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Brighton & Hove Albion surged to within touching distance of the Premier League’s top four after Danny Welbeck proved the difference in a battling 1-0 away win over Newcastle United.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side rescued a remarkable 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur before the international break, and left St James’ Park with another impressive three points on Saturday.
Newcastle threatened in the opening stages but Welbeck punished Eddie Howe’s hosts slack defending with a well-taken 35th-minute opener after linking up with Georginio Rutter.
Bart Verbruggen’s brilliant resistance kept Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon at bay, while Dan Burn saw a late finish ruled out for offside as Brighton moved into fifth – two points adrift of the top four.
The hosts will rue a profligate showing at home after this defeat left them winless in four league matches and eighth in the table.
How the match unfolded
Newcastle came flying out the blocks as Isak saw a rasping effort blocked by team-mate Jacob Murphy, before the Sweden striker missed a presentable opening from Bruno Guimaraes’ flick-on.
A sprawling Verbruggen denied Isak when one-on-one just after the half-hour mark before Brighton scored against the run of play, Welbeck playing a one-two with in-form Rutter before poking past Nick Pope.
Verbruggen again impressed when denying Gordon’s whipped attempt before half-time, while Lewis Dunk blazed over from Yasin Ayari’s corner after the break.
Brighton continued to hold on as Isak and Joelinton were somehow denied in quick succession, with Gordon also firing straight at Verbruggen after Fabian Schar’s incisive long ball through the middle.
Burn was comfortably offside when lobbing Verbruggen in the dying stages, but victory came at a cost for Brighton as Welbeck left the pitch on a stretcher with nine minutes remaining after a seemingly innocuous clash with Schar.
How did Newcastle lose?
Howe will have been relieved to welcome back Isak, who missed the draws with Manchester City and Everton due to a broken toe, enabling him to move Gordon back to his usual left-wing position.
Though Gordon scored from the penalty spot against City, before missing against his former club at Goodison Park, Newcastle appeared a different side with a recognised striker in the form of Isak.
Sandro Tonali’s slick pass down the centre should have brought the opener after 33 minutes, though Isak fired straight at the onrushing Verbruggen with a finish befitting his lack of match sharpness.
Gordon acted as the makeshift striker in Isak’s absence but found more joy in a familiar wide position, forcing Verbruggen into a smart stop when cutting in from his favoured left-hand side late in the first half.
The England winger should have netted after the interval, too, but headed over when unchallenged from Isak’s delicate delivery before rushing a glorious opportunity after Schar’s long pass caught Brighton off-guard.
The return of Isak presents attacking solutions for Howe’s side – who rarely looked troubled in defence – but Newcastle must improve significantly in front of goal before their next trip to Chelsea.
Brighton show different side
Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma were pivotal as Brighton produced a memorable comeback against Spurs, but Hurzeler left the pair on the bench here after a short turnaround from their international duties.
That decision saw Ayari start as an unconvincing left-wing option in front of makeshift full-back Ferdi Kadioglu, and the pair struggled to cope with a rampant Newcastle start.
Hurzeler’s side defended valiantly, however, and were once again thankful to Welbeck and Rutter – the heroes against Spurs – when the duo linked up from a long free-kick before intricate passes freed Welbeck to squeeze past Pope.
Dunk should have extended Brighton’s lead after the interval, but he failed to make the most of a gilt-edged set-piece opportunity when hooking over a right-footed volley.
The visitors continued to look a threat on the counter-attack, with Mitoma and Mats Wieffer denied by Pope, yet this battling performance was in stark contrast to their usual free-flowing style.
Hurzeler’s refusal to adapt from his high-line defensive tactic brought some questions early in his tenure, but this victory – aided by the heroics of Verbruggen – may show the German can adapt ahead of Brighton’s next task against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Club reports
Newcastle report | Brighton report
Match officials
Referee: Peter Bankes. Assistants: Eddie Smart, Nick Greenhalgh. Fourth official: James Bell. VAR: Tony Harrington. Assistant VAR: Constantine Hatzidakis.
PREMIER LEAGUE