Newcastle United secured their first Premier League victory since March with a 3–1 win over Brighton at St. James’ Park.
Eddie Howe’s side came into the match on the back of four straight league defeats and made a shaky start, nearly conceding within two minutes when Karou Mitoma set up Jack Hinshelwood, only for Nick Pope to deny him.
Brighton controlled the early exchanges, and Carlos Baleba was given space outside the box, but his long-range effort crashed against the crossbar.
Despite that pressure, Newcastle went ahead in the 12th minute against the flow of the game. A costly slip from goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen on the right flank gifted possession to Jacob Murphy, whose cross was nodded into an empty net by William Osula.
The hosts doubled their advantage in the 24th minute from a corner, as Bruno Guimaraes delivered a precise ball that Dan Burn met with a glancing header after losing his marker.
Brighton threatened again when a poor clearance from Pope hit Hinshelwood and bounced onto the post. At the other end, Verbruggen partially redeemed himself with a crucial save to stop Malick Thiaw from close range, as Newcastle pushed for a third before the interval.
After the break, Hinshelwood remained a threat, nearly scoring with a header from a corner before pulling one back in the 61st minute. He latched onto a through pass from Danny Welbeck and fired emphatically into the roof of the net.
Newcastle spent much of the latter stages without the ball, inviting sustained Brighton pressure. Pope was called into action to deny an overhead kick from Charalampos Kostoulas, while Yankuba Minteh missed a huge chance late on, blasting over from close range with just two minutes left.
Brighton committed numbers forward in the closing moments, leaving gaps at the back, and Newcastle capitalized in stoppage time as Harvey Barnes sealed the win with a powerful finish in the 95th minute.
Data Debrief: Osula underlines his importance, as Verbruggen’s struggles continue
Osula has highlighted his attacking value in recent weeks, taking his tally to four Premier League goals since the beginning of March.
Only Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, with seven, has scored more in that period.
Verbruggen’s first-half mistake proved pivotal, especially considering Brighton’s strong start. He now leads the league in errors leading to goals this season with four, and his total of 11 since the start of 2023–24 is four more than any other player.
This match also marked Guimaraes’ 150th Premier League appearance for Newcastle, and he celebrated it by registering his 25th assist.
He has now both scored and assisted at least five goals in each of the last three league campaigns, joining Mohamed Salah, Bruno Fernandes, and Jarrod Bowen as the only players to achieve that.