Newcastle United’s unbeaten run came to an end on Sunday afternoon as Brighton defeated them 1-0.
The Magpies headed to the Amex Stadium in good form. They’d come off the back of three consecutive victories in the Premier League, and were looking to defeat a Brighton side who were looking to bounce back after losing to Bournemouth recently.
However, it was the Seagulls who came away with all three points on the day thanks to a poorly defended goal, tucked away by Tomer Hemed.
Rob Elliot made a string of good saves to keep Newcastle in it, and despite a late flurry of chances, the closest the visitors came was through Jonjo Shelvey, whose corner crashed off the post.
It was a disappointing defeat for Rafa Benitez’s men, and they’ll now look to bounce back in the coming weeks.
Here are our player ratings.
Rob Elliot - 8
Made some excellent saves, including one stretching block across the line with his foot. Helpless to prevent the goal.
DeAndre Yedlin - 6
Relatively solid. Solly March gave him a few problems.
Ciaran Clark - 5
Looked rather out of sorts.
Jamaal Lascelles - 5
Lascelles didn’t have his finest day in a Newcastle shirt. Picked up a rather sloppy yellow card near the end.
Chancel Mbemba - 6
Solid enough but didn’t contribute anything going forward. Perhaps that isn’t surprising given the positional change for him.
Isaac Hayden - 6
Kept things ticking over. Solid but unspectacular.
Mikel Merino - 7
A player evidently oozing with confidence. He had his head up at all times and was sharp in the middle.
Matt Ritchie - 5
His final product left a lot to be desired.
Ayoze Perez - 5
Another rather uninspiring display from Perez.
Christian Atsu - 5
Wasteful on the ball.
Joselu - 5
Should have converted a golden early chance.
Substitutes
Jonjo Shelvey – 7 – Added some driving force from deep. Made an impact.
Dwight Gayle – 6 – Looked lively but his efforts proved to be of no avail.
Jesus Gamez – N/A – Not on for long enough to give a rating.