Thank you very much for joining me. Here is Louise Taylor’s report from St James’ Park.
Howe: “We have to very quickly, mentally, move on to the match on Monday against Leicester. We were oustanding tonight.
“I think that is us at our first in that first period. Full credit to the players for what they gave physically. When Brighton scored it made things difficult for us but I think we were mature.”
Trippier: “It was a massive win. We knew we needed to get the three points. We wanted to start fast and be clinical.
“We’ve shown togetherness and handled the pressure well.”
Burn: “Credit to the lads, we stuck at it and especially Cal at the end. We’ve been so consistent all season but might have come off of that in the past couple of weeks.
“I’ve always wanted to get a Premier League goal for Newcastle. It feels amazing.”
Sheffield Wednesday are 3-0 up against Peterborough … only need one more goal.
Enciso and Almiron are making up after their little disagreement during the match. That’s a relief for the nation of Paraguay.
Full time: Newcastle 4-1 Brighton
It was a funny old game. Newcastle were very dominant but almost let Brighton back into the match. In the end Howe’s side got what they deserved thanks to some fine finishing in the second half. Three more points on Monday night against Leicester will confirm Newcastle’s spot in the Champions League for next season.
90+6 mins: Striker!
18 - @CallumWilson has scored 18 goals in the Premier League this season, the most by a Newcastle player since 2003-04 when @AlanShearer scored 22 goals. Salute. pic.twitter.com/utKWmkSnQl
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 18, 2023
90+5 mins: Wilson breaks free of the Brighton defence after the visitors are dispossessed due to some awful passing. The striker is through on goal but Steele is equal to the shot.
More subs … Joelinton and Trippier off, Targett and Manquillo on.
90+3 mins: In case you were wondering, eight minutes have been added on.
Isak and Almiron off, Gordon and Saint-Maximin on.
GOAL! Newcastle 4-1 Brighton (Guimaraes, 90+1)
The Brazilian fires home from 12 yards after fine work from Wilson inside the box.
Updated
GOAL! Newcastle 3-1 Brighton (Wilson, 89)
Almiron sends the ball through for Wilson to latch onto. He dribbles the ball 40 yards towards Steele and maintains composure to sidefoot home.
Updated
88 mins: Estupinan earns a corner off Trippier. The full back sends in the corner but the ball is cleared by a Newcastle head. Brighton come back at Newcastle but Enciso’s cross is straight at Pope.
86 mins: St James’ Park seems to be a touch anxious at the moment.
84 mins: Brighton’s final change sees Undav replaced by Peupion for his Premier League debut. He’s a 20-year-old Australian midfielder, in case you were wondering.
82 mins: Almiron and Enciso have a bit of a shouting match and a push. Lively from the Paraguayans.
80 mins: Isak lays the ball back to Guimares, who fires over from the edge of the box.
The referee then takes his time to book Van Hecke for a ludicrous lunge on Anderson.
78 mins: Brighton are certainly looking the livelier side going into the final stages.
76 mins: Howe uses the break in play to speak to his players.
Van Hecke misses the chance to attempt a pass to find Estupinan running through down the middle. Oh well.
74 mins: Enciso dribbles through the Newcastle midfield but his pass out to Mitoma is wayward. The Japan international just keeps it in play but Brighton lose momentum.
Joelinton is on the deck again. He seem to have an issue with his ankle/heel.
72 mins: Caicedo fouls Guimaraes but it is the Brighton man that ends up on the deck in pain. After a bit of moaning, he gets up.
70 mins: Caicedo gets down the right and whips in a cross towards the penalty spot where Enciso is waiting to flick at goal but he flashes his header wide.
Offiah is on for Gross, sending Caicedo into central midfield. This is only Offiah’s second Premier League appearance. Yes, he is related to Martin.
68 mins: Newcastle seem to be slowing down the play here. It could be part of a cunning plan …
66 mins: Trippier lifts a free-kick into the box and Newcastle claim a foul for a shirt pull but the referee isn’t having it. The excitement does not end there because the ball is crossed back in to Isak, who heads at goal, forcing Steele into a fine save, low to his right. Newcastle recycle the ball and Brighton are forced to clear it off the line.
64 mins: Mac Allister battles with Wilson in the centre circle but cannot deal with the striker’s strength and gives him a little kick to earn a booking.
Updated
62 mins: Joelinton is lying on the ground after challenging Van Hecke. He seems to have a head injury but should be fine.
“C’mon Brighton!” screams Rich Cutler. “I reckon we can pull two goals back, at least!
"Mind you, I thought we could pull three (four? I can’t remember...) back in the second half against Everton... Ah well. Gotta take it as it comes... ”
60 mins: Brighton open up Newcastle, getting the ball to Undav on the edge of the box. He has two decent options: to shoot or lay it to Mac Allister on the right. Instead he looks to Mitoma to the left and gives away possession.
Anderson is coming on for Willock, who looks to have knacked his hamstring.
58 mins: Gross goes into the book for a late challenge on Joelinton. The free-kick is in a fine position for Trippier to whip in another set-piece. The cross reaches Burn at the back post, from where he heads the ball back across goal but Brighton have the numbers in place to clear.
56 mins: Triple change for Brighton … Enciso, Ferguson and Mac Allister on – Gilmour, Welbeck and Buonanotte off.
54 mins: Well this has spiced things up. Brighton have not been part of the conversation in this match but are now only a goal behind. Will Newcastle get nervous?
52 mins: Newcastle almost restore their two-goal lead immediately. The ball is sent down the right to Almiron, he lifts his head up to find Wilson but the striker cannot control his volley.
GOAL! Newcastle 2-1 Brighton (Undav, 51)
It is all very easy for Brighton as a through ball dissects the Newcastle defence, allowing Undav to run onto it and slide a shot under Pope.
Updated
51 mins: Almost three! A cross is flicked to the back post by Isak to Almiron who volleys at goal but Steele is there to block it.
49 mins: A pass is fired into Wilson, who takes a poor touch, allowing Dunk to get back and take the ball.
47 mins: Brighton have kept the same 11 on the pitch. Will they be able to turn it around?
The early stages indicate not. Newcastle on top once more.
Second half
Here we go again!
Speaking of teams being 2-0 up … Sheffield Wednesday are leading Peterborough by that scoreline. They only need tow more to get it to extra time!
Brighton have not been in this match at all. Mac Allister and Enciso on at the break in a desperate attempt to turn things around?
Half time: Newcastle 2-0 Brighton
The hosts fully deserve their lead after a dominant first half which Brighton have struggled to compete in. The Seagulls have looked very disjointed after making changes in the aftermath of beating Arsenal.
Updated
GOAL! Newcastle 2-0 Brighton (Burn, 45+4)
Another fine delivery from Trippier is powered home by Burn after he gets away from his marker.
Updated
45+3 mins: Schar is booked for hitting Gilmour in the face. It’s getting quite spicy.
45+2 mins: Undav dives in from behind on Willock just outside the box and is rightly booked for his stupidity.
Meanwhile, Joelinton is fuming with Caicedo for blocking his path and causing him pain. The Brazilian needs to calm down.
45 mins: Two minutes added on.
44 mins: Gilmour lifts a ball to Buonanotte on the left flank. The teenager wags his finger at the assistant when the flag is hoisted to indicate offside. It’s a fine gesture but undermined by the fact he is about four yards off.
42 mins: Brighton break on Newcastle but it breaks down on the left when Mitoma is crowded out.
40 mins: Brighton give a free-kick away on the left, allowing Trippier to whip in another dangerous set-piece. He curls it towards the goalkeeper but the referee blows up for a free-kick for a foul on Van Hecke.
Brighton seem to feel guilty about this, so do some awful passing within their own area. Steele plays it to Gross facing his own goal and Joelinton dispossess him but the Seagulls just about recover to avoid conceding.
38 mins: After almost no involved thus far, Mitoma does something. He collects the ball in the left and flashes a rises shot wide.
36 mins: “The Liverpool fan in me is really hoping Guimaraes gets another yellow. Just saying,” just says Joe Pearson.
34 mins: Another Trippier corner causes problems inside the box. Brighton scrap to get it out but the ball comes straight back; Burn controls it and spins but a deflection sends his shot wide.
32 mins: Almiron sprints down the left with the ball at his feet. He feeds it to Schar inside the box, from where he flashes it across goal but there is no one there to knock into the empty net.
Prolific from Brighton.
6 - Brighton have scored six own goals in the Premier League this season, with only Leicester in 2003-04 (8) and Southampton in 2004-05 (7) ever scoring more in a single season; both sides were relegated. Woops. pic.twitter.com/EU430OvDW9
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 18, 2023
30 mins: Estupinan loses the ball to Almiron (again). The Paraguayan bursts into the box with the left-back chasing him. Almiron’s shot is blocked and Wilson picks it up but immediately goes down in the vicinity of Dunk. It looks like a dive and VAR accept it is not a foul.
Guimaraes goes into the book for a foul on Mitoma and then moans to the referee about it.
28 mins: Brighton have not bounced back from the goal. Newcastle still in the ascendency.
26 mins: De Zerbi is patrolling the technical area in the desperate hope he can get a simple message of “be better” to his players.
24 mins: A goal is what Newcastle have deserved and it has re-energised the crowd. Brighton really need to up their game. I suspect Mac Allister will be brought on early if things carry on like this.
GOAL! Newcastle 1-0 Brighton (Undav, 22)
Trippier’s corner is headed into his own net by Undav.
Updated
22 mins: It is all Newcastle still but they have not found that perfect chance yet despite their dominance. The only Brighton players to touch the ball are the goalkeeper and centre-backs.
Joelinton slips into space inside the box and spins to shoot but Dunk is there to block the goalbound shot.
20 mins: Schar has been given a bloody nose and is off while someone sticks a bit of tissue up there to solve the problem.
Trippier whips in a corner from the left which Steele flaps at with such incompetence that he misses the ball and earns a goal-kick.
18 mins: Caicedo commits a foul throw. That should drop his value by about £20m.
16 mins: Brighton love playing with fire. Steele just about gets away with a Cruyff turn inside his own box with Almiron putting him under pressure.
Down the other end … Welbeck takes aim from 25 yards but it does not trouble Pope.
Updated
14 mins: Estupinan loses the ball on the left, allowing Almiron to pick it up and attack down the left. The Paraguayan cuts in and plays a one-two with Wilson before wafting a tired shot wide.
12 mins: “I don’t want to draw attention away from Tyneside,” says Bill Preston, “but there’s going to be an absolute corker of a game in fewer than twenty (count ‘em) minutes as Sheffield Wednesday get a colossal stomp at home on to overturn a four (count ‘em) goal deficit against Peterborough and progress to the League One play off finals after a season of thrilling heroics and run on sentences. Have a great one!”
It would be one of the great turnarounds …
10 mins: Schar whacks a free-kick from 30 yards but it is straight at Steele. It is all Newcastle here.
Speaking of which … Almiron gets to the byline and pings a pull-back to Willock but he cannot control his shot and it flashes wide.
8 mins: Brighton pass it around the back for a few seconds and then Dunk to whacks it straight up the pitch to no man. It leads to a Newcastle attack with Isak getting down the left, he crosses the ball into the six-yard box and hits Steele in the legs. The danger is not cleared because the ball ricochets off a defender and needs to be cleared off the line.
6 mins: A first sight of goal for Newcastle and Isak. The Swede cuts in from the left and rattles off a shot but it flies well wide of the goal.
There is another chance soon after when the ball lands at Almiron’s feet in the box but it is well blocked by Van Hecke.
4 mins: All pretty quiet – on the pitch and in the stands - in the opening stages.
Updated
2 mins: Caicedo is starting at right-back for Brighton once more. Gross is in midfield.
Undav tries a shot from about 25 yards but it is blocked.
Kick off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
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Chris Paraskevas is eager: “G’Day Will! It’s a 04:30 local kick-off here. I’ve just ducked outside for a quick pre-game durry, only to find the resident neighbourhood cat staring into my soul - can’t be a good sign. Gone are the days when Brighton were just a throaway line in an overly-dramatized movie about Brian Clough’s life. I genuinely fear they’re about to do a number on us. Better get back to my coffee...the cat is at the door waiting for its daily milk hit. HTL!”
You will learn nothing here.
@Will_Unwin following this MBM surreptitiously during an educational trucking seminar in Phoenix, AZ. pic.twitter.com/ZL0ipvtBIW
— ReikiReset (@ReikiReset) May 18, 2023
Peter Oh is all about pedigree: “Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke is the nephew of former Dutch international and erstwhile Southampton manager Jan Poortvliet, who started for the Netherlands in that epic World Cup Final in 1978 against Argentina. Pedigree!”
Will Brighton lose Caicedo and Mac Allister this summer? Almost certainly but they will get a load of cash for them.
Eddie Howe: “I feel the players have prepared well, they are in a good place, they know what they need to do. It is up to us to deliver.
“We believe in the players and how we play. With the spirit of the crowd, hopefully we can play well.”
Premier League on a Thursday night is discombobulating. I struggle to know which night of the week it is regardless and this is not helping.
Brighton have a very jazzy kit colour.
Time to get warm at St James’ Park! 🔥🏃♂️ pic.twitter.com/ZzgYxQngxe
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) May 18, 2023
Former Middlesbrough goalkeeper Jason Steele starts for Brighton. He will be aiming to help cause an upset. He has been incredibly impressive since taking over as No 1 from Robert Sanchez after waiting a long time for his chance.
Updated
Welcome to all our readers in Paraguay where this game is massive. Admittedly, Enciso is on the bench.
Get in the mood for the match with some pure Gazza.
Newcastle have named teenage midfielder Lewis Miley on the bench after withdrawing him from England’s squad for the Under-17 European Championships.
Starting lineups
Newcastle: Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Guimaraes, Willock, Joelinton; Almiron, Wilson, Isak
Subs: Dubravka, Dummett, Gordon, Saint-Maximin, Lewis, Targett, Manquillo, Anderson, Miley
Brighton: Steele; Gross, Dunk, Van Hecke, Estupinan; Caicedo, Gilmour; Mitoma, Undav, Buonanotte; Welbeck
Subs: McGill, Mac Allister, Enciso, Ayari, Ferguson, Offiah, Moran, Peupion, Samuels
Welcome
We are 10 days away from the end of the Premier League season and Brighton have four games to play. They continue their quest for Europe tonight at Newcastle, who have more than a little interest in playing continental football next season.
A win tonight for Eddie Howe’s men would put a Champions League spot within touching distance. Newcastle have enjoyed a fantastic season and it would be a fine ending to win at St James’ Park tonight and against Leicester on Monday to seal their return to Europe’s top table.
Robert De Zerbi will not make things easy for them and come into this off the back of all-but-ending Arsenal’s title hopes at the weekend. That victory at the Emirates should see the title race over by Sunday night, meaning City could be a more agreeable proposition next Thursday at the Amex, giving Brighton great hope of securing sixth.
Anyway … let’s hope for a cracker from two in-form teams.
Kick-off: 7.30pm BST
