Bart Verbruggen clutched the ball, and referee Peter Bankes blew the final whistle. As he signaled the end, Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall were left in disbelief on the sidelines. How had they let this one slip away?
The clash at St James’ Park epitomized the classic “game of two halves.” Newcastle dominated the first, showcasing their best football of the season. Yet, despite their pressure, they found themselves trailing at halftime due to a clever Danny Welbeck goal.
Alexander Isak made his return to the starting lineup after a three-game absence due to a broken toe. He was lively and posed challenges for Brighton’s defense, but his finishing was off. The most notable missed chance came just after the half-hour mark when Bruno Guimaraes played him through. Verbruggen denied him with a well-timed spread, keeping the game scoreless.
Minutes later, Brighton made their first real attack count. Lewis Dunk’s quick, direct free kick found Welbeck. He capitalized on Fabian Schar’s lapse in concentration, played a quick one-two with Georginio Rutter, shrugged off Tino Livramento, and coolly slotted the ball home.
Howe reflected on the defensive breakdown: “I don’t think we necessarily switched off, but we didn’t organize ourselves well from a set play.”
The goal turned the tide. Brighton grew into the match, while Newcastle, despite their continued possession and 21 shots, struggled to find an equalizer. As a result, the Magpies’ 11-game unbeaten home run in the league came to an abrupt end.
“It was really frustrating because I thought our general performance was really good for around 65 minutes,” Howe said. “We threatened to overrun them at times but didn’t get the goal our performance deserved.”
Welbeck left the pitch on a stretcher in the second half, but Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler remained upbeat. “In the first half, we had a bit of luck. We suffered together, then showed a great reaction in the second half. For me, it was a really good performance. In the end, we deserved to win.
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