard on succession planning. It is one of the things I am obsessive about. I try every day to think about what would happen if we were to lose one of our top 20-25 people, on and off the field. Not players – staff. Who would be the obvious replacement and where are they? Are they ready to step up?

“Player recruitment is not a perfect science. We have a 'twin track' of investing a lot of money in our academy to find players on our own doorstep and finding talent from parts of the world others are not even looking in, let alone recruiting from. It is that part which gives us confidence.”

Barber also spoke about the 'new deal' for EFL clubs and the proposed financial handout which has been put on hold by the Premier League.

“We understand why the EFL is concerned,” says Barber. “We understand why the government are concerned. But we want to be sure what we do is fair for everyone.

“There are clubs in the leagues below us who have owners who are wealthier than ours. The concept of working really hard and investing in Brighton’s case, over 26 or 27 years, to go from the basement of the Football League to a top-six position in the Premier League to create a relative amount of success for ourselves... To suddenly have to hand over the proceeds of that success to somebody without knowing how they will use the additional money, potentially on players with the aim of replacing us, is a complex concept.

"We need to fully understand the consequences.

“That is not to say, in our case, we have forgotten where we have come from, because we certainly haven’t, and it doesn’t mean to say we don’t consider the pyramid to be sacrosanct, because we do.

“We want the whole game to feel sustainable for every community in the country. But we can’t do that if it is going to damage our progress and our continuity and our stability. That would be bizarre.”

Read more from Barber's BBC Sport interview

We asked our Brighton fan contributor for their four player of the season choices and you can now vote for your top one.

Image source, Getty Images

Billy Gilmour

The greyhound/whippet! He has had an up-and-down season and been out with an injury, but this has not prevented him from playing some amazingly great football. The best signing from Chelsea (what did they miss?). He is never afraid to get stuck in and does some brilliant ball work. He is very strong in the midfield area - but no matter where he is, he is a force to be reckoned with.

Pascal Gross

A reliable favourite. Every season he has been a key part of the team, taking on the role of captain at times. He is and has been playing with determination, passion and vigour. An all-rounder and a great asset to the younger and newer players.

James Milner

Powerhouse. When he is on the pitch, the game changes. Like Gilmour, he is a brilliant midfielder and not to be messed with. Milner has shown why he is such an important player. He brings an immense wealth of experience in top-flight football and is not afraid to get stuck in.

Jan Paul van Hecke

Dutch dynamite. He has never been a disappointment, plays brilliantly in defence - and has saved more shots on target than Jason Steele. With him, Lewis Dunk and Joel Veltman, our defence is pretty strong. He has played some great football and made some tough challenges. I am sure there are opposition players who do not like the idea of JP playing!

Notable mentions

Pervis Estupinan, Joel Veltman, Lewis Dunk, Igor Julio, Tariq Lamptey, Bert Verbruggen, Jakub Moder, Carlos Baleba, Jack Hinshelwood, Joao Pedro, Julio Enciso, Simon Adingra, Ansu Fati. In fact, the rest of the team!

Pick your 2023-24 Brighton player of the season from our shortlist here

Stuart Matthews can be found at Proud Seagulls, external

Image source, Getty Images

"If that coffee machine was not working properly, I genuinely wouldn’t be surprised to see it on the lawn."

Brighton chief executive Paul Barber is talking about his charismatic, perfectionist and coveted manager Roberto de Zerbi.

Outward assessments of the Italian can differ from the experience of those who work most closely with him.

What is clear is that De Zerbi has high standards and sets high targets. He doesn’t respond well to failure.

"We have learned what he says externally is a little bit misunderstood. He speaks with his heart on his sleeve," says Barber.

You get the strong sense Brighton are bored with the debate around De Zerbi’s future and would prefer to focus on other things.

That is understandable. But in an extended BBC Sport interview with Barber, one of those most forward-thinking Premier League executives, De Zerbi has to feature prominently, given speculation about the Italian’s future and links with some of the top managerial vacancies around Europe.

Brighton enter the final week of what has been both a historic and challenging campaign with a realistic shot at finishing ninth, which would be their second-highest placing and second-highest top flight points tally. De Zerbi was also responsible for the best last season.

Yet for the second half of the campaign De Zerbi has behaved as though he has had enough of the ‘Brighton model’ and that he resents the restrictions imposed by it.

Barber does not offer clarity over the De Zerbi’s future. But he does confirm conversations have always been honest and open.

"Privately, Roberto is quiet, calm, reasonable and sensible," says Barber.

"He understands what our limitations are. Behind the scenes, the model is very well known to him.

"He has got two more years to go. My understanding is that he is happy. He likes the club. He likes this group of players a lot. He knows he has a good owner. He knows he has good facilities. He knows it is a club that has a particular model and we won’t break it for anyone. Those are consistent. He also knows he can see me or Tony (owner Tony Bloom) at any time. There are no surprises."

Read Simon Stone's full interview with Paul Barber here

BBC pundit Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of guests.

For Wednesday's game between Brighton and Chelsea, which was postponed from week 34 because of the FA Cup semi-finals, he takes on singer-songwriter and Arsenal fan Sam Tompkins.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Brighton got a good draw with Newcastle United at the weekend, but their results in the second half of the season have not been great.

There has been a lot of talk about the future of Seagulls boss Roberto de Zerbi but, as I have said before, perhaps his stock is not what it once was. He is not being linked with every big vacant managerial position in Europe any more.

In contrast, Chelsea are flying. They have got sixth place in their sights and they have certainly found some consistency, even if it has come a little later in the season than they would have wanted.

I actually fancy them here, for what would be their fourth win on the spin.

Tompkins' prediction: 2-0

Here are the key facts and figures before Wednesday's game between Brighton and Chelsea in the Premier League.

• After a five-game unbeaten run against Chelsea between 2021 and 2023 (W2 D3), Brighton have lost both meetings with the Blues in all competitions this season. Chelsea lost this exact fixture 4-1 last season, but have never lost consecutive visits to Brighton in all competitions.

• Chelsea have only won their final away league game in one of the past six seasons (D1 L4), beating Leeds 3-0 in 2021-22.

• Brighton have failed to score more than once in each of their past 11 Premier League games, their longest such run in the competition. They last had a longer run without scoring at least twice in a league game between March and August 2015 (12), last having a longer such run in a single season in 2004-05 (a run of 15 between September and December 2004).

• Chelsea have won 29 points in the Premier League in 2024 (P16 W8 D5 L3), with only the top three clubs Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool winning more since the turn of the year. The Blues have lost just one of their last 13 league games (W7 D5), and will be looking to win four on the bounce for the first time since October 2022.

• Brighton have won 16 of their 33 Premier League home games under Roberto de Zerbi (D9 L8). A win over Chelsea will mean the Italian has won more matches with the Seagulls at Amex Stadium in the competition than any other manager, overtaking Graham Potter's 16 wins in 60 such games (Chris Hughton won 13 of 38).

• If James Milner features for Brighton in this game, it will be the 38th different time he has played against Chelsea in the Premier League - the joint-most any player has faced an opponent in the competition's history (Ryan Giggs also 38 v Liverpool).

• Nicolas Jackson has been directly involved in five goals in his past three Premier League games for Chelsea (four goals, one assist), as many as in his previous 11 such games (three goals, two assists). With 14 league goals already this term, none of which have been penalties, he could be the first player for the Blues to score 15 non-penalty goals in a Premier League season since Tammy Abraham in 2019-20.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton forward Danny Welbeck and midfielder James Milner have agreed new contracts with the club.

Welbeck, 33, has committed his future to June 2026, while 38-year-old Milner has extended his deal for a further season.

Head coach Roberto de Zerbi said: "They both deserve these extensions.

"Their qualities as footballers and also as individuals are very clear for everyone to see, so this is very good news for us."

Former Manchester United striker Welbeck - who joined the club in October 2020 - said: "I’ve had an amazing time. Each season has been special and we’ve progressed every year.

"This season has been very difficult with the Europa League commitments. The fixture list has been different, but it’s been a great step.

"A couple more key acquisitions for the squad will help us push on next season and I am pretty sure we can achieve some more special moments."

Milne, who spent eight years with Liverpool before moving to the Seagulls last summer, added: "I am as driven as I’ve ever been and I’m excited for next season.

"I really enjoyed the first half of this season as the club played in Europe for the first time.

"The second half has personally been disappointing with a couple of injuries, but I will be ready for the start of next season."

Roberto de Zerbi says he has "been lucky" to work alongside Adam Lallana and he has "learned a lot from him".

The former England midfielder is to leave Brighton at the end of the season, despite De Zerbi's intention to keep him.

He has made 105 appearances for the club - including 94 in the Premier League - since joining from Liverpool in 2020.

"We lose a great player and a great man," said the Seagulls boss. "He is very smart and an incredible player.

"I have been lucky to work with him because he is an honest guy and top man. I have learned a lot from him because of how much he he loves football."

Lallana says he would like to continue playing but needs to "rest his mind" after the end of this season.

De Zerbi added: "He could be a coach now because he understands football and everything in it.

"He will be a big loss for us as he shows clear leadership."