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Mats Wieffer ended a 16-month goal drought with a double to help Brighton clinch a narrow win against struggling Burnley and boost their hopes of European football.
While victory moved the Seagulls within two points of sixth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League table, their hosts were pushed further to the brink of relegation back to the Championship.
With just one league win since October, Burnley are 12 points adrift of safety with just six games left.
It was another frustrating afternoon for the Clarets at Turf Moor, with Jaidon Anthony's early strike being ruled out for offside a sign of things to come.
Brighton soon wrested back control and went close in the 25th minute when Danny Welbeck failed to capitalise from inside the box after home captain Maxime Esteve inadvertently kicked the ball out of his own goalkeeper Martin Dubravka's hands.
The visitors continued to apply the pressure and were rewarded two minutes before the break as right-back Wieffer arrived in the box to side-foot home a low Pascal Gross cross.
They could have been 2-0 up at half-time had either of Welbeck or Jack Hinshelwood managed to guide a knock-back from Diego Gomez into the net.
There was more frustration for Scott Parker's side at the start of the second half as Bashir Humphreys' close-range effort was disallowed for a tight offside, before Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen stuck out a leg to foil their top scorer Zian Flemming.
Hinshelwood was also denied by a diving save from Dubravka, before Wieffer - who last scored against West Ham in December 2024 - claimed his second with a strike from the edge of the box with a minute remaining.
It was a third successive win for ninth-placed Brighton, while Burnley remain second bottom with only one win in their last 23 league matches.
Brighton's 2-0 triumph over Burnley in January was their only win in 13 league matches between 30 November and 21 February, and offered little more than a brief relief amid a worrying run of form.
But this success against the same opponents carried far greater weight and purpose as it kept the Seagulls firmly in contention for a place in Europe next season.
They have now won five of their last six matches and, more importantly, did not let their momentum drop after three weeks without a game in the international break, following a 2-1 win against reigning champions Liverpool.
With the congested nature of the table and confirmation of the Premier League having at least five teams in the Champions League next season, Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler will fancy his chances of guiding the club to only their second continental campaign.
He was forced to watch this game from the stands as he began a two-match touchline ban for accumulating six yellow cards this term.
But his side still delivered a performance that reflected the German manager's influence - playing with discipline, pressing high up the pitch and making the possession count.
With their top scorer Welbeck not having much joy in attack, the goals came from an unlikely source.
Dutch defender Wieffer, who only returned from a toe injury at the end of February, added his name to the scoresheet for the first time since a 1-1 draw at West Ham back on 21 December 2024.
Staying within reach of the top six has been quite an emphatic turnaround for Hurzeler and Brighton as they have found form at the right time.
Burnley supporters did not hide their frustration at the final whistle as their club fell to a fourth defeat in five matches at Turf Moor.
But their players showed plenty of spirit and made things extremely difficult for Brighton before being ultimately beaten by a clinical display from their opponents.
They had the ball in the net in both halves as Anthony and Humphreys thought they had scored, but lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) reviews were needed to chalk off both strikes by narrow margins.
Dutch striker Flemming, who has been one of the rare bright sparks in an otherwise disappointing campaign for Burnley, was denied an equaliser by a good save from Verbruggen with his legs.
In total, the Clarets attempted 10 shots, with five on target - compared to Brighton's six on target from 13 attempts.
Now 12 points from safety after West Ham's 4-0 win against bottom club Wolves on Friday, the Clarets face a daunting challenge to avoid an immediate return to the second tier.
The only hope of a miraculous escape is the fact they play three sides in the bottom six - Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Wolves - in the run-in.
Brighton will face relegation strugglers Tottenham in their next Premier League match on Saturday, 18 April (17:30 BST), while Burnley will travel to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, 19 April (14:00).
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