Eddie Howe watched from the stands as Isaac Hayden rescued a vital point for struggling Newcastle United against ten-man Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
Newcastle United rallied from a goal down against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium to earn a critical point in their bid for Premier League survival.
After a long VAR review, the Seagulls seized the lead in the 24th minute. Ciaran Clark clogged Leandro Trossard after a bit of trickery from the Belgian tempted the Newcastle defender to charge in, resulting in a penalty kick, which Trossard comfortably dispatched down the middle.
While Brighton were dominant, they were unable to put the game beyond Newcastle and were made to pay for their missed chances when Isaac Hayden drilled home a well-worked equaliser in the 66th minute.
The night’s real action came in the first minute of stoppage time when Robert Sanchez was sent off for tripping Callum Wilson outside the area as he circled the Spaniard and looked to place the ball into an open net. Captain Lewis Dunk had to take on the gloves as Brighton’s three substitutions were already utilised.
Only Newcastle and Watford have failed to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season; only Norwich have conceded more goals than Newcastle.
Eddie Howe is at the Amex and he'll realise there is a lot of work to do. ? pic.twitter.com/UveZcKaLwu
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) November 6, 2021
However, Newcastle failed to test the makeshift Brighton goalkeeper in the five minutes of injury time as the game ended at 1-1 with a share of spoils. The result means the Magpies are now 19th in the league standings, above Norwich only on goal difference, and are the only winless side in the Premier League. Here are the Newcastle United player ratings.
Karl Darlow: 6/10
Darlow was sent the wrong way by Trossard on his penalty. He had to be alert, and his catching was composed, but his distribution was relatively poor on the day. He made a superb save from Trossard’s near-post strike, which ultimately kept Newcastle in the game.
Jacob Murphy: 7/10
Murphy lost the ball far too often to Brighton’s press. He got booked for crashing into Marc Cucurella. He was bright going forwards, but those moments were few and far between as Cucurella pinned him back for most of the game. There was a lot of tracking back and defensive work for the makeshift wing-back, who completed the most tackles (5) and interceptions (3) on the pitch.
Emil Krafth: 5/10
Krafth, like his defensive teammates, had no influence over the proceedings. A poor outing from the Swedish international, who did not contribute in any area, and his passing left a lot to desired.
Jamal Lascelles: 6/10
Lascelles looked shaky at the start but grew stronger as the game went on. He commanded the defensive line well enough to form a compact low-block. He picked up a yellow card for a late challenge on Trossard.
Ciaran Clark: 6/10
Clark performed admirably in patches for Newcastle. In the 24th minute, he committed an unnecessary foul on Trossard, leading to a penalty goal. However, he redeemed himself with a knockdown header to Isaac Hayden, resulting in an assist for Newcastle’s equaliser.
Matt Ritchie: 5/10
Ritchie struggled to cope with the pace and trickery of Tariq Lamptey. However, he grew sharper and agile with his runs and balls into the box, which caused Brighton a fair few problems.
Isaac Hayden: 8/10
Gutted not to get the 3 points I thought overall we deserved as a group, but we showed our spirit second half to fight until the end for 3 points, but it wasn’t to be today. Thanks to the amazing away support. See you after the international break #NUFC pic.twitter.com/xqR5GXKsiC
— Isaac Hayden (@IsaacHayden65) November 6, 2021
Hayden was Newcastle’s usual destroyer in the middle of the park. He completed five tackles and two blocks, constantly putting all efforts into regaining the possession, and ultimately chased shadows. His tenacity paid off, and it was a real quality goal from the defensive midfielder as he drilled the well-taken strike into the bottom right corner to pull Newcastle level in the game.
Jonjo Shelvey: 6/10
Shelvey was deployed in the creator role and was completely anonymous throughout the game. His switches of play provided Newcastle with the ability to hold the ball a little more than in previous games. He completed a match-high ten accurate long balls.
Miguel Almiron: 6/10
Almiron returned to the starting XI after a month out of the side. He looked rusty and struggled to make an impression. His powerful running and usual lung-busting runs were missing on the day.
Allan Saint-Maximin: 6.5/10
The Frenchman was desperate to make things happen in an uninspiring Newcastle side, but he had no help from his teammates whenever trying to push forwards with the ball. He got off to a strong start, evading some tight spaces with his trademark all-action dribbling but did not create anything meaningful. With Brighton marking him comfortably, he had to do the hard work in defensive phases, which takes away a good part of his attacking play.
Callum Wilson: 6/10
The Newcastle poacher was barely feeding off the scraps, because of no real attacking quality from Newcastle as their star striker could not muster a single shot on target. He rounded the goalkeeper well but fumbled before aiming his shot in an empty net after Sanchez tripped him.
SUBSTITUTES
Joelinton: 7/10
Joelinton was impressive in his short cameo. He held onto the ball well, drove through midfield and won a couple of fouls to release Newcastle from Brighton’s constant pressure. He measured a perfectly weighted long ball to release Callum Wilson through on goal. It would be interesting to see how the new manager uses him.
Dwight Gayle: N/A
Gayle did not play enough to warrant a rating.
