Newcastle United thrash Brighton to close in on Champions League spot

• Newcastle United played host to Brighton in a Premier League clash on Thursday night
• Both sides needed a win to bolster their chances of earning a slot in European competition next season
• Newcastle scored four past the visitors as they climbed up to third in the Premier League table

Callum Wilson and Bruno Guimaraes delivered an exciting finish that brought Newcastle United to the verge of securing a spot in the Champions League with a convincing victory over Brighton in a Premier League clash.

Despite Deniz Undav pulling one back for the Seagulls after his own goal and Dan Burn’s commanding header had given the Magpies a 2-0 lead at halftime, Wilson scored his 18th goal of the season and then assisted Guimaraes to seal a resounding 4-1 win in the dying moments of the game. The thrilling performance took place in front of a jubilant crowd of 52,122 at St James’ Park.

Eddie Howe’s team will secure a top-four finish if Liverpool loses to Aston Villa on Saturday. Even a draw might be enough due to Newcastle’s superior goal difference. However, they have the opportunity to seal the deal themselves by defeating struggling Leicester at home on Monday evening.

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Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes celebrates after scoring against Brighton & Hove Albion in a Premier League clash on Thursday, May 18 2023. | PHOTO: Sky Sports |

Brighton struggled to replicate their performance that effectively ended Arsenal’s title challenge on Sunday. This was partly due to the absence of Levi Colwill, Alexis Mac Allister, Julio Enciso, and Evan Ferguson from the starting lineup. Additionally, Newcastle applied relentless pressure on their opponents throughout the game.

Early on, Joe Willock delivered a cross that was cleared by Brighton’s defence, leading to a blocked shot from Miguel Almiron. Fabian Schar then struck a free-kick straight at Jason Steele in the ninth minute. Willock narrowly missed the target from Almiron’s pull-back seconds later, while Almiron himself failed to find the goal from a tight angle.

Newcastle’s high-intensity play prevented Brighton from playing out from the back, frustrating manager Roberto De Zerbi. Brighton goalkeeper Nick Pope faced his first test in the 16th minute when Danny Welbeck attempted a shot after receiving a pass from Kaoru Mitoma.

READ: How Eddie Howe has transformed Newcastle United

The pressure eventually paid off in the 23rd minute when Kieran Trippier delivered a corner to the near post, resulting in Undav unintentionally glancing the ball into his own net while attempting to clear it.

Burn’s well-executed shot in the 34th minute was deflected wide after Brighton struggled to deal with another Trippier corner. Although Mitoma tried his luck with a long-range effort in the 37th minute, failing to trouble Pope, Newcastle extended their lead deep into added time. Following a challenge on Joelinton that went unpunished, Trippier capitalized on a subsequent decision and delivered a curling free-kick onto the head of Burn, who expertly guided the ball past the helpless Steele.

Shortly after the restart, Almiron missed a chance to extend Newcastle’s lead when he shot straight at Steele from Willock’s knock-down. Within seconds, Undav redeemed himself by capitalizing on Billy Gilmour’s through-ball and beating Pope to score for Brighton.

Mac Allister, Enciso, and Ferguson were brought into the game in a swift substitution, while Willock left the field due to a hamstring injury and Elliot Anderson entered as his replacement.

Newcastle continued their assault, appealing for a penalty after Burn appeared to have his shirt tugged, but the appeals were waved away. Steele made a superb save to deny Alexander Isak’s header. Enciso missed an opportunity to bring Brighton closer to Newcastle’s scoreline when he headed Caicedo’s cross wide of the far post.

However, Newcastle launched a devastating late attack to secure the victory. Wilson scored the third goal, rounding off an 89th-minute counter-attack initiated by Almiron, before providing the assist for Guimaraes to make it 4-1 in injury time.