Julian Alvarez admitted “every game is a final” after Manchester City returned to the Premier League summit for the first time since February with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Fulham.

City were pushed all the way by Marco Silva’s men who were resilient throughout, recovering well after conceding an early penalty which Erling Haaland converted.

Carlos Vinicius levelled the game briefly in the 15th minute, but Alvarez’ stunning strike from distance restored City’s advantage and they held on.

“This is where we wanted to be at the start of the season,” Alvarez told City’s website.

“Everyone’s put in really good work and now we’ve reached the top we need to defend it.

“Every game is a final for us and everyone’s going to pull together to make that final effort.”

The Argentinian, who has had to wait for opportunities in Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up, added: “It was really nice to score here, a really important goal at an important point of the match. Really nice to contribute.

“We knew it would never be easy coming here because of the pitch, because of how good Fulham are as a team. We were very happy to withstand the pressure and hold out.”

Fulham manager Silva was left to ponder his side’s small defensive lapses following a largely impressive performance against a team still in the hunt for the treble.

“We had a clear plan for the game. We wanted to go through the centre of the pitch, with our wingers a little more inside,” Silva said.

“If you try to block certain areas, they will look to expose others. The players, they stuck to their plan and did it well.

“The moment after we equalised the game was probably our best moment in the match.

“We cannot concede the goal in the way we did. A great strike from Alvarez, I know, but the way we build in certain areas we cannot lose the ball in that way and we gave them a chance in their counter-attack.

“In the second half we were really competitive again. We didn’t create many chances, this is true, but we didn’t give many things to them either.”

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited has refuted Jurgen Klopp’s claims that referee Paul Tierney acted improperly during Liverpool’s 4-3 win against Tottenham on Sunday.

Klopp was shown a yellow card by Tierney for his wild celebrations in front of fourth official John Brooks after Diogo Jota’s stoppage-time winner at Anfield, just 99 seconds after Richarlison had hauled Tottenham level in a seven-goal thriller.

The Liverpool manager pulled his hamstring in the process and in his post-match interview heavily criticised Tierney, accusing the match official of speaking to him in a manner which “was not OK”.

But PGMOL said in a statement: “PGMOL is aware of the comments made by Jurgen Klopp after his side’s fixture with Tottenham Hotspur.

“Match officials in the Premier League are recorded in all games via a communications system and having fully reviewed the audio of referee Paul Tierney from today’s fixture, we can confirm he acted in a professional manner throughout including when issuing the caution to the Liverpool manager so, therefore, we strongly refute any suggestion that Tierney’s actions were improper.”

Klopp faces heavy censure by the Football Association for his comments and touchline behaviour.

The German escaped a touchline ban in October and was instead fined £30,000 by an independent commission following his sending-off for confronting referee Anthony Taylor during Liverpool’s match against Manchester City at Anfield.

After Liverpool had snatched victory against Tottenham, Klopp told Sky Sports: “We have our history with Tierney, I really don’t know what he has against us, he has said there is no problem but that cannot be true.

“How he looks at me, I don’t understand it. My celebration was unnecessary, which is fair but what he said to me when he gave me the yellow card is not OK.”

When asked what Tierney had said, Klopp added: “I will not say anything about it. The refs don’t say what is said so I don’t say what is said.”

Klopp reignited his long-running feud with Tierney and referred back to last season’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham in London.

Klopp said: “Paul Tierney didn’t give Harry Kane a red card but Robbo (Andy Robertson) got a red card. It was not the first time, there are so many things.”

On his celebration in front of the fourth official, Klopp added: “Of course, we are emotional in these moments. It’s difficult. It is not OK, we shouldn’t do that. Yes, we are role models but we are human beings first and foremost.

“I didn’t say a bad word to the fourth official – not at all – but I pulled my hamstring probably in that moment so, fair enough, I’m already punished.

“A fair punishment for behaving not the right away. I have pain for a few days, Mr Tierney not.”

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited has refuted Jurgen Klopp’s claims that referee Paul Tierney acted improperly during Liverpool’s 4-3 win against Tottenham on Sunday.

Klopp was shown a yellow card by Tierney for his wild celebrations in front of fourth official John Brooks after Diogo Jota’s stoppage-time winner at Anfield, just 99 seconds after Richarlison had hauled Tottenham level in a seven-goal thriller.

The Liverpool manager pulled his hamstring in the process and in his post-match interview heavily criticised Tierney, accusing the match official of speaking to him in a manner which “was not OK”.

But PGMOL said in a statement: “PGMOL is aware of the comments made by Jurgen Klopp after his side’s fixture with Tottenham Hotspur.

“Match officials in the Premier League are recorded in all games via a communications system and having fully reviewed the audio of referee Paul Tierney from today’s fixture, we can confirm he acted in a professional manner throughout including when issuing the caution to the Liverpool manager so, therefore, we strongly refute any suggestion that Tierney’s actions were improper.”

Klopp faces heavy censure by the Football Association for his comments and touchline behaviour.

The German escaped a touchline ban in October and was instead fined £30,000 by an independent commission following his sending-off for confronting referee Anthony Taylor during Liverpool’s match against Manchester City at Anfield.

After Liverpool had snatched victory against Tottenham, Klopp told Sky Sports: “We have our history with Tierney, I really don’t know what he has against us, he has said there is no problem but that cannot be true.

“How he looks at me, I don’t understand it. My celebration was unnecessary, which is fair but what he said to me when he gave me the yellow card is not OK.”

When asked what Tierney had said, Klopp added: “I will not say anything about it. The refs don’t say what is said so I don’t say what is said.”

Klopp reignited his long-running feud with Tierney and referred back to last season’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham in London.

Klopp said: “Paul Tierney didn’t give Harry Kane a red card but Robbo (Andy Robertson) got a red card. It was not the first time, there are so many things.”

On his celebration in front of the fourth official, Klopp added: “Of course, we are emotional in these moments. It’s difficult. It is not OK, we shouldn’t do that. Yes, we are role models but we are human beings first and foremost.

“I didn’t say a bad word to the fourth official – not at all – but I pulled my hamstring probably in that moment so, fair enough, I’m already punished.

“A fair punishment for behaving not the right away. I have pain for a few days, Mr Tierney not.”

Manchester City took a step closer to a third straight Premier League title as they beat Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage to move top of the table.

Liverpool raced into a 3-0 lead against Tottenham after just 15 minutes at Anfield, but needed a stoppage-time winner from Diogo Jota after the visitors had got back on level terms moments earlier through Richarlison.

Away from football, Mark Selby made the first maximum break of 147 in a World Snooker Championship final, while Sergio Perez beat Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best images from the weekend’s sporting action.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou pointed to his side’s improved big-game mentality as a key factor in them going at least one stage further than last season.

The cinch Premiership leaders set up the chance to win a treble when they beat Rangers 1-0 at Hampden on Sunday to secure a Scottish Cup final date against Inverness.

Celtic have now gone six derby games unbeaten since losing 2-1 after extra-time against Rangers in last year’s Scottish Cup semi-finals.

Postecoglou said: “Twelve months ago, when we lost here, it was another tight game, but I thought last year Rangers were a very good team and they had that resilience in them. That’s why they got to a European final.

“They did what they needed to do to get the job done on the day.

“That’s been our evolution as a team this year. It’s not easy to develop that because you need time and you need to be put in that situation as often as possible. But this group has really learned quickly that when you get to these big games, the games of consequence, you have to do what’s required.

“That’s what we did and I think we have been doing it all year.

“It’s where the team is at in terms of their progression. They understand that in the big games you need to show every facet of your game and that’s what we did.”

Celtic will clinch the title if they beat Hearts at Tynecastle next Sunday and they then take on Rangers at Ibrox.

If they win both those games, the rest of the league season is likely to be geared towards trying to break the top-flight record points total.

That could help keep Celtic firmly in the groove as they prepare to face an Inverness team that beat Falkirk 3-0 in the other semi-final.

“I watched the game and it was a decent game of football,” Postecoglou said. “I thought both teams played some good football on a big occasion. We will look forward to it.

“What we have done is give ourselves a chance to have a special season.

“We haven’t done that yet though. We have still got to win the league and play off in the cup final. When it comes around we will be ready for it.”

Rangers manager Michael Beale has told his squad some players will be fighting for their futures as their “disappointing season” enters the final stages.

The Light Blues were consigned to a campaign without silverware when they lost 1-0 to Celtic at Hampden in Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final.

Three consecutive defeats against their city rivals have put the Hoops well on course for the treble and cemented Beale’s desire to revamp his squad in the summer.

They still have five cinch Premiership games to play and there are important fixtures despite the near certainty that Celtic will win the league.

The visit of Aberdeen next Saturday gives Rangers the chance to avenge their recent defeat at Pittodrie and then Beale has another opportunity to mastermind his first derby win when Celtic visit Govan.

And the concluding Premiership games could be the last chances for some players to prolong their Ibrox careers.

“Some are fighting for their futures obviously,” Beale said.

“We have to play the games in front of us. It’s a big weight and responsibility wearing the shirt for Rangers. It’s a huge privilege as well.

“Next week, Ibrox will be an interesting place but the fans will be there because that’s what they do, they support their team and they expect their team to win.

“This one will sting for a few days but the problems are throughout the season. It’s been a disappointing season for a Rangers fan. From the moment we beat PSV, it promised a lot more than it’s given.

“It’s the first season in a couple of years that we haven’t won a trophy or haven’t had a big finale.

“That’s disappointing for me as the manager and everybody associated with the club.

“All we can do is move forward and do better – we need to do better.”

Beale noted that Rangers had restricted Celtic to few chances and created some big opportunities themselves when asked if he needed to sharpen their attacking threat by looking outside the club.

Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent are likely to depart at the end of their contracts and they offered nothing of note at Hampden.

Although Kent was influential in Rangers’ run to the Europa League final last season, he has only scored six goals over the past two years, while Morelos has only scored three goals against Celtic in almost six seasons.

Beale said: “That’s the story of Rangers’ season, certainly domestically: we have had the moments. We were in a final and missed big opportunities, we were in a semi-final and missed big opportunities to change the direction of the season.

“It’s been in our hands, even against as strong a Celtic team as I have seen, our team went out and played well. But where it counts, in both boxes, we have fallen short.”

Tony Finau claimed his sixth PGA Tour title and fifth in the last 20 months with a highly impressive victory in the Mexico Open.

A year after finishing runner-up to Jon Rahm at Vidanta Vallarta, Finau reversed those positions thanks to a flawless closing 66.

At 24 under par, Finau finished three shots clear of world number one Rahm, with Brandon Wu – who was joint second with Finau 12 months ago – two strokes further back in third.

“It feels amazing,” Finau told CBS. “Rahmbo’s the best, he’s on top of the world right now.

“I knew I was going to have my hands full with him all the way till the end and I didn’t know this golf tournament was mine until I just hit this green (the 18th) here.

“It’s crazy how this game is, you never think you have a tournament won until it’s over so it feels great and we’re going to enjoy this one with my family.”

Rahm, who had carded a course record of 61 in round three, was chasing a fifth win of the year and the Masters champion kept his outside chance alive with a fourth birdie of the day on the 15th, only to bogey the 17th after his tee shot plugged in the bank of a greenside bunker.

Finau began the day with a two-shot lead and immediately extended it with a birdie on the first, but was caught at the top of the leaderboard when Wu followed two early birdies with an eagle on the sixth and another birdie on the next.

However, Finau responded with a birdie of his own on the short seventh and Wu’s chances effectively disappeared when he drove into the water on the 10th to run up a double bogey.

Finau birdied the 11th and 14th to give himself some welcome breathing space and parred the last four holes to round off a brilliant week.

Mark Selby made the first maximum break in a World Snooker Championship final as he reeled off the final three frames of an exhilarating opening day to trail Belgium’s Luca Brecel 9-8 overnight at the Crucible.

Forty years after Cliff Thorburn compiled the first 147 in the tournament, four-time champion Selby polished off the 15th to add his name to the list of history-makers at the famous venue.

Selby’s maximum earned him a share of the £40,000 tournament highest break prize with Kyren Wilson, who also made a 147 in his first-round win over Ryan Day.

His achievement capped an absorbing first two sessions in which Brecel threatened to pot his way into a significant lead only for the 39-year-old to show all of his renowned tenacity to drag himself back into contention ahead of Monday’s conclusion.

Twice previously in finals, against Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, Selby has trailed heavily only to roar back and clinch victory and he is now a heavy favourite to finish the job against Brecel, who before this year had not won a match in five visits to the Crucible.

Having carved a reputation as a comeback king after his wins over O’Sullivan and Si Jiahui, the Belgian found himself in uncharted territory as a front-runner after blazing a trail with some epic long pots to take the first session 6-2.

Breaks of 77 and 90 helped him punish Selby, who uncharacteristically missed an easy brown and two blacks off their spots and was seemingly suffering after his early-hours semi-final win over Mark Allen the previous night.

In a thrilling start to the evening session, Selby summoned a 134 total clearance only for Brecel to respond with a high-octane 99, including a series of trick-shots on the colours, to immediately restore his four-frame advantage.

But Brecel’s potting prowess was matched by a growing tendency to miss easy balls, and after potting a series of impressive long shots in the next he missed a comparatively easy red, allowing Selby to post a break of 96 to narrow the deficit to 7-4.

Another missed opportunity enabled Selby to recover Brecel’s 42-point head-start and win frame 12, but the Belgian responded well with breaks of 72 and 67 after the mid-session interval to pull 9-5 in front.

It was classic Selby territory, however, and he punished a careless Brecel split with a break of 61 before summoning his historic maximum, completed with the minimum of fuss after plucking the final problematic red away from the side cushion.

Referee Brendan Moore, officiating in his third and last Crucible final before retirement, was the first to congratulate Selby, who was also embraced warmly by a smiling Brecel.

The Belgian looked set to extend his overnight advantage when he went 48 points clear in the final frame of the evening but Selby typically managed to refocus and take the frame to leave a thrilling 2023 final on a knife-edge.

Leicester boss Dean Smith sees similarities between James Maddison and Jack Grealish as the Foxes midfielder looks to emulate the former Aston Villa man’s relegation-fighting heroics.

Smith’s side are just a point from the Premier League safety line ahead of Monday’s crucial visit of Everton, who head into the encounter one point and one place worse off.

They know just a draw will lift them out of the bottom three on goal difference after Nottingham Forest’s late 2-1 defeat at Brentford on Saturday.

Manchester City’s Grealish played a key role in Villa’s escape from relegation under Smith in 2019-20 – they survived after being four points from safety with three games left – and Smith sees the similarities with Maddison.

“I think they are different types of players but similar characters, in all honesty. Both know that they’ve got ability and both want to push themselves to become the best,” he said.

“I think, when you’ve got players that have that personality and character, they push you as coaches and you want to go and help them become better players. James seems to have that as well.

“He’s always looking to see what he can do better. He’s really engaging in the meetings we have and tactical meetings and very vocal as well. I can see that similarity (with Grealish) of wanting to push himself.

“He wants to talk tactics with you, and football. He’s a football nut, a bit like Jack was as well.”

Maddison, linked with Newcastle, has a year left on his contract while eight players – including Youri Tielemans and Jonny Evans – have deals which expire this summer.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding their futures, though, Smith believes the squad remain committed to the survival fight.

“I’m getting that feeling from all the players,” he said. “They’re all in and they’ve committed to the football club, whether their contract is up at the end of the season or not.

“I’ve already said before, that I don’t know how many are up or who isn’t. I can just see a buy-in from what they’re doing in training and what they’re saying in the meetings.

“Contracts are not my department. My remit is to come in and keep the team in the Premier League, so that’s what I’m focused on.”

Everton manager Sean Dyche admits nerves are having an inhibiting effect on his side’s hopes of escaping relegation.

The Toffees boss has spoken about correcting minor details and being encouraged by aspects of certain performances but his acceptance that the perilous situation the club are in, as they seek to safeguard their current 69-year top-flight existence, is impacting the squad does not bode well for Monday’s must-win game at fellow strugglers Leicester.

Asked why he thought results – now just one win in 10 matches – had declined, Dyche said: “Nerves, tension, focus, build-up to games.

“There have been injuries, suspensions, different players coming in and out the side, all those things go into that.

“You are looking to work through those periods when the challenges come. Like we did at Chelsea and Tottenham, we got good points.

“The two (occasions) that stick in my craw a bit are the second half against Fulham (losing 3-1 having equalised) and the second half on Thursday (when they conceded three goals in 10 minutes in the 4-1 defeat to Newcastle) without a shadow of doubt.

“It is tough when the games are quick because there is only so much you can do to prep a team, usually it is rest, recuperation, some tactical planning and some tactical work.

“This (Newcastle defeat) has to be shut down quickly because we have to be ready to go on Monday.

“I spoke to the players in the week about the ongoing mentality about performing. At this stage of the season it comes down to will, demand and mentality to take games on.”

Dyche hopes captain Seamus Coleman’s return will help bring some much-needed leadership to his relegation-threatened side.

The Republic of Ireland international has missed the last three matches with a hamstring problem and during that time the Toffees have picked up just one point, conceded seven times and even in the goalless draw at Crystal Palace looked over-exposed at right-back.

Coleman is expected to be fit to regain his place in the team and bolster a flank on which stand-ins Mason Holgate, who was sent off for two yellow cards at Selhurst Park, and Ben Godfrey look out of their depth.

The 34-year-old is also the most progressive option of the three when it comes to being confident enough to overlap in attack but it is his experience which may be most needed as they head into a must-win game against fellow strugglers Leicester.

“He’s a very important player with his history and understanding of the club,” said Dyche.

“He has been a loss for us so we do look forward to him being back. Until the second goal (in Thursday’s 4-1 home defeat by Newcastle) it was a very good performance but after the second goal that’s the big challenge for me.

“Where did the mentality go? How quickly did that change? Who re-grips it? Who in our team goes ‘right, OK, let’s re-grip what we’re doing here’ because we weren’t a million miles away? You can’t wait for it to happen.”

The Newcastle defeat was hugely damaging, not only because it left them with just two more home matches – one of which is against Manchester City – to extend their 69-year top-flight stay, but because of the effect it had on morale.

Players looked shot at the final whistle, at which time Goodison Park was half-empty as the supporters who had lined the streets to greet the team coach with their pyrotechnics and flags had headed for the exits after Newcastle’s third went in.

Asked whether he thought the team had lost the fans, Dyche added: “I don’t think so. I think they will be backing the club to the end.”

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson predicts top clubs could come calling for Michael Olise after another impressive performance from the midfielder helped the Eagles all but assure Premier League football next season.

The 21-year-old recorded his ninth assist of the season in Saturday’s 4-3 victory over West Ham – his total making him the fourth-best provider in the league – and was also instrumental in the build-up to the returning Wilfried Zaha’s seventh goal of the campaign.

Hodgson’s interim deal in the Palace dugout expires at the end of the season, and as a result the former England manager is not required to concern himself with contract matters, including the potentially worrying prospect of someone tempting Olise away from Selhurst Park.

“I was Steve Parish I would be (worried),” said the Eagles boss. “But I’m Roy Hodgson for the next few weeks and I wish them all well. I don’t have any conversations regarding contracts and what the club wants to do.

“If ever they need an opinion from me I know they’ll ask for it but I certainly won’t be proferring it.”

Olise’s assist to set up Jordan Ayew for Palace’s first-half equaliser made him the youngest player to register nine or more Premier League assists since Trent Alexander-Arnold did the same in 2018-19.

He became the first signing for Hodgson’s successor turned sacked predecessor Patrick Vieira when he joined Palace on a five-year deal in 2021, and has netted twice for the Eagles this season, a figure Olise’s current boss challenged him to improve on.

Hodgson said: “I think he needs to get more goals. He’s got goals in him. He cut inside on his left foot on a few occasions and got good strikes away.

“But all the time he’s producing those goals for us like he’s doing, we’re more than happy with him. He’s another player I see getting better in terms of doing things we want him to do.”

Olise is a rumoured summer target for Arsenal, though Hodgson on Friday agreed he and 24-year-old Eberechi Eze possess the potential to ascend to the same talismanic status as Zaha

He said: “I do believe that those two players, if they continue to progress as they have done, if they continue to milk their skills and ability as they have done so far, why can’t they go on to have the sort of career that Wilf has had?”

Like Zaha, who is out of contract with Palace at the end of the season, Hodgson’s future with the club remains uncertain.

He would not discuss his tenure, but admitted working with this Eagles squad – and all but securing their safety on Saturday as they hit the 40-point mark – has lifted his spirits as much as the 75-year-old has seemingly buoyed theirs, resulting in four wins, one draw and a single defeat since his arrival.

He added: “I was enjoying my life. I love my wife and enjoy her company very much so there’s no problems with that. But it was nice to be invited back into this environment which I’ve been a part of for so long and still enjoy so much.

“Meeting this group of players and being able to work with them has given me an even further boost. I’ve got another month to enjoy, which I shall.”

West Ham supporters might have hoped their relegation-battling side could pick up at least a point at Palace before a challenging run that will see them face both Manchester City and Manchester United and take on AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final.

Saturday’s Selhurst Park encounter was the Irons’ third in match in seven days, and while boss David Moyes refused to fully blame fatigue as a factor he admitted the congestion “probably didn’t help us”.

He said: “I don’t think anybody in any way should underestimate how well Crystal Palace are doing at the moment, how well they’re playing.”

Dave Chisnall’s hot run of form on the European Tour continued as he won the Dutch Darts Championship in Leeuwarden.

Chisnall beat Luke Humphries 8-5 in Sunday night’s final to claim his second title of the year following his success in Germany in February.

The 39-year-old outplayed Humphries, who won four titles on last year’s European Tour, in the showpiece, peppering seven 180s and averaging 99.89.

He had to do it the hard way as well as he overcame home favourite Michael van Gerwen in a dramatic semi-final.

Chisnall, having beaten up-and-coming star Josh Rock and two-time world champion Peter Wright earlier in the day, disappointed a partisan crowd after sealing a final-set decider by taking out his seventh match dart – finishing in the ‘madhouse’ double one – with Van Gerwen missing three of his own.

Wright had earlier won a thrilling contest with defending champion Michael Smith, where the pair renewed their rivalry from Thursday night’s feisty Premier League match in Leeds.

Danny Welbeck is loving life under “special man” Roberto De Zerbi and hopes Brighton can keep hold of their highly-rated coach.

De Zerbi has the high-flying Seagulls challenging for European football amid widespread plaudits for his attractive, possession-based style of play.

Eighth-placed Albion underlined their credentials for continental qualification by thrashing Wolves 6-0 on Saturday to register a club-record Premier League win.

Welbeck, who scored twice against Wanderers, believes De Zerbi is doing an “unbelievable job” and is not surprised the Italian continues to be linked with a host of top clubs.

“We’re obviously very happy to have him here,” the forward, who played for Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger earlier in his career, said of his current manager.

“Playing for him and his team and his style, it’s unbelievable.

“I think every single job that comes up, with him doing so well, he’s going to be getting linked to that. But hopefully he’s still here.

“I don’t like to rank managers because I’ve got a lot of respect for each and every one, you learn so much from every single manager you have, but he’s definitely a special manager and the style of play is so enjoyable to play underneath.

“You learn so much every single day. He’s a special man.”

Former England international Welbeck struck either side of half-time against Wolves as Brighton ended a challenging week in emphatic fashion.

Deniz Undav and Pascal Gross also claimed doubles to help the Seagulls bounce back from last weekend’s painful FA Cup semi-final loss to Manchester United and a 3-1 midweek defeat at lowly Nottingham Forest.

Albion have already equalled the club-record top-flight points tally of 52 set in 1982, but Welbeck knows De Zerbi will not allow standards to drop going into the final seven matches of the campaign.

“Every single day at the training ground he’s always the same,” said the 32-year-old.

“He’s very direct and he knows how he wants his team to play and, credit to the boys, everybody has bought into his style.

“He keeps everybody motivated, everybody on their toes wanting to be better, wanting to improve, the young players are getting opportunities. He’s doing an unbelievable job.

“I’m loving it. It’s very enjoyable. It’s a great football club to be at.”

Welbeck departed the Wembley pitch before last weekend’s agonising 7-6 shoot-out loss to his former club United due to an injury.

He concedes bouncing back from that deflating defeat was tough.

“It wasn’t easy, but there’s not time really to feel sorry for yourself because that’s not going to get you anywhere,” he said.

“I think the result in midweek against Forest was a little bit of a hangover from the cup semi-final, so we had to pick ourselves up and go again.

“We did (against Wolves) and it sets us in good stead for the rest of the season.”

A top-seven finish and entry into the Europa Conference League is Brighton’s minimum objective.

Welbeck, who has plenty of Champions League and Europa League experience from his time at Old Trafford and Emirates Stadium, is not allowing himself to think too far ahead.

“It’s important to set high aims and, for us to get there, we’ve got to do our job on the pitch and we’re really looking forward to it, it’s exciting times,” he said.

“I don’t really want to talk too much about that until if it actually comes. It would be amazing though.”