NEW DELHI: Newcastle United secured a crucial 4-1 victory over Brighton in a thrilling match at St James' Park on Thursday, keeping their hopes alive for Champions League qualification.
The win propelled Newcastle to the third spot in the Premier League table, with just two games remaining this season. They now require only one more victory in their remaining two games, against Leicester at home on Monday and an away match against Chelsea, to secure a coveted place among Europe's top clubs.
Kieran Trippier's exceptional dead-ball skills proved instrumental in Newcastle's success, as his precise crosses led to two goals before halftime.
The first was an unfortunate own-goal by Deniz Undav, followed by a well-executed header from Dan Burn. Brighton, however, showed resilience and quickly pulled a goal back early in the second half through Undav.
As the game intensified with Brighton pushing for an equaliser, Newcastle's Callum Wilson proved to be the hero of the night. In the dying moments of the match, Wilson capitalised on a counter-attack and found the back of the net, extending Newcastle's lead.
Not content with just scoring, Wilson showcased his playmaking abilities by setting up Bruno Guimaraes, who confidently struck the ball home, sealing a convincing 4-1 victory for the Magpies.
Unfortunately for Brighton, the defeat kept them in sixth position in the league table, although they remain in contention for next season's Europa League qualification. The team will now look to bounce back in their remaining fixtures and secure a spot in the continental competition.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe fielded the same starting XI that featured in last weekend's 2-2 draw at Leeds with injured duo Sean Longstaff and Jacob Murphy again missing from the squad.
By contrast, Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi made four changes to the team which ran out for Sunday's superb 3-0 win at Arsenal with Jan Paul van Hecke, Facundo Buonanotte, Undav and Danny Welbeck replacing Levi Colwill, Alexis Mac Allister, Julio Enciso and Evan Ferguson respectively.
Newcastle were the better side early on and their dominance was rewarded in the 23rd minute when Undav glanced a header into his own net as he tried to clear Trippier's excellent inswinging corner.
And the northeast side doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time when Burn rose above the Brighton defence to head in from a Trippier free-kick.
Saudi-backed Newcastle had a chance to put the result beyond doubt five minutes after the break but Miguel Almiron's shot from point-blank range was saved superbly by Jason Steele.
Barely a minute later, south coast side Brighton were back in the game when Undav ran onto Billy Gilmour's through-ball before beating England keeper Nick Pope.
Newcastle, however, had the final say with Wilson's 18th league goal this season, the most by a Newcastle player since 2003/04 when Alan Shearer scored 22 goals, crowning a rapid counter-attack.
Wilson then turned provider, unselfishly squaring the ball for Bruno to spark joyous celebrations among Newcastle's loyal and passionate fans.
(With AFP inputs)
