Alexander Isak’s penalty rescued Newcastle a 1-1 draw at Brighton to keep their hopes of a top-five Premier League finish on track.
Isak netted a 89th-minute penalty to rescue a point for Newcastle after Brighton’s Yasin Ayari had handballed a free-kick with his left hand, following Jan Paul Van Hecke’s initial foul on Harvey Barnes.
Ex Newcastle forward, Yankuba Minteh had fired Brighton ahead with a well-executed side-step strike in the 28th minute, having picked up Mats Wieffer’s pass from a headed clearance.
Brighton remained tenth in the table after Brentford moved above them into ninth with a dramatic 4-3 home win over Manchester United, whilst Newcastle stay fourth in the table.
With Brighton and Newcastle chasing UEFA Conference League and Champions League respectively, it was little surprise that the game began in a cagey manner as both teams struggled to carve out clear-cut chances aside from Newcastle’s Barnes putting a 11th-minute shot wide.
Eddie Howe’s Magpies however are yet to win at Brighton after seven previous Premier League visits and that record looked set to continue as a 28th-minute clearance fell to Wieffer, who teed up Minteh to cut in and thump his shot into the top-left corner to take the lead against his former team.
Newcastle nevertheless continued to keep the pressure on Brighton as Bruno Guimaraes’ low shot forced a 37th-minute save from Bart Verbruggen, as the Seagulls dug in to protect their lead until half-time.
If nerves were jangling for the home fans with their narrow lead, Danny Welbeck blew a chance to calm any nerves after he mis-hit a cross from Minteh in the 50th minute.
Momentum subsequently turned in Newcastle’s favour as the second-half wore on as Jacob Murphy blasted over from Guimaraes’ pass in the 55th minute.
Video-Assistant Referee (VAR) however weren’t on the Magpies’ side as they overturned a 57th-minute penalty after substitute, Anthony Gordon was tripped by Tariq Lamptey on the edge of the box with Lamptey’s dangling left foot, of which referee – Craig Pawson had initially awarded a spot-kick.
Luck also didn’t seem to go the visitors’ way on the pitch as Barnes’ 64th-minute curled shot was saved by Verbruggen near the top-left corner.
More pain awaited Newcastle in the 70th minute as Alexander Isak was brought down by Jan Paul Van Hecke, yet VAR decided to once again overturn Pawson’s penalty call and Isak instead was booked for simulation much to Newcastle’s ire.
If Newcastle hoped for any luck then they got a slice of fortune as Brighton’s Ayari handballed a free-kick following Van Hecke’s 84th-minute foul on Barnes, whilst Isak’s header from the set-piece was disallowed due to the whistle having blown for Ayari’s blunder.
VAR eventually conceded a deserved penalty to Newcastle following a review of Ayari’s handball, and Isak calmly dispatched the spot-kick into the left corner to restore parity, and ultimately a point as both teams wasted chances to snatch a late winner in an end-to-end hectic finish.
Brighton boss, Fabian Hürzeler spoke to Sky Sports post match with “a mixture of feelings” at his team’s performance and Newcastle’s penalty.
“I have a mixture of feelings. I’m proud of the team for sticking together but it was not our perfect match in possession. Overall there is a mixture of feelings but we try to take the positives away.
“We conceded a cheap penalty. We have to accept it and try to make the best out of it. I saw a good team performance although we made some easy mistakes and we weren’t able to control the game like we wanted to.”
What’s Next?
Brighton continue their battle for eighth place with a trip to Wolves on Saturday 10 May at 3pm, which is followed by a home clash against champions – Liverpool on 19 May (8pm) then a final-day visit to Tottenham on 25 May (4pm).
Newcastle host Chelsea at St James’ Park on Sunday 11 May at 12pm in a crunch clash which could be season-defining in the top-five race for Champions League qualification, ahead of a tricky final away game at Arsenal on 18 May (4:30pm) before the Magpies’ season concludes at home to Everton on 25 May (4pm).
Teams
Brighton: Bart Verbruggen, Mats Wieffer (Lamptey 54′), Jan Paul van Hecke, Lewis Dunk, Pervis Estupinan, Carlos Baleba, Jack Hinshelwood (Ayari 69′), Yankuba Minteh (Gomez 94′), Matt O’Riley (Gruda 93′), Simon Adingra (Veltman 69′), Danny Welbeck
Substitutes: Yasin Ayari, Brajan Gruda, Diego Gomez, Harry Howell, Tariq Lamptey, Jason Steele, Joel Veltman, Adam Webster, Igor Julio
Newcastle: Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier (Krafth 97′), Fabian Schar (Botman 97′), Dan Burn, Tino Livramento, Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Joe Willock (Wilson 74′), Jacob Murphy (Gordon 56′), Alexander Isak, Harvey Barnes
Substitutes: Sven Botman, Martin Dubravka, Anthony Gordon, Emil Krafth, Sean Longstaff, Lewis Miley, Sean Neave, William Osula, Callum Wilson
Referee – Craig Pawson
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