Brighton 3-0 Newcastle || the-gorilla Match Report

If you didn't read my match preview then it might be worth a quick look because it couldn't have been more accurate (apart from it being 1-0 at half time). Up until Isaac Hayden's nasty injury just before half time, Brighton's efforts on goal lacked confidence and were easily blocked or saved. Brighton totally dominated the ball and Newcastle were shit happy to defend. As much as Brighton passed and probed, it was a direct ball by Joël Veltman which was nicely controlled by Leandro Trossard. Trossard cut inside, losing Ciaran Clark all too easily and with a confident finish from just outside the area, found the bottom corner. A deserved lead just before half time and Steve Bruce will have headed into the dressing room ready to give each and every one of his useless players a slap. In return, the players were entitled to give Bruce a slap for his dog shit bad tactics and setting up the team to lose. Again.

The half time slapping briefly worked with Newcastle playing with a bit more energy in the 2nd half with Ryan Fraser hitting the post early on. Moments later though, Brighton had doubled their lead - similar to Trossard's goal, Welbeck cut inside and stuck the ball wide of Dubravka into the corner.

It was late at this point and I was starting to drift off. Luckily, I was awake when Maupay (who didn't have the best of games) made it 3-0. A low cross from the right by Pascal Groß was neatly swept in.

It was all too easy for Brighton on a night that highlighted the contrasting styles of each team, lifting them 6 points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand. It was nice to see a game where football won and a team that's been attacking all season got the win they deserved.

Necastle have led for just 62 minutes from their 15 away matches (1,350 minutes not including added time) this season, a remarkable statistic. Another remarkable statistic is that Newcastle failed to get a shot on target for the 2nd time this season. The other time? Their 3-0 home defeat to Brighton.

If Steve Bruce is still Newcastle manager by the start of next season, I'll be amazed.

👇 Match Highlights from SkySports
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