Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

Reuters

Sport

Steve Tongue

Hemed's goal gives Brighton win over Newcastle

Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion vs Newcastle United - Amex Stadium, Brighton, Britain - September 24, 2017 Brighton's Tomer Hemed and Jamie Murphy celebrate after the match REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

(Reuters) - BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION 1 NEWCASTLE UNITED 0

Brighton and Hove Albion's Tomer Hemed grabbed the only goal as they ended Newcastle United's three-match winning streak with a 1-0 victory on Sunday in a battle between two of this season's promoted sides.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion vs Newcastle United - Amex Stadium, Brighton, Britain - September 24, 2017 Newcastle United's Ayoze Perez in action with Brighton’s Shane Duffy Action Images via Reuters/Tony O'Brien EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Israel international Hemed scored in the 51st minute, to move Brighton up four places to 13th, while ending the feel-good factor at Newcastle, who had been fourth ahead of the weekend's games.

Rafa Benitez's side, who drop down to joint eighth, had pipped Brighton to the Championship (second tier) title by one point on the final day of last season, having beaten them at home and away.

They had more of the game after bringing on midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, who hit a post direct from a corner, but good chances were hard to come by.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion vs Newcastle United - Amex Stadium, Brighton, Britain - September 24, 2017 Brighton's Bruno Saltor applauds fans after the match REUTERS/Peter Nicholls EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Both sides had lost their two opening games in the Premier League before an improvement gave them greater confidence at the higher level.

Brighton were the brighter side until the later stages once goalkeeper Mathew Ryan had saved from Mikel Merino early on.

They nevertheless had to survive the best chance of the first half, when a fortunate deflection off a home defender fell to Newcastle's Joselu.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion vs Newcastle United - Amex Stadium, Brighton, Britain - September 24, 2017 Brighton’s Markus Suttner and Pascal Gross celebrate after the match REUTERS/Peter Nicholls EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Yet the Spanish striker, who was signed from Stoke City after a loan at Deportivo La Coruna, pulled his shot past the far post.

In an impressive spell at the start of the second half the home side went ahead and thought they had scored a second.

Dale Stephens was left unmarked at the far post to head a free kick square, from where Hemed hooked it in.

In almost the next attack Brighton captain Bruno crossed from the right for Solly March to squeeze in a shot that goalkeeper Rob Elliott blocked right on the line.

Once Shelvey replaced Isaac Hayden, Newcastle looked more threatening. He swerved a corner onto the post, then dipped a free kick just over the bar.

The visitors finished with more shots and more on target than the home side but still lacked the cutting edge necessary to push them back into the top four.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion vs Newcastle United - Amex Stadium, Brighton, Britain - September 24, 2017 Brighton manager Chris Hughton shakes hands with Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez after the game REUTERS/Peter Nicholls EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Newcastle manager Benitez felt there was a foul by Bruno in the build-up to the goal and that his team deserved "a point at least".

Brighton's Chris Hughton, celebrating a second successive home win, played down an incident in which Newcastle players suggested Hemed had stamped on DeAndre Yedlin.

"My first impression is no intent and knowing the individual I would say no intent," he told Sky Sports.