Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 27, 2019 Newcastle United's Ayoze Perez scores their first goal REUTERS/Toby Melville
(Reuters) - Brighton & Hove Albion boosted their chances of staying in the Premier League after battling to a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
After 18th-placed Cardiff City lost at Fulham, Brighton earned a point that left them four clear of the relegation zone with two matches remaining.
Ayoze Perez put Newcastle in front in the 18th minute with a fine finish and the home side rarely offering anything in response for the remainder of the half.
Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 27, 2019 Newcastle United's Ayoze Perez scores their first goal Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley
Brighton did improve after the break and got their reward after 75 minutes when Pascal Gross headed in their first goal in eight matches in all competitions to equalise, much to the relief of the home supporters.
Brighton striker Glenn Murray had a glorious late opportunity to win the match, but headed over from close range.
With Arsenal and Manchester City to play, Brighton are not safe, but possess a far superior goal difference to Cardiff, who now need to win both their final games to have a chance of survival. Newcastle remained comfortable in 13th.
Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 27, 2019 Brighton's Pascal Gross scores their first goal Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley
"There was a big relief for all of us," Gross told the BBC. "We pushed for the second but unfortunately that didn't happen. Two games left, we will see how it ends."
Newcastle controlled the early stages and deservedly took the lead through Perez, who lashed home Salomon Rondon’s chest layoff, and that was Perez’s last involvement in the match as he limped off soon after.
Fabian Schar was denied by a smart save from Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan and the hosts failed to muster a shot on target in the first half.
Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 27, 2019 Newcastle United's Isaac Hayden in action with Brighton's Beram Kayal REUTERS/Toby Melville
There was much more threat from Brighton after the interval and Shane Duffy headed just over.
Brighton’s persistence finally paid off as Gross headed in Murray’s knockdown from close range before Murray passed up the opportunity to snatch all three points with two minutes left.
"They were aggressive and they were fighting to avoid relegation," Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez told BT Sport. "We needed to keep the ball better and our counter-attacks were not good.
Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 27, 2019 Brighton's Lewis Dunk in action with Newcastle United's Fabian Schar Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley
"They were desperate to win so we need to understand the context of the game."
(Reporting by Peter Hall, editing by Ed Osmond)
Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 27, 2019 Brighton's Beram Kayal in action with Newcastle United's Isaac Hayden and Javier Manquillo REUTERS/Toby MelvilleSoccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 27, 2019 Brighton's Shane Duffy misses a chance to score Action Images via Reuters/John SibleySoccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 27, 2019 Brighton's Pascal Gross scores their first goal Action Images via Reuters/John SibleySoccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 27, 2019 Brighton's Glenn Murray misses a chance to score REUTERS/Toby Melville Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 27, 2019 Brighton's Pascal Gross in action with Newcastle United's Salomon Rondon REUTERS/Toby MelvilleSoccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 27, 2019 Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez before the match REUTERS/Toby Melville Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - April 27, 2019 Brighton manager Chris Hughton before the match Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley
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