Newcastle 4-1 Brighton: Young Seagulls taught lesson by Toon
At least it is never dull supporting the Albion. Brighton getting hammered away at Newcastle United meant that in the past three weeks, the Seagulls have recorded a 6-0 home win, a 5-1 home defeat, a 3-0 away win and now a 4-1 away defeat.
Feast or famine some might call it. Others will be concerned about the inconsistency of veering from one superb win to a chastening defeat, but excuses can be made for that as fatigue and injuries from a bruising schedule of 15 games in eight weeks take their toll on a thin squad.
Roberto De Zerbi has done his best to rotate and keep the players fresh. It worked against Wolves, whom the Albion recorded that 6-0 victory against.
Thrashing the Old Gold whilst Kaoru Mitoma, Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister sat on the bench very much looks the outlier result though.
Wolves were on the beach with nothing to play for; what has happened since when De Zerbi has named weakened XIs facing Everton and now Newcastle is more indicative that his Brighton squad needs strengthening if it is to continue challenging for the top seven in future years.
This is especially true if European qualification is secured and two games a week becomes the norm for next season in either the Europa League or Europa Conference.
Whilst the Albion try and punch above their weight, Newcastle look like they belong in the top six 18 months after becoming the sportswashing project of Saudi Arabia.
Limitless wealth combined with the fact the Toon beheading for the Champions League means they will be able to attract a different calibre of player this summer.
Title challenges and silverware will follow soon, which Newcastle’s despotic overlords will be hoping everyone associates Saudi Arabia with rather than the assassination and dismembering of a critical journalist like Jamal Khashoggi or the mass execution of 81 men in a single day.
Losing 4-1 to Newcastle might have hurt, but give me that over Brighton fans waving around flags in support of a regime that restricts the rights of women, tortures its own people and punishes homosexuality by death.
Newcastle’s petrodollars will certainly mean they never have to rely on naming a nine-man bench consisting of only one outfield player over the age 20.
The rested Alexis Mac Allister was joined amongst the substitutes by Julio Enciso (19), Yasin Ayari (19), Evan Ferguson (18), Odel Offiah (20), Andrew Moran (19), Cam Peupion (20) and Imari Samuels (20).
Backup goalkeeper Tom McGill completed the replacements, aged 23 whose experience of league football extends to a single substitute appearance on loan at Crawley Town in November 2020.
The joke was that De Zerbi was playing Football Manager with a bench full of regens. The starting XI was equally below full strength, with Jan Paul van Hecke and Facundo Buonanotte both coming in for rare starts and notably struggling.
From the first whistle, Newcastle pressed high and aggressively as De Zerbi wants his side to lure opponents into doing. The problem on this occasion was that the Toon were good at it.
Whereas Brighton have sliced through almost every other team in the Premier League this season, they could barely get the ball out of their half in the opening 15 minutes.
Possession was consistently turned over to Newcastle and that gave them early opportunities to get on the scoresheet via Alexander Isak, Miguel Almiron twice and Sven Botman.
The deadlock was duly broken on 23 minutes with a brilliant glancing header at the front post from Deniz Undav. Unfortunately for Undav, it was from a Kieran Tripper corner and into his own goal.
How sporting of the Albion to reward their hosts with the lead they deserved but had up to that point been unable to secure.
An interesting evening for Undav took another turn when he was booked for giving away a cheap free kick in a dangerous area, never a good move when the opposition possess a set piece expert like Trippier.
The Newcastle right back duly delivered another superb dead ball delivery which the familiar looking Dan Burn rose highest to meet and head past Jason Steele in first half stoppage time.
In a sign of how precious Brighton fans have become in recent times, some were disappointed that Burn celebrated putting the Toon 2-0 ahead.
Just to clarify, this was a bloke scoring a goal for the hometown team he has supported all his life which put them a step closer to securing Champions League football for the first time in two decades against a club he only spent three-and-a-half seasons with.
Not to mention that for large parts of his time at the Amex, Burn was not rated and often a figure of fun amongst the Albion support.
Of course he should celebrate. And good luck to him. His presence at Newcastle and the very obvious joy and pride he takes from turning out for his boyhood club is one of the few redeeming features of what is happening in Saudi-upon-Tyne.
Brighton were at least marginally better after the break, although it could have been 3-0 to Newcastle within six minutes of the restart had Steele not made an extraordinary point blank save from a Almiron volley.
From there, the Albion went up the other end and scored with their first meaningful effort of the game. Billy Gilmour continued his recent good form by being the architect, spotting the movement of Undav and sending a perfectly weighted 30 yard pass through a gap in the Newcastle defence.
Undav’s run was really good and the subsequent finish even more so as he held off Botman and drilled a clinical effort low and hard past the advancing Nick Pope.
One goal, one own goal, one booking and one free kick conceded leading to Newcastle scoring their second. Undav is fast becoming a favourite here at WAB Towers, and that is before you even consider he used an interview to bemoan the lack of decent kebabs and sausages in England.
St James’ Park had been buoyant before Undav struck but suddenly, the stadium was silenced like the right to protest is in Saudi Arabia.
You could feel further concerns pulsating from the home support when De Zerbi rolled the dice on a treble change, introducing all of Mac Allister, Enciso and Ferguson. Brighton now meant business.
The game became a little stretched with chances for both sides. Steele again denied Almiron and Enciso glanced a header from a Pervis Estupinan cross just off target.
Brighton began to dominate possession, much to the frustration of Newcastle fans who began to turn their ire on the officials.
“You’re not fit to referee” rang out towards referee Rob Jones, which seemed pretty unbelievable given Mr Jones allowed Joelinton to commit eight fouls without booking the Brazilian. Gaslighting from the Toon support that their Saudi paymasters would be proud of.
It was in the final two minutes that Newcastle 2-1 Brighton became Newcastle 4-1 Brighton as the Albion threw everyone forward, only to be picked off on the break.
Almiron escaped the tired-looking Caicedo too easily on a charge down the right and sent Callum Wilson clear. Van Hecke attempted to play an offside trap which was so bad as to be comical and that let Wilson through on goal to beat Steele.
With a Toon victory now secure, the tension which had been building instantly lifted. Another bizarre effort to catch Newcastle offside from a combination of Van Hecke and Lewis Dunk paved the way for further home celebrations.
Wilson turned provider this time to put Bruno Guimaraes in and he made it Newcastle 4-1 Brighton; a scoreline deserved by the hosts who taught this young Seagulls side a valuable lesson.
