Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi made history when he and Brighton beat Southampton 3-1 in round 37 of the Premier League, thereby qualifying for the European Cup for the first time.
Hosting bottom-of-the-table Southampton at The Amex, Brighton dominated possession with 63% possession and 26 shots with eight on target, compared to their opponents' five and one. The hosts scored three goals thanks to a brace from 18-year-old striker Evan Ferguson and a goal from Pascal Gross, while Southampton pulled one back through Mohamed Elyounoussi.
The 3-1 win ensured Brighton finished in the top seven, four points ahead of eighth-placed Tottenham. They are likely to finish in the top six, three points ahead of Aston Villa, with a superior performance (+20 to +4) and one game in hand. Brighton have a make-up match against Man City in round 32 on May 24 and a trip to Aston Villa in the final round on May 28.
Coach De Zerbi and defender Pervis Estupiñán celebrate the 3-1 win over Southampton at the Amex Stadium on May 21. Photo: Twitter / @OfficialBHAFC
If they finish in the top six, Brighton will play in the Europa League next season. If they finish seventh, they will compete in the Europa Conference League. But regardless of which competition they play in, 2023-24 will be Brighton's first European Cup campaign in their 121-year history.
In addition to the ticket to the continental arena, De Zerbi also made another historical milestone when he was the coach who helped Brighton win the most points in a Premier League season with 61 points, and has two more matches to break this record.
After the win over Southampton, De Zerbi admitted that qualifying for the European Cup was the biggest achievement of his career and was proud that fans will still remember this achievement in 20 or 30 years. "This is more important than the salary. When you achieve something so huge and important, it is priceless," he emphasized.
According to Football Italy , De Zerbi is rumored to be able to return to work in his native Italy next season, with Juventus and Napoli in contact. But he denied this information and committed to Brighton. "I have never thought about leaving the team, returning to Italy or going to another Premier League club," he emphasized.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Brighton are planning their transfer soon as they are preparing to complete the recruitment of James Milner (Liverpool), Mahmoud Dahoud (Dortmund) on free transfer and sign Joao Pedro from Watford. In contrast, the Amex Stadium owner is ready to let Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister go if they receive a reasonable offer.
De Zerbi is an attacking midfielder who played for many Italian clubs such as AC Milan, Salernitana and Napoli and started his coaching career at Darfo Boario. He then led Foggia, Palermo, Benevento, Sassuolo and made a splash at Shakhtar Donetsk. He became the first Italian coach to win the Italian Super Cup when he and Shakhtar defeated Dynamo Kyiv in Kyiv in September 2021, but soon left the club due to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
After Graham Potter left for Chelsea, Brighton appointed De Zerbi on a four-year contract. He led Brighton to 19 wins, 6 draws and 12 defeats, qualifying for the European Cup and reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, where they lost to Man Utd on penalties.
Hong Duy
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