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Brighton confirmed that they will be playing European football fir the first time in the club's history in the 2023/24 season
Two goals from teenager Evan Ferguson and another from Pascal Gross were enough to earn Brighton a 3-1 win over relegated Southampton in the Premier League to clinch a place in one of the European spots for nex season.
Although the particular competition that Brighton will play in is still not certain, their current point tally of 61 cannot be overtaken by any other team sitting outside the European places.
The win comes as a further blow to bottom-side Southampton who have now lost 25 of their 37 Premier League fixtures this season, the most in a single campaign for the Saints.
How it happened
18-year-old Ferguson opened the scoring for Brighton with a brilliant effort just before the half-hour mark and then doubled the Seagulls' lead with another smart finish inside the box to make it 2-0.
Ferguson's goals meant he became the highest goalscoring teenager in the Premier League this season, scoring six goals in only nine league starts.
The next-best tally by a teenager also belongs to a Brighton player, with Julio Enciso scoring three goals this term.
With 19 goals scored by teenagers in the Premier League this season, Brighton's quality and trust in Youth has shown as they have accounted for more than half of those goals.
Championship side-in-waiting Southampton pulled a goal back thanks to Mohamed Elyounoussi's header after the break which gave them a sliver of hope of a comeback before Gross' goal midway through the second half restored Brighton's two-goal lead.
The win changed nothing for Southampton as they remain rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, but Brighton ensure that they will play in Europe next season with two games to spare, needing only one more point to ensure that they play in the Europa League, not the Europa Conference League.
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