**Brighton**beat Newcastle United 2-1 at the Amex Stadium to return to winning ways.
The Seagulls seized on the hesitation of their visitors, who have struggled on the road, and they went ahead with a goal from Danny Welbeck, deservedly ending the first half with a goal advantage.
However, a genial moment from Nick Woltemade was a dagger for the hosts, who looked as if they would crumble and relapse into old habits in a phase of serious pressure. Fortunately, their veteran forward was on hand to save the day with a brace and reward the team’s enterprise in the first hour.
Story of the Match
Fabian Hurzeler made one enforced alteration from the lineup he picked in a 1-1 draw with Wolves.
**Brajan Gruda**made way for Georginio Rutter, who was back in a front two with Danny Welbeck. Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh completed the front four. **Mats Wieffer**and Ferdi Kadioglu continued as the pair of fullbacks while Carlos Baleba partnered with Yasin Ayari in the midfield.
Eddie Howe named an unchanged starting eleven from a 2-0 victory against Nottingham Forest.
After a head injury for Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw have formed a formidable partnership in central defence. **Dan Burn**continued to cover at left back. **Joelinton**and Sandro Tonali were passed fit to start after national duty, and **Nick Woltemade**remained upfront.
The Toon have failed to score in any of their three away Premier League fixtures this season, and they could have ended their barren streak with a strike from their captain. **Bruno Guimaraes**picked up a knockdown from Tonali but after engineering room with a fake shot, he missed the target.
**Brighton**began to build up ahead of steam. **Yankuba Minteh**continues to impress as a livewire full of energy on both sides of the ball while creative class comes from the central pairing in the attack.
A misplaced back pass from **Joelinton**let the ball run for Welbeck, who smoothly laid off a pass for his partner. Rutter ran across the backline and drilled a low effort that forced a save from Nick Pope.
A significant pause in play occurred due to a knock to Diego Gomez, who was trying to break away from the Newcastle midfield in transition. Howe’s men tried to strike back, and they came close to drawing first blood with a set-piece. Gordon drove around Ayari and Botman steered his cross wide.
Gomez pulled up again, and he could not persevere through the pain. **Maxim de Cuyper**came on for the Paraguayan, acting as a left winger. However, the substitution did not dent the hosts’ momentum.
The Seagulls were rewarded for their efforts in the 41st minute. **Jan Paul van Hecke**punched a pass through the lines and Rutter received neatly on his back foot, turning to attack the last line as green shirts retreated. Botman shuffled left, Welbeck moved right, and the French forward connected with his teammate. Welbeck coolly chipped an effort over the onrushing Pope to put **Brighton**ahead.
There was another chance on the cusp of half time for an equaliser from the visitors. Tonali whipped a free kick into the penalty area and Woltemade was free at the far post. However, the 6’6” forward, whose first two Premier League goals were with his head, failed to test Bart Verbruggen.
At the start of the second half, Howe chose to made a couple of changes. Lewis Miley stepped in for **Joelinton**as the third midfielder, and **Jacob Murphy**replaced Elanga. The Newcastle manager would have been looking for a response from his players, but **Brighton**began fastest of the teams.
Minteh continued to threaten, nipping at a loose ball ahead of Burn. He picked out Kadioglu at the far post, but neither the left back nor Welbeck could create a clean shooting angle. By the time Ayari smacked a strike wide of the target, green shirts had flooded backwards to prevent a second goal.
The Seagulls kept knocking on the door. Baleba and Rutter broke forward, releasing Kadioglu to cross the ball along the face of the six yard box without a blue and white shirt present to connect. The left back went again, and a blocked ball fell for de Cuyper to lash out a firm effort and sting Pope’s hands.
As the hour mark neared, **Brighton**had produced more than double the shots of their opponents (11 to 5) and the Toon had failed to put any of their efforts on target. They looked a little brighter in the final third with the willingness of Murphy to deliver dangerous balls into the box, and the right winger lost his balance at the critical moment after a well timed run broke the offside line of the Seagulls.
However, the strength of Hurzeler’s men was telling with slick skill on the ball. A brilliant buildup sequence saw Rutter come inches away from flicking a cross into the net, and Ayari took a firm pass expertly into his stride but was too unselfish to make more of another entry into the penalty area.
Newcastle were far from done. Harvey Barnes switched in for Gordon and Jacob Ramsey replaced Tonali. Though the referee waved away a claim for handball, a moment of magic could not be denied.
Guimaraes got the ball on the edge of the box, threading it through the legs of Ayari to Miley, whose cutback found Woltemade. With an audacious backheel, the German found the back of the net.
Suddenly, the cracks were opening, and the Seagulls started to falter. Verbruggen flapped at a launched ball into the box and Ayari had to step in to deny a close range effort from Guimaraes.
**Brighton**were on the back foot and needed something to stem the Newcastle flow. Step forward Welbeck. Ayari cleverly punched the ball diagonally through the lines and Wieffer raced towards the danger zone. A tackle flew in on the edge of the box, but Welbeck was present to sweep up the pieces.
The Toon had to throw caution to the wind, pulling off Guimaraes to put on William Osula as a second striker with Woltemade. But **Brighton**held onto the three points in an absorbing affair at the Amex.
Danny Welbeck will get all the plaudits for his brace, Yasin Ayari stood up tall in the midfield, and Lewis Dunk capped his performance with a brilliant last ditch sliding tackle. But the man who might have been best of the lot was the Seagulls’ mercurial French forward who can stitch things together.
Georginio Rutter is the type of player who would be key for the plan against Newcastle: a sharp technical executor who can carry through spaces and made quick decisions to connect in the final third. He did that expertly for the first goal and was a willing recipient between the lines.
The forward was not afraid to put in the dirty work, with a big tackle on Gordon as a highlight at the end of the first half, and his substitution for **Stefanos Tzimas**reflected recognition of his work rate.