Newcastle United suffered their first home defeat since January after a first-half Danny Welbeck goal was enough to see Brighton head south with all three points.
Eddie Howe’s side were left to rue a series of missed chances as the return of Alexander Isak failed to inspire the Magpies attack, with the £63million Swede guilty of failing to convert a number of opportunities, while Anthony Gordon also squandered chances.
Newcastle fans will be hoping that Isak will soon be able to shake off any rust following his broken toe, but that will be scant consolation following a performance that should have seen the hosts at least earn a share of the points.
Welbeck’s 35th-minute goal came after the Magpies defence was undone following his clever one-two with Georginio Rutter, as the visitors were able to dig deep and keep out their profligate hosts.
Shearer verdict on Brighton blank
Shortly after the final whistle, Newcastle legend Alan Shearer took to X to give his snap verdict, which reflected the mood of the Magpies faithful.
“Newcastle very very poor infront of goal again,” the former England skipper posted, alongside a sweary emoji.
Shearer’s succinct take on what went wrong was echoed by the majority of fans on social media, with supporters calling on their team to rediscover their cutting edge up front.
Newcastle see 22-match run end
Scoring goals has not generally been a problem at St James’ Park, with Saturday’s blank the first time they have not scored at home since May 2023, when they were held to a 0-0 draw by Leicester City.
Howe’s men netted in every Premier League game on home soil last season, but the failure to convert against the Seagulls meant that their run of 22 consecutive home matches with at least one goal came to a crashing end.
Next up for Newcastle is a a trip to Chelsea next weekend in the Premier League, with the Londoners then coming back to the north east for a Carabao Cup tie the following Wednesday.
Newcastle’s next Premier League home match comes against Arsenal, as they look to embark on another scoring run.
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