Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Manchester City
by Layth Yousif
at Falmer Stadium

JULIO ENCISO’S Goal of the Season contender cancelled out Phil Foden’s opener in front of 31,388 spectators on the south coast on Wednesday evening.

The spectacular long-range strike confirmed the Seagulls will play in the Europa League next term – the club’s first continental campaign in its 122-year-old history.

While Champions City came into the clash on the back of 12 wins on the bounce to burn off challengers to lift the Premier League title at the weekend, Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton refused to bow to Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering side – not unless you count their respectful pre-match guard of honour.

Speaking after the match, De Zerbi said: "We achieved an incredible target for Brighton as a club, Brighton players and Brighton coaches. We are very, very happy.

"Manchester City are the best team in the world I think. For us it was a very tough game. We deserve the point. We deserve the Europa League.”

There was good news earlier in the day for Brighton when Lewis Dunk was included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad to take on Malta and North Macedonia next month.

Plaudits flew before the match, with chairman Tony Bloom emphatically declaring that the team shaped by previous boss Graham Potter and exquisitely honed by the impressive De Zerbi to be the best in Seagulls history.

De Zerbi’s ears must still have been ringing before the opening whistle – not just from the rousingly evocative Brighton anthem Sussex By The Sea – but from the lavish praise bestowed on him by Guardiola, who insisted the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss to be one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years.

Yet, it was, inevitably, City, who scored first. Foden slotting home for Treble-chasing City, beating Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke on the line after Erling Haaland's assist left goalkeeper Jason Steele in no man’s land.

However, Brighton refused to be daunted. The Seagulls had the ball in the back of City's net three times with Kaoru Mitoma and Danny Welbeck both scoring disallowed goals either side of Enciso's equaliser.

In the process, Brighton recorded 20 shots - the most City have faced in the league this season, and scored a quite brilliant equaliser through Enciso's 38th minute strike which flew into the top corner.

The club who were playing in League One 12 years ago will now be the first English side since Hull City in 2014 to make their debut in the Europa League after recording their highest top-flight finish and surpassing their previous best of ninth last term.

City boss Guardiola was full of praise for the Seagulls saying: "It was a good game, congratulations to Brighton for officially being in the Europa League. They deserved it 100 per cent for the way they play.”

City travel to Brentford at the weekend for their final league game of what could be a momentous season to take on a club, who, along with Brighton are another well-run club who adhere to budgets and financial fair play – prior to the first ever all Manchester FA Cup final. Following that they travel to Istanbul to take on Inter Milan in a bid to win the treble and make their mark on history. 

Even if many are pondering if such possible achievements should be marked with an asterisk, to mark the 115 alleged financial misdeeds yet to be adjudged.