Brighton & Hove Albion earned a gritty 1-0 victory at Newcastle United, thanks to Danny Welbeck’s first-half goal, moving Fabian Hurzeler’s side into fifth place in the Premier League standings.
Despite Newcastle dominating much of the match with 60% possession and 21 attempts at goal, Brighton’s resilience and a moment of sharp attacking play secured the win.
The decisive moment came just 10 minutes before half-time. Newcastle, who had been in control, were undone by a cleverly executed quick free-kick. Lewis Dunk’s pinpoint long ball found Welbeck in acres of space.
The veteran striker combined neatly with Georginio Rutter, before surging into the penalty area and finishing past Nick Pope for his fifth goal in eight appearances this campaign.
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, who made two changes with Alexander Isak and Tino Livramento starting in place of the benched Harvey Barnes and injured Kieran Trippier, struggled to break down the disciplined Brighton defense.
Even with their dominance, they rarely troubled Bart Verbruggen in the Brighton goal. Isak, making his first start after a month out due to injury, looked off the pace and struggled to make an impact.
Brighton, meanwhile, welcomed back star striker Evan Ferguson and made three alterations to their lineup.
Igor Julio and Yasin Ayari were included in the starting eleven, with Adam Webster and Yankuba Minteh absent and Kaoru Mitoma starting on the bench.
The victory, however, came at a cost for the Seagulls. With just nine minutes remaining, Welbeck was forced off the field on a stretcher after what appeared to be a harmless challenge from Fabian Schar.
The forward, clearly in pain and needing oxygen, cast a shadow over what had been an otherwise strong showing from Brighton.
Eddie Howe will be left to reflect on how his side failed to capitalize on their opportunities as Newcastle extended their winless run in the Premier League to four games.
Despite their dominance, the Magpies lacked the cutting edge in the final third, and Verbruggen had a largely untroubled afternoon.
