When Albion beat Southampton on Sunday, it was a case of job done and Europe assured.

They won the game, more or less claimed sixth place (but not quite) and clapped their fans.

It was an "I was there" occasion for those lucky enough to have, indeed, been there.

There were some really nice scenes. Goal achieved and a great afternoon.

But - personal opinion - the 1-1 draw with Manchester City was the pulse-racing occasion we had hoped for.

The rip-roaring, high-on-emotion night this season deserved to crown it all at the Amex.

This was the one which will rank among the highlights of this unforgettable season.

Partly because a point against City is better than three against Saints.

Maybe because it was under lights on a mild evening.

But there were other components than that to a great night.

The sort of match which stopped you sleeping when you got home and will keep you dreaming through the not-so-long close season.

The Argus:

The goal

The nature of Albion’s equaliser was befitting of the occasion.

Julio Enciso’s shot into the top corner was so good even some City supporters clapped.

One fan on social media put it in a bracket with Jose Izquierdo’s curler against West Ham, Jiri Skalak’s rocket against QPR and Alireza Jahanbakhsh’s overhead kick against Chelsea.

That’s about right. Not a bad collection.

Pick a winner from those four!

The football

The match itself was such a high standard, bath technically and tactically.

In particular, has there ever been a better 45 minutes at the Amex than we saw in the first half?

It was the sort of game you could watch back, knowing what the score would be, and really enjoy.

And the goal itself was a shining example of that.

 

Everyone remembered the finish but it followed a move which went the length of the field and back before Albion got Levi Colwill striding forward to supply the sharp-shooting Enciso.

That goal summed up a lot of the stuff we saw all night from both sides.

Individual performances

There were some great battles and one of the stories of the night was Jan Paul van Hecke versus Erling Haaland.

The Dutch defender has hardly played this season and felt he cost his side a goal when he appeared in the draw at Leicester.

Maybe there was a little scope for concern when the line-ups were confirmed with Lewis Dunk on the bench.

But Van Hecke rose to the occasion and the crowd rose to him.

He was disciplined and rigorous in his battle with the Norwegian giant, better than we had previously seen on the ball and, when he was beaten, just pulled the big man down and took a yellow card.

Which the crowd seemed to love.

Facundo Buonanotte had his best game yet far from his home in Rosario, Argentina, but it was Van Hecke who really captured the crowd's hearts up against the most imposing striker in world football.

Atmosphere

A mix of nerves for some fans and complacency for others led to a surprisingly subdued feel against Southampton.

On Wednesday, the Amex was loud and vibrant. From our spot it felt like one of the best atmospheres at the stadium.

You couldn’t just hear the noise, you could feel it.

Added extra

Tomer Hemed picked a good night to return.

The former Albion striker was VIP guest and was given a very warm welcome by fans.

A great link with the promotion-winning era and the team who first established Albion in the Premier League.

The Argus:

He was giving an interview after that first match in 2017, also against Manchester City, when Pep Guardiola walked over and spoke to him in Spanish.

That was impressive to those of us who had just come with Albion from the second tier.

Guardiola actually knows a Brighton player!

These days, while Pep is to be hugely respected, Albion are used to mixing in these circles.

And often giving as good as they get.

Respect

Albion players and coaching staff applauded the champions on to the pitch, which is at it should be.

Ilkay Gundogan shook hands with Enciso when he left the action and then praised albion on social media.

 

Pep Guardiola did not show much respect to the officials after the disallowed goal.

But even that showed how much City wanted the win. Mutual respect between teams.

If you got to the Southampton game but not Manchester City, you didn’t miss out.

You still saw a decent match and a great occasion, something to look back on fondly.

But somehow the City game had something extra special.

Something to keep you going for weeks to come.

.