Newcastle secured a point at Brighton as they look to secure Champions League football while Brentford and Manchester United played out a classic The final report is in, and it comes in courtesy of Jonathan Wilson from the Amex. Updated at 17.05 CEST2d ago16.59 CEST“Did autofill substitute ‘supposed’ for ‘surprise’, or is this some British irony I don’t get as a dumb Midwesterner?” writes Joe Pearson. It was a weird game that never seemed like being particularly thrilling. Large parts were pedestrian. But who can complain about seven goals? 2d ago16.58 CESTFull time: Brighton 1-1 NewcastleNote a bad point overall for Newcastle but with Champions League football on the line, the two dropped could prove key. Updated at 17.07 CEST2d ago16.56 CESTFull time! Brentford 4-3 Manchester UnitedThe Bees with a supposed seven-goal thriller. 2d ago16.55 CESTBrentford 4-3 Manchester United: Bayindir produces a fine save to stop Wissa from sealing the win. 2d ago16.54 CESTFull time! West Ham 1-1 TottenhamThe points are shared. 2d ago16.54 CESTBrighton 1-1 Newcastle: WHAT A SAVE! Wilson ping a shot from eight yards and Verbruggen tips it over. 2d ago16.54 CESTGOAL Brentford 4-3 Manchester United (Diallo 90+4)GAME ON 2d ago16.51 CESTBrighton 1-1 Newcastle: Veltman cleans out Gordon on the left wing to give Newcastle a free-kick in a dangerous position. It comes to nothing. 2d ago16.49 CESTBrentford 4-2 Manchester United: SEVEN ADDED ON! (THIS MATTERS LESS) 2d ago16.49 CESTBrighton 1-1 Newcastle: NINE MINUTES ADDED ON! Updated at 16.50 CEST2d ago16.47 CESTGOAL! Brighton 1-1 Newcastle (Isak, pen, 89)Isak steps up … and sends the keeper the wrong way. Then fights Verbruggen to get the ball back. 2d ago16.46 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: A long look … AND A PENALTY IS GIVEN! Third time lucky for Newcastle. 2d ago16.45 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: VAR is having a look … 2d ago16.45 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: PENALTY The visitors have a free-kick in a very dangerous position on the edge of the box … Schar lines it up it breaks through the wall off Ayari’s arm 2d ago16.41 CESTGOAL Brentford 4-2 Manchester United (Garnacho 81)The Argentinian produces a stunner into the top corner plays a one-two with Eriksen and whips it into the top corner 2d ago16.38 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: O’Reilly is penalised for a foul on Tonali in the Newcastle box. 2d ago16.38 CESTWest Ham 1-1 Tottenham: Paqueta is booked for trip the young lad Moore. 2d ago16.35 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: “I loathe VAR, but at least it’s doing its job today,” says Paul (a bitter Boro fan). “Two dodgy penalties to Newcastle? Sounds about right. I’ve long thought St. James Park is the Bermuda Triangle of football. A place where normal laws of football apply only to the away team.” 2d ago16.35 CESTGOAL Brentford 4-1 Manchester United (Wissa 74)Jensen slips a pass through to Kayode who crosses for Wissa to tap home from close range There is a check for offside … and it is eventually given 2d ago16.32 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Wilson is being prepared for Newcastle. 2d ago16.31 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: NO PENALTY Fair play to Pawson for admitting a second error A decent effort by Willock but not good enough Brentford 3-1 Manchester United (Schade 70)Mbeumo crosses and Schade does the rest 2d ago16.27 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Ayari and Veltman on for Brighton, Hinshelwood and Adringa off. 2d ago16.26 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Barnes beats the defender, gets to the byline and pulls the ball back to Isak who does what he can, sending a backheel towards goal but Verbruggen deals with it. 2d ago16.24 CESTWest Ham 1-1 Tottenham: All quite end of season on the other side of London, where Spurs win their first corner of the matchin the 61st minute. 2d ago16.23 CESTBrentford 2-1 Manchester United: Jensen is preparing to come on for the Bees. 2d ago16.23 CESTBrentford 2-1 Manchester United: It is all quite slow in west London. Are both teams very tired? 2d ago16.22 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Barnes is on the right now and cuts in to fire a shot with his left but it’s straight at the keeper. 2d ago16.17 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: OVERTURNED 2d ago16.16 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: PENALTY? Lamptey kicks Gordon just outside the box but a penalty is given. Will it be overturned? 2d ago16.15 CESTBrentford 2-1 Manchester United: Former Bees man Eriksen is brought on for Mount. 2d ago16.14 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: That is the final action for Murphy, who is replaced by Gordon. 2d ago16.13 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Murphy takes aim from 20 yards but his shot is very wayward. 2d ago16.12 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Wieffer is replaced by Lamptey. No point in taking the risk with him as Brighton do not want to go down to 10. 2d ago16.10 CESTBrentford 2-1 Manchester United: Garnacho is booked for moaning about being penalised for a soft foul. 2d ago16.10 CESTBrighton 1-0 Newcastle: Wieffer slides in on Tonali He is on a booking but Pawson does not think it is worthy of a second Newcastle United escaped the Amex Stadium with a point after Alexander Isak scored a last-gasp penalty in a 1-1 Premier League draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday in a key result for their chase of Champions League qualification Newcastle are fourth in the table on 63 points with three games remaining, three points ahead of Chelsea and Nottingham Forest who both have a game in hand Minteh scored against his former team with Brighton's first decent opportunity of the match in the 28th minute when he cut the ball inside to his left foot before unleashing a blistering shot through a crowd into the far corner Newcastle United escaped the Amex Stadium with a point after Alexander Isak scored a last-gasp penalty in a 1-1 Premier League draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday in a key result for their chase of Champions League qualification Newcastle are fourth in the table on 63 points with three games remaining, three points ahead of Chelsea and Nottingham Forest who both have a game in hand. Brighton are 10th. Minteh scored against his former team with Brighton's first decent opportunity of the match in the 28th minute when he cut the ball inside to his left foot before unleashing a blistering shot through a crowd into the far corner. Image source, ReutersImage caption, Alexander Isak has scored 23 goals in the Premier League this season Alexander Isak earned a draw for Newcastle with a late penalty against Brighton at Amex Stadium. Brighton were on course for a narrow win as they led through Yankuba Minteh with stoppage time approaching. Newcastle had been awarded two penalties that were overturned by the video assistant referee (VAR) before being handed a third when Yasin Ayari used his arm to block Fabian Schar's free-kick. After a lengthy review, the on-field decision stood and Isak coolly converted to take his tally in the league to 23 goals for the season. A draw was fully deserved for Newcastle as they pushed and probed throughout the encounter on the south coast. Brighton mustered just three further shots after breaking the deadlock in the 28th minute as they struggled to find any rhythm. They did have a shout for a penalty of their own when Matt O'Riley appeared to have been caught by Sandro Tonali, but referee Craig Pawson waved away the appeals. Newcastle substitute Callum Wilson went close to snatching all three points in stoppage time when he forced Bart Verbruggen to make a fine save. The draw does no great favours to either side in their respective challenges for Europe, with Brighton staying 10th and Newcastle remaining fourth. Premier League: Brentford put four past Man Utd, Isak earns Newcastle draw Proud of Seagulls but have to focus on next match - Hurzeler Brighton felt euphoric last weekend after two late goals saw them come from behind to pick up a much-needed 3-2 victory against West Ham - ending a five-game winless streak. However, they did not appear to carry confidence from that result into this encounter and got a taste of their own medicine with Isak's late penalty denying them all three points. Minteh earlier showed great composure in a crowded box to craft space and curl cutely into the far corner to score for the sixth time this campaign, but it was against the run of play. The Gambia forward joined Brighton from Newcastle in a £30m deal last summer - after not making a single appearance for the Magpies. He was happy to celebrate in front of the travelling fans - pointing at his badge and then the floor. It took Brighton another 52 minutes to have their next shot as they were penned back by a Newcastle side desperate to take something from the game. Home boss Fabian Hurzeler turned to his bench but could not find the right formula to get Brighton up the field and eventually the pressure told. With three difficult remaining fixtures to come against Wolves, Liverpool and Tottenham, Brighton's hopes of qualifying for Europe are starting to look slim. Magpies not at clinical best in front of goal - Howe When a second on-field penalty decision was overturned with the help of VAR, Eddie Howe must have been thinking this was not going to be Newcastle's day. Both interventions from the VAR were correct, though, with the first incident rightly chalked off due to Tariq Lamptey's foul on Anthony Gordon having happened outside the 18-yard box, while the second saw Joe Willock awarded a yellow card for diving. It was third time lucky for the Carabao Cup winners, albeit after a lengthy VAR review, when Ayari clearly moved his arm towards the ball as Schar's free-kick was heading towards goal. Isak is exactly the man you want over a high-pressure penalty in the last minute and he did not miss a beat as he sent Verbruggen the wrong way. The Sweden striker has scored the most goals by a Newcastle player in a Premier League season since club legend Alan Shearer also hit 23 in 2001-02. Brighton could have had no qualms had Newcastle snatched all three points when Wilson unleashed a powerful shot in the sixth minute of additional time. The draw will leave Newcastle - who had won six of their past seven league outings - with mixed feelings, knowing that victory could have propelled them up to third but a loss would have left them with a huge target on their back. Newcastle face Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton in their final three games as they look to hold on to a top five spot, which would secure a return to the Champions League. After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made Yellow Card at 90 minutes plus 3Substituteshome team Brighton & Hove AlbionManager: Fabian Hürzeler Yellow Card at 90 minutes plus 3SubstitutesNumber 26 Wilson Match OfficialsReferee: Craig PawsonVideo Assistant Referee: Andy MadleyAssistant Referee 1: Timothy WoodAssistant Referee 2: Wade SmithFourth Official: Steve MartinAssistant VAR Official: Scott LedgerMatch StatsKey you need to enable JavaScript in your browser Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United AudioBrighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United 2:00:00Head to HeadSeason so farPremier League Scroll LeftScroll RightNewcastle are winless in all seven of their away Premier League games against Brighton (D4 L3) the joint-most they have visited an opponent in the competition without ever winning (also 7 v Watford & Wimbledon) It’s the outright most Brighton have faced a side without losing at home in the Premier League Brighton could complete their third league double over Newcastle after 1978-79 (second tier) and 2020-21 (Premier League) Brighton have already beaten Newcastle twice in all competitions this season 1-0 in the reverse Premier League fixture and 2-1 in the FA Cup fifth round The last side they won three games against in a single campaign were Wycombe Wanderers in 2009-10 while they have never beaten an opponent three times in a season as a top-flight side Brighton are one of two sides in the Premier League this season who’ve both scored and conceded 55+ goals (56 for each of their last 11 matches has seen at least three goals scored with 45 in total (4.1 per game) Newcastle United have won 19 Premier League matches this season and are looking to win 20 in a season for the first time since 2002-03 under Sir Bobby Robson (21) Eddie Howe would also become the first English manager since Frank Lampard with Chelsea in 2019-20 to win 20 Premier League games in a season no side has won more Premier League matches than Newcastle United (P19 W14 D0 L5) while champions Liverpool are the only teams to score more goals in that time (51) than the Magpies have (46) Brighton and Hove Albion have won four Premier League matches when they’ve trailed this season their most ever in a single campaign in the competition while the 17 points they’ve gained from losing positions is also their most in a season Newcastle United have won 27 Premier League matches by a margin of three or more goals the only side with more is Manchester City (38) while Howe has the most of these wins in Premier League history among Englishmen (38 – also 11 with Bournemouth) two more than the next best (Harry Redknapp Alexander Isak has scored 22 Premier League goals this season the most by a Newcastle player since Alan Shearer in 2003-04 (22) while Shearer was the last player with more (23 in 2001-02) Brighton are the only side he’s faced more than once without scoring against Kaoru Mitoma has scored in each of his last two Premier League appearances for Brighton the sixth time he’s scored in back-to-back games in the competition though he’s never scored in three in a row Sandro Tonali (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half Foul by Yasin Ayari (Brighton and Hove Albion) Lewis Dunk (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half Callum Wilson (Newcastle United) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal Diego Gómez (Brighton and Hove Albion) header from the centre of the box misses to the left Assisted by Brajan Gruda with a cross following a set piece situation Pervis Estupiñán (Brighton and Hove Albion) wins a free kick on the left wing Danny Welbeck (Brighton and Hove Albion) is shown the yellow card Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United) wins a free kick on the left wing Foul by Joël Veltman (Brighton and Hove Albion) Fourth official has announced 9 minutes of added time Leeds United are planning wholesale changes to their squad this summer as the club prepare to embark on their quest of establishing themselves back in the Premier League – and the likely first three players due to depart have come to light and with Paraag Marathe having explained why sales this summer WILL be necessary The Whites celebrated their dramatic coronation as Championship champions on Monday – sealed by Manor Solomon’s 91st-minute winner at Plymouth on the final day on Saturday – with a open-top bus parade with hundreds of thousands of supporters lining the streets of Leeds to celebrate Daniel Farke’s promotion-winning heroes But while the players who sealed the job can now look forward to a long break, behind the scenes Leeds United are working hard on re-shaping their squad ahead of the very obvious challenge of surviving in the Premier League two respected voices in the world of the Whites have revealed three players they now expect to depart Elland Road at the end of the season while doubts have emerged over four more stars too the first man out the door could well be Illan Meslier Speaking recently on The Athletic’s podcast I struggle to see being first choice at Leeds again But the way in which it has happened this season dropping out of the team on the back of two or three years of downward spiral “It makes you think he needs a fresh start and Leeds need to go after a new first-choice goalkeeper The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth has also confirmed our story from last week that Patrick Bamford has likely now played his last game for Leeds bringing an end to his seven-year stint at Elland Road “In my head, next summer, Bamford leaves. That means Leeds will already be one down. I would probably be thinking we’ll get a 9 but keep Piroe, a very good finisher, as a sub and keep Mateo Joseph to develop,” he said on the Inside Elland Road podcast The Whites are also expected to bid farewell to veteran midfielder Josuha Guilavogui who moved to Elland Road on a free transfer in October as Leeds sought to bring in midfield cover for the injuries sustained to Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev The Frenchman is out of contract on July 1 READ MORE ⚪🔵🟡 Bamford lines up shock Champ move as Leeds turn to veteran Prem goal-grabber TEAMtalk understands that the Whites will listen to offers for Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood while Sam Byram will also likely depart as a free agent at the end of his deal and loan star Joe Rothwell are still to be made though the Whites are intent on keeping Tottenham loanee Solomon Having this weekend confirmed that Farke will continue as manager in the Premier League next season Marathe has now confirmed that players will likely have to leave this summer and that big-money sales are not out the window altogether “Your speculation is probably right – it’s going to be a mix of inbounds along with outbounds,” he told BBC Radio Leeds We are looking at maximising what we can do Leeds are also looking to bring in lots of Premier League experience to enhance their chances of beating the drop and there is a growing belief that a deal for Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff could be one of the first deals over the line The midfielder has been on his hometown team’s books all his career but has fallen down the pecking order under Eddie Howe this season And while he has made 31 appearances in all competitions across the 2024/25 campaign Newcastle are understood to be ready to green light his exit if an asking price of around £10m is sent their way this summer — James Marshment (@marshyleeds) May 5, 2025 He’s been a brilliant servant to the football club,” Howe said during a press conference last week he can dictate what happens with his future He’s still a very valued member of the squad With Leeds seeking a new goalkeeper, one man who could fill that position is Caoimhin Kelleher. Now Liverpool have named their final price for the Irishman to leave this summer Leeds and Chelsea all learning his likely next destination Meanwhile, Leeds have added Troy Parrott to their striker shortlist for the summer window with the former Tottenham man under consideration along with two Premier League forwards And finally, there is also growing optimism that a deal for Manor Solomon will also seen be done after sources told us that Tottenham are open to the Israeli’s sale this summer and with Leeds growing increasingly confident a deal will soon be agreed Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Magpies remain fourth ahead of crucial St James’ Park clash despite the two clubs now sharing an identical points tally and goal difference Sport | Football featuring team news and expert analysis from Malik Ouzia I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice The crowded race for a top-five finish in the Premier League looks set to go right down to the wire With Liverpool wrapping up the title with four games to spare and all three relegated teams confirmed weeks in advance a fierce battle for Champions League qualification next term is taking centre stage in the final weeks of a memorable season Normally it’s only the top-four finishers in the Premier League that book a position among Europe’s elite though fifth place will also be enough in this campaign thanks to Arsenal’s quarter-final first-leg win over Real Madrid that sealed England a top-two slot in UEFA's association club coefficient rankings and led to a coveted European Performance Spot (EPS) English football could still have as many as 10 representatives across the three European competitions next season depending on how things work out in the coming weeks and in the various continental finals and FA Cup showpiece at Wembley Aimee Lou Wood says she criticised SNL sketch to not ‘spiral inwardly’ Eberechi Eze on target again as Crystal Palace made to settle for a point Neville hails Chelsea star with Ronaldo comparison: 'In same sentence' How Give Your Best aims to solve clothing poverty in the UK It’s a truly fascinating battle with so many caveats not least the fact that Chelsea still have to play both Newcastle and Forest before the end of the season Newcastle left it late to claim a share of the spoils after a lively second half against Brighton with top scorer Alexander Isak netting an 89th-minute equaliser from the spot in a 1-1 draw after Yasin Ayari’s handball from a Fabian Schar free-kick having trailed to a first-half effort from ex-Toon player Yankuba Minteh and seen two other penalty awards overturned by VAR That was followed by arguably Chelsea’s biggest win of the season at home to a Liverpool side who made six changes with the title already clinched with Cole Palmer also stepping up with a last-gasp penalty after Jarell Quansah had fouled Moises Caicedo with seconds to go in stoppage time to finally end his long drought of 18 games without a goal across all competitions dating back to mid-January Enzo Fernandez had finished off a fine move to give Chelsea a third-minute lead with the earliest league goal netted at Stamford Bridge since 2017 before Virgil van Dijk’s late header from a cornet set up a nervy finish after his earlier clearance had bounced in for an own goal off the unfortunate Quansah A third straight win for the likely Conference League finalists brought Chelsea level on points with Newcastle after they dropped two at the Amex Stadium while a two-goal swing also saw them equal their rivals’ goal difference of +21 Newcastle remain ahead of Chelsea leading up to Sunday’s pivotal meeting on Tyneside due to the fact that they have scored more goals than their next opponents as things stand - 66 to 62 Overall goal difference and goals scored are the primary tiebreakers in that order in the Premier League if points are level It is worth noting that Forest’s goal difference is currently +12 so they would not have leapfrogged Chelsea or Newcastle if they won at Selhurst Park on Monday Nuno Espirito Santo’s surprise package have also scored far fewer than both of those rivals with 54 - one fewer than Aston Villa whose goal difference is worse still at +6 Prince Louis steals the show at VE Day parade as he keeps dad William looking sharp and mimics brother George Prince Louis steals show with sweet antics at VE parade Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in major blow for Putin ahead of Victory Day celebrations Ukraine 'launches stunning Kursk offensive' in blow for Putin VE Day 2025 fashion: best looks from the day VE Day 2025 fashion: Princess of Wales to Lady Victoria Starmer New visa crackdown as Home Office plans to restrict applications from nationalities most likely to overstay New visa crackdown as Home Office plans to restrict applications London student nurse's roommate charged with her murder in Texas after fatal stabbing 'in row over cat' Roommate charged after London student nurse stabbed to death in Texas Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has reignited excitement among Newcastle United supporters making trips to St James’ Park something to look forward to again The Magpies’ owners have achieved this by making some outstanding signings We most recently ranked Newcastle’s PIF signings in January 2024 – check that out if you are intrigued by how much we have changed The bottom line is that this goes down as a £20million signing in the history books and paying £20m for a third-choice goalkeeper is beyond stupid READ MORE: PSR deals dominate list of five transfers with £80m of unaccounted value He did rack up 17 league appearances that year but only six came as a starter Injuries and falling further down the pecking order limited Targett to just three appearances last season and he has played a grand total of 19 minutes this campaign incidentally accumulated across two matches against his former side Villa Wood left Newcastle for Nottingham Forest a year after joining initially signing on loan before joining permanently for around £15m He struggled for a while but a hat-trick away to Newcastle seemed to spark something in him nobody knew was laying dormant This season, as we all know, the 33-year-old has been electric, scoring 19 goals in 31 appearances so far as Forest chase Champions League football Kelly joined from Bournemouth on a Bosman last summer but failed to impress before earning a bizarre move to Juventus in January That transfer should become permanent but nothing is guaranteed Newcastle will hope to pocket £20m and record that as some crucial pure profit to help fund a huge 2025 summer transfer window Howe’s side are relying on Juve qualifying for any European competition for the buy obligation to be triggered and if they fail to do so Newcastle reluctantly sold Minteh – signed from Odense Boldklub for £6m in June 2023 – to Brighton last summer for £30m as the club’s hierarchy feared a potential PSR breach This was a transfer that frustrated fans given Howe’s need for a new right-sided forward but Minteh has not been missed thanks to Jacob Murphy performing well above expectations this season He has been hot and cold for much of his Magpies career but Harvey Barnes has been in and out of the team – which believe it or not and understanding the tactics being deployed The ex-Leicester City winger has had his fair share of minutes this season and has capitalised, specifically since the turn of the year. He started the Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool and has four goals and four assists in his last seven Premier League appearances £30m was a risk for a young player with a cruciate ligament tear on their injury report but the 22-year-old has recovered well from that and certainly has the potential to be the Geordies’ long-term starting right-back with Hall on the other side Pope might not be the most convincing with the ball at his feet but he is undoubtedly a very solid goalkeeper and has been crucial since the start of 2022/23 The fact Newcastle have looked fine without him in goal and were debatably better with Martin Dubravka has knocked Pope down a spot or two He really needs to overcome his fitness issues because Botman is a crucial player for Newcastle – if he can return to the level he was playing in 2022/23 The betting ban defined Sandro Tonali’s first season at Newcastle and led many to write him off but he’s been absolutely world-class this year Gordon has 22 goals and 23 assists in 102 appearances for Newcastle and has established himself as one of the best wingers in the country He needs Harvey Barnes to have a stinker soon to get back in the team READ MORE: Newcastle have a gem in Gordon and we have never been so wrong about a player Trippier was the first big name through the door under the new Saudi regime and he led by example from day one the Brazil international would walk into any starting XI in world football He wears his heart on his sleeve and his passion makes him the sort of player capable of endearing himself to any supporter Isak has 53 goals in 83 Premier League matches after scoring 33 in 105 La Liga matches for Real Sociedad He also netted some crucial goals en route to Carabao glory and is the one player in this Newcastle team we think is truly irreplaceable No matter how much the income from his potential exit can potentially help them in the long run it won’t be more beneficial than keeping him READ NOW: Ten Premier League stars at risk of being poached by Real Madrid in summer rebuild © Planet Sport Limited 2025 • All Rights Reserved Chelsea boosted their hopes of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League with a 3-1 victory over champions Liverpool at Stamford Bridge ending a four-month goal drought when netting a 96th-minute penalty Chelsea remain fifth but now have a three-point cushion over sixth-place Nottingham Forest, who play Crystal Palace on Monday Chelsea are also level on points with fourth-placed Newcastle United whom they play at St James' Park next weekend The Blues opened the scoring after just three minutes. Palmer led a swift counter before finding Pedro Neto whose low cross was neatly controlled and finished by Fernandez Liverpool looked to respond, with Cody Gakpo calling Robert Sanchez into action from a tight angle while Neto hit the side-netting at the other end Chelsea thought they had doubled their lead just before half-time when Noni Madueke rounded Alisson and slotted home. However, the joy was short-lived with Nicolas Jackson penalised for offside during the build-up The hosts did get their second goal in fortuitous circumstances 11 minutes after the restart as Van Dijk’s attempted clearance from a Palmer cross ricocheted off Quansah and back into the net Palmer struck a post from a tight angle, before Liverpool’s late pressure at the other end eventually culminated in Van Dijk powering home from Alexis Mac Allister’s corner But Liverpool's hopes of averting only their third league defeat of the season faded deep into stoppage time, when Palmer slotted home from the spot after Quansah felled Moises Caicedo Seeking a third straight Premier League win, Enzo Maresca named an unchanged starting XI for the first time since November, against Manchester United After giving the new champions a "Guard of Honour", the Blues’ confidence was evident as they were quick out of the blocks and soon ahead through Fernandez. Timed at two minutes and 47 seconds, it was their earliest league goal since Antonio Rudiger netted just 14 seconds earlier against Stoke City in December 2017 they eventually gained breathing space through Quansah’s own goal The hosts’ concentration levels were tested as Liverpool increased the pressure in search for a way back into the game Chelsea never really looked like surrendering it and put the contest to bed with virtually the last kick of the game as Palmer capped a fine individual performance by ending his 18-match goal drought Attention now turns to the second leg of the Conference League semi-final against Djurgarden, before their Champions League qualification quest resumes at St James’ Park against top-five rivals Newcastle United Fresh from securing their second Premier League title last weekend, Arne Slot’s much-changed side received a guard of honour as they made their way onto the Stamford Bridge turf We explain history behind the guard of honour as the 2024/25 title-winners receive one at Stamford Bridge There were six alterations in all and the Reds were slow to settle with Chelsea punishing them by striking inside just three minutes Liverpool struggled to generate a decent attacking threat over the remainder of the first half Slot’s side were much-improved after falling 2-0 behind, with Van Dijk and Darwin Nunez off target from headers Their pressure eventually told when Van Dijk made no mistake five minutes from time it was too late to avert a third defeat in four visits to London A disappointing afternoon for Quansah continued when he caught Caicedo late allowing Palmer to seal the points for the hosts Slot will be eager for his side to finish the season with improvement, starting next weekend against second-place Arsenal at Anfield Chelsea report | Liverpool report Enzo Maresca: "Very important three points playing the way we want and they forced us to use a different plan Chelsea has to fight for Champions League and hopefully in the future we can fight for something more important In this moment we are there and hopefully we can finish there." Arne Slot: "For many things I didn't see a drop off we could see why we have won this league - we brought the ball out from the back really well We came back after being 2-0 down and we didn't give up In some moments a few percentages were not there." Liverpool are only the fourth team to lose their first league match after they were crowned Premier League champions after Arsenal in 1997/98 (vs Liverpool) Chelsea in 2005/06 (vs Blackburn) and the Reds themselves in 2019/20 (vs Manchester City) Chelsea recorded a victory over Liverpool for the first time since March 2021 ending a run of 10 matches without a win against the Reds in all competitions (D7 L3) Only John Terry (19) and Dion Dublin (14) have scored more headed goals from corners in Premier League history than Van Dijk (13) The Liverpool captain is the top scoring defender in the competition since his first full season with the Reds in 2018/19 (21) Palmer ended a run of 1,162 minutes without a goal in the Premier League – he had the most shots (5) made the joint-most passes ending in the final third (13) and had the joint-most touches in the opposition box (8) of any Chelsea player in today’s win over Liverpool Michael Owen and Steve Cooper discuss the top-five race and who they think will be in the competition next season Your entry has been submitted successfully Please check your email for further information The independent voice of Newcastle United since 1988 Get your daily update and weekly newsletter by signing up today Dermot Gallagher reviews controversial decisions in the Premier League after each round of games The former top referee has now given his call on these incidents in the Brighton v Newcastle match Dermot Gallagher looking at what happened during key moments in this match at the Amex Stadium After 20 Premier League matches where Newcastle United had won 14 and lost six this was the first PL draw for NUFC since the 3-3 against Liverpool five months ago (4 December 2024) Dermot Gallagher talking to Sky Sports about these Brighton v Newcastle controversial incidents: Having already been booked after a foul on Harvey Barnes Mats Wieffer then with a reckless challenge on Sandro Tonali that left the Italian needing lengthy treatment Match referee Craig Pawson choosing not to give a second yellow and red card “I think he [Mats Wieffer] is lucky not to be sent off “The manager has dragged him off [straight after that Tonali challenge] and that speaks volumes.” I think this is a classic case of a referee bottling it when it comes to a big decision If Wieffer hadn’t already been booked then for sure Craig Pawson would have booked him for the really poor challenge on Tonali As we approached the end of the 90 minutes Harvey Barnes wins a free-kick right on the edge of the penalty area Fabian Schar takes the free-kick and Brighton’s Yasin Ayari clearly handles the ball with his arm well away from his body For some reason VAR taking ages to confirm the referee’s award of an obvious penalty “I think it [the handball] is a good spot by Craig Pawson he moves his hand towards the ball.” Dermot Gallagher also ruling that the two penalties for Newcastle United that were overturned by VAR Brighton 1 Newcastle 1 – Sunday 4 May 2025 2pm (Stats via BBC Sport) Shots on target were Newcastle 5 Brighton 2 Touches in the box Newcastle 32 Brighton 17 (Brighton 1 Newcastle 1 – Match ratings and comments on all Newcastle United players – Read HERE) (Brighton 1 Newcastle 1 – Instant Newcastle United fan/writer reaction – Read HERE) View Author Profile If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk Newcastle United loan player releases emotional farewell statement to fans Official Newcastle United announcement- Garang Kuol shortlisted for award Confirmed Newcastle team v Brighton – Schar Sky Sports expert’s verdict on Newcastle United – Struggle to disagree with any of this Brighton 1 Newcastle 1 – Instant Newcastle United fan/writer reaction Opta predicted final 2024/25 Premier League table – Reassessed with 3 games each to play Danny Murphy on Eddie Howe and Newcastle United – This is really good I don’t worry about Newcastle United – Clinton Morrison Champions League stance Wayne Rooney verdict on Newcastle United No parade will snake through adoring crowds in the centre of the city No joyous tears will be shed or speeches delivered But in a season when Newcastle United have finally ended their long wait for a trophy The possibility represents a half-achievement for Eddie Howe and his team which is all the more impressive given the headwinds they have faced Might the Premier League title be the next bit of silverware in Newcastle’s sights It has been on the bigger-picture agenda at St James’ Park since the club’s Saudi-led takeover in October 2021 stated that the plan was to be competing for all the big prizes within five to 10 years it is not an unrealistic question to ponder now Newcastle have won 20 of their past 26 matches an unparalleled run of form (contained within a single season) in their existence as a Premier League club they are better than they have ever been and better than their rivals Newcastle have not been playing in the Champions League games which are extremely difficult to win Howe has had more time to work with a tight squad that has not been stretched unlike a year ago when their return to Europe coincided with a dreadful list of injuries And victory is not the only metric that matters Newcastle have not drawn a game since sharing six goals with Liverpool on December 4 an anomalous statistic that skews the overall landscape they lose – and often lose badly – either in the sense of who they’re playing or the circumstances: 4-1 at home to Bournemouth Liverpool have lost twice in the Premier League this season and only once since mid-September a level of consistency that lifts them above the rest of the division and 15 points clear of Arsenal Draws are important because they keep your points tally ticking over mid-season numbers are ultimately meaningless Newcastle have won 14 of their past 19 fixtures both Newcastle and Liverpool (who have played a game more) with no other team winning more than 11 times Liverpool have picked up 47 points compared to Newcastle’s 42 in this segment of the season but that is still more than any other club which means it is more than fair to describe this as title-challenging form Newcastle’s consistency stretches further back given that only Arne Slot’s side have won more league matches overall In the landscape of the club’s modern existence Howe has led his team to desperately unfamiliar territory Newcastle also won 14 of their opening 19 matches in 1995-96 a run that left them 10 points clear at the top of the Premier League was the season they finished second after being overhauled by a metronomic Manchester United (or letting it slip under the charismatic management of Sir Bobby Robson a season in which they were in a three-way title race with Manchester United and Arsenal In both of their most recent single-season stints in the Championship they had comparable runs and although the qualification here is considerable and necessary — it was a division below — Newcastle twice won the league it has left them third in the table and pushing for the Champions League again If they end the season still winning matches it would only be natural for them to be in the conversation about the title next time around It is difficult to imagine Manchester City struggling so badly again For Newcastle to trade blows — or to continue to trade blows — with those clubs there are some fairly big hurdles to overcome Howe repeatedly refers to the “small” size of his squad which is less a reference to numbers than its shallow quality And perhaps the life-cycle of this particular brilliant team whose triumph in the Carabao Cup final earned a first domestic trophy for 70 years Connected to both of those things: Newcastle have not signed a first-team-ready player for three consecutive transfer windows Liverpool have not added to the squad Slot inherited from Jurgen Klopp last summer but that comparison is not equal given their higher base and greater depth Newcastle have had much-publicised issues with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) An unknown quantity is what might happen if other clubs attempt to poach Newcastle’s truly game-changing players It was only in February that Howe spoke in stark terms about the challenge in front of Newcastle following a rare visit to Tyneside by Yasir Al-Rumayyan the club’s chairman and governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) “If we’re going to catch the teams above us we’re going to need to drastically improve everything that we’re delivering,” Howe told reporters “And that goes right across the board in every department of the football club because we have so much to do to get to the top “It’s not going to happen just by thinking it “I think just purely in terms of investment and taking the team forward but it’s through no one’s fault and we have to live in the world of reality We know that we want to take the team forward again we have ideas to do it and hopefully we can make that happen in the future It may take a bit of time because these clubs we’re talking about are way ahead of us.” Whether that timeline can change or has changed is uncertain and the point of this article is actually not to exert pressure or to acclaim Newcastle as future champions but rather to recognise and celebrate an extraordinary moment in their history It also feels slightly strange; in some ways this does not feel like a wholly transformational season in part because of those heavy defeats mentioned above in part because of its early inconsistency and in part because of the uncertainty they carried into it Howe’s success in this area is truly remarkable Retreat 11 months and Newcastle were scrambling to hit their PSR target and contemplating a 10-point deduction in the Premier League the ramifications of which lingered with them Paul Mitchell arrived as sporting director with Howe given no notice and it felt as though a club that had revelled in its own unity post-takeover was unravelling After their 4-2 defeat at Brentford on December 7 Newcastle were 12th in the table and wobbling there was some noise about Howe’s position and there were a series of one-to-one meetings between head coach and players and what is now regarded as a crucial reset at the training ground Newcastle allowed Miguel Almiron and Lloyd Kelly to leave their use of data and performance metrics developing but with no help in terms of playing reinforcements a sharp improvement that survived his own absence from the touchline for three matches as he recovered from pneumonia Perhaps his illness was symbolic given that so much of what surrounded it was so difficult and such hard work the man who changed everything for a club that tried and failed The past five months — to repeat: half a season but enough time to be more than fluke — have shown that it is within his capabilities to change things again winning the title was framed as “the impossible dream” (Top photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images) George Caulkin has been reporting on football in the North East of England since 1994, 21 of those years for The Times. There have been a few ups, a multitude of downs and precisely one meaningful trophy. Follow George on Twitter @GeorgeCaulkin as they make the long trip down south to face Brighton & Hove Albion The Magpies' Champions League hopes were boosted by Nottingham Forest's 2-0 defeat at home to Brentford on Thursday meaning they restored their two-point buffer over the sixth-placed side After succumbing at Villa Park two weeks ago who was back on the sidelines after recovering from an illness oversaw a processional 3-0 victory over Ipswich Town last Saturday to confirm the Tractor Boys' relegation They're now hunting their first Premier League win away at Brighton and are aiming to avenge the two defeats Fabian Hurzeler's men have inflicted upon them this season The Seagulls have impressively won twice at St James' Park and could do with another positive result this weekend to strengthen their European hopes They're in with a cluster of teams hopeful of securing an eighth-place finish which may be enough for a Conference League spot A dramatic 3-2 win over West Ham last time out could prove critical in their pursuit Here is Sports Illustrated's guide to Sunday's Premier League clash Joao Pedro is suspended for the hosts / IMAGO / Pro Sports ImagesBrighton have been hit hard by injuries this season and Hurzeler hasn't been handed much respire during the run-in Joao Pedro serves the second game of his suspension after he was sent off at Brentford two weeks ago with summer arrival Matt O'Riley filling in for the Brazilian last week against West Ham so the former Celtic star may retain his place in the XI on Sunday the Brighton boss could reintroduce Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh to his starting lineup after the pair were named on the bench against West Ham Joel Veltman could also start at right-back to offer a sturdier defensive presence against an impressive Newcastle frontline Joelinton's season might be over / IMAGO / News ImagesJoe Willock, who made his first Premier League start since February against Ipswich, is set to retain his place in Newcastle's midfield due to Joelinton's absence The Brazilian international is dealing with a knee injury could keep him out for the remainder of the season Lewis Hall remains out due an ankle injury while Jamaal Lascelles hasn't kicked a ball all season after tearing his ACL Harvey Barnes has enjoyed a prolonged run in the team down Newcastle's left but we could see Anthony Gordon return to Howe's XI on Sunday Sven Botman is also in contention after appearing off the bench last week While Brighton have slogged their way through the run-in so far last week's victory over West Ham should hand Hurzeler's men a huge boost heading into the final month of the season their record against the Magpies this term combined with Newcastle's inability to prevail at the Amex in the Premier League bodes well for the hosts the visitors rank among the division's form teams despite losing two weeks ago and there's no doubt that they've got the capacity to hurt a defensively frail Brighton side but they may be forced to settle for a point here The Seagulls have seemingly got a knack against Howe's men JAMES CORMACK The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER ShareSaveCommentBETAThis is a BETA experience. opt-out hereBusinessSportsMoneyWhy Newcastle United Shouldn’t Be Worried About Alexander Isak’s FormByHarry De Cosemo Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights Harry is a freelance writer on Premier League and European soccerFollow AuthorMay 05 ENGLAND - MAY 04: Alexander Isak of Newcastle United in action during the Premier League .. More match between Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Newcastle United FC at Amex Stadium on May 04 Travelling to the AMEX Stadium to face Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday was always going to be a tough proposition for Newcastle United as it looked to maintain its Champions League qualification hopes the club directly behind them in the Premier League table after its 3-1 win over newly-crowned champions Liverpool Alexander Isak’s late penalty rescued a draw for the Magpies after Yankuba Minteh a former Newcastle winger who was sold last summer without playing a competitive match It was a moment of huge relief; in the context of the match despite an impressive performance overall with domination which maintains control over its own destiny Coach Eddie Howe spoke afterwards about the strength of Isak’s character to level the scores after having a quiet game until that point “I’ve not been there myself [taking a pressure penalty] so I can’t put myself in his shoes,” Howe said of Isak “But I can only imagine the process he is going through and then he has to stop and that’s why he did very well because it would be very “He’s got that ruthless mentality to scoring goals And that’s where you really lean on those type of players To have the coolness of mind to just take a step back and go this is what I need to do’ and deliver it for the team “It was a brilliant penalty in a big moment because we needed something from the game Brighton's Dutch goalkeeper #01 Bart Verbruggen watches the ball as he concedes a penalty from .. More Newcastle United's Swedish striker #14 Alexander Isak during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Newcastle United at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE club/league logos or 'live' services An additional 40 images may be used in extra time Social media in-match use limited to 120 images games or single club/league/player publications / (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images) Yet a lot of the discourse surrounding Isak at the moment among Newcastle fans is quite negative Many are concerned that his impact on games has dwindled since the Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool on March 16 It comes after a strong run of games since December when the Swede was hitting the headlines after every game through his goals and overall play; at the moment he failed to have a single touch in the opposition box and in truth it is merely a progression of a pattern Howe suggested that Isak is becoming a victim of his own success; because of the impact he had over the winter opposition teams are planning to mark him a lot closer now making it hard for him to play with his trademark freedom Fans have noticed his runs have been less effective in recent games; he is the sort of player who doesn’t get attracted to the ball but rather finds positions and waits for it to come to him or drops deep to become part of the build up It is no coincidence he is not being found as often in dangerous areas when teams are now so focussed on stopping him Extra surveillance has also led to more space for teammates with the likes of Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes profiting with their own good form and setting up Sandro Tonali for a crucial It the sign of an elite striker that even when not at their best Few players have been as good as he has for Newcastle in any year Newcastle’s recent 1-1 draw against Brighton wasn’t a classic performance With just minutes left, Alexander Isak slotted in an 89th-minute penalty to snatch a point, which also was Newcastle’s first Premier League draw since the 3-3 mouth-watering clash against Liverpool at St James’ Park on December 5.This was also their sixth league draw all season; Eddie Howe’s men have made a habit of going for broke: 14 wins and just those six stalemates have come in the last 26 league games No side in the top flight has won more in that stretch But it also is Newcastle’s longest run in Premier League history without a single draw Only 11 teams in the league’s history have endured longer streaks without sharing the points the Toon boss reflected on their all-or-nothing style Howe said: “If you look at our season as a whole we probably haven't dug out enough points in games that are in the balance But we are a team that's set up to try and win so you've got to be careful what you wish for We want to win games and we'll attack and try and do that I thought today was a really battling performance.” 📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp former Sunderland boss Roy Keane has had his say All praise for Howe and Newcastle’s approach Roy Keane believes Newcastle can finish second in the Premier League "Huge ((Newcastle’s chances of finishing second) I think the confidence they would have gained in the last few months they have that great belief that they can do it in the big matches," said Keane They recovered after getting knocked out of the FA Cup by Brighton." the pace in the team and physicality… they have the momentum," Keane continued "Eddie Howe has done a fantastic job there that belief in their camp that they can compete with the top teams and go and beat them." Ajay Gandhar is a content producer for The Sporting News working across our English-language editions Football writer Adrian Clarke looks at key tactical points and players who can be decisive in Matchweek 35 Brighton have beaten Newcastle twice already this season so the Seagulls are chasing an impressive hat-trick when hosting the Magpies this Sunday after the two away victories at St James' Park in the Premier League and FA Cup it would be the first time Brighton have ever defeated the same team three times in one season as a top-flight side Newcastle are in third place and desperate to stay inside the top five, while Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton believe they can still finish high enough to earn European football in 2025/26 No Premier League side has won more matches since 14 December than Newcastle who have out come on top in 14 of their last 19 games Yet their away form against top-half opponents is surprisingly poor A 3-1 win at Nottingham Forest is their only victory in eight matches so far against their fellow top-11 sides Newcastle have conceded 2.6 goals per game across those eight matches and this poor return will certainly provide ninth-placed Brighton with the belief that they can again cause Eddie Howe's side problems Slow starts have been a recurring theme for Newcastle on the road at the division’s toughest opponents they have fallen behind in all eight away matches when they have faced sides in the current top 11 seven of those early concessions came before the 22nd minute If Hurzeler’s Brighton start Sunday's match quickly they could catch their opponents cold once again There has been a sluggishness about the Magpies early on in away games and they have been ruthlessly punished for lapses in concentration Howe’s back four has become fragmented too easily by longer passes early on in games Manchester City undid them with real ease from an Ederson goal-kick, releasing Omar Marmoush to open the scoring (shown below) In Newcastle's chastening 4-2 defeat at Brentford, the hosts played out from a goal-kick, moving the ball into midfield, before a lofted, switched pass to Bryan Mbeumo caused panic in the Newcastle defence The Magpies lost their shape and left-back Lewis Hall became detached from the rest of the back four as Mbeumo went on to score (see below) The Seagulls are not averse to going direct with their distribution at the right times under Hurzeler This is a tactic we can expect to see them use on Sunday They enjoyed success in that manner in the 1-0 win at St James’ Park earlier on this season A quickly-taken Lewis Dunk free-kick pushed the Newcastle defence backwards, and Danny Welbeck’s subsequent one-two with Georginio Rutter unlocked the door Hurzeler has triumphed over the Magpies in two differing ways so his chosen approach for Matchweek 35 could be difficult to predict It was a resilient backs-to-the-wall defensive display that helped them secure a 1-0 victory in the Premier League last October They had just 40.1 per cent of possession, were pushed back at will, and were reliant on Newcastle missing chances, as well as Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen's outstanding display but as you can see from these match stats below Brighton's 2-1 extra-time win in the FA Cup was earned via a different strategic approach boasting a lot more possession than they had on their previous visit that seemed to suit them as they racked up 21 shots and 45 touches inside the Newcastle box Brighton were able to find more spaces to run into This suited Yankuba Minteh, who sprinted in beyond Newcastle's exposed high line to latch onto Joao Pedro’s through-ball and score against his former club Howe’s defence was also caught square and looked rather disjointed as Welbeck scored the winning goal The striker's movement to show for a Solly March pass was excellent, but with Tino Livramento playing him onside from right-back it was not a goal the Newcastle head coach would have been pleased about The Seagulls have plenty of pace in the wide areas as well as good movement in the centre-forward positions Having used those qualities to great effect in those previous meetings Brighton will be well aware that all three goals scored against the EFL Cup winners came via forward passes that pierced a square back four The space that style creates will suit Brighton's quick forwards even if making it an open attack-minded game comes with plenty of risk against a team as free-scoring as Newcastle It is a ploy Hurzeler may well turn to again at the AMEX Stadium as Brighton look to complete a famous treble Adrian Clarke analyses how Englishman's return to Craven Cottage has delivered his best form for years Adrian Clarke looks at how Arne Slot's light-touch approach led to top-flight glory at Anfield Adrian Clarke analyses Brentford's strike partnership ahead of their match against Nottingham Forest OneFootball's home page Search Settings Sign In Sign InJoinNewcastle have a golden opportunity to sign the next Lionel Messi | OneFootballFanSided World Football Newcastle United could be about to make one of the boldest youth moves in their recent history — by trying to sign a 16-year-old talent being dubbed the next Lionel Messi According to ChronicleLive the Magpies have been offered the chance to sign highly rated Mali youth international Aboubacar Maiga The teenager is already making waves at under-17 level and has attracted interest from heavyweights across Europe But there is a growing feeling that Newcastle could sneak ahead in the race with Maiga believed to have a strong desire to play in England one day With an ambitious project under Eddie Howe and a clear path to first-team football St James’ Park might just be the most appealing destination for the rising star Maiga is currently on the books at Academie Africa Foot in Mali — the same academy that has a working relationship with FC Barcelona That link gives the Catalan giants a head start and reports suggest they have already offered the youngster a pre-contract agreement With a focus on smart recruitment and youth development, Maiga fits perfectly into the club’s long-term vision. His style of play — low centre of gravity, excellent dribbling, and a lethal eye for goal — has led to comparisons with Lionel Messi but the early signs suggest this is no ordinary teenager The Magpies have already shown their willingness to invest in young potential with deals like Yankuba Minteh and Garang Kuol it would be another signal of intent from the Tyneside club that they are not just building for today Yes, Barcelona are a global brand with a pull few can match. And yes, their partnership with Maiga’s academy gives them an inside track. But Newcastle United are no longer a sleeping giant and the pathway to Premier League football is far less congested than at the Camp Nou or the Etihad For a 16-year-old aiming to make his mark quickly Related NewsNewcastle offered the chance to sign highly-rated attacker likened to Lionel Messi Messi, Suarez Lead Inter Miami Back to Dominance: 3 Takeaways From Win vs. New York Red Bulls Messi and Suárez silence doubters as Inter Miami crushes rivals Lionel Messi & Inter Miami rout their way back to business How Vancouver Whitecaps Stunned Lionel Messi's Inter Miami on Historic Night 4️⃣ things to look out for in the Champions League this week The Champions League returns with a bang this week as the finalists will be determined following some tense first leg action.Here is what to look out for...⚔️ Match of the... 🦁 Premier League Player of the Week: A perfect comeback With Liverpool having already secured the title this was the weekend that the Premier League focused on the Race for Fifth™.And with that in mind, our Player of the Week... Man United hold talks in “recent hours” with Victor Osimhen’s agents over sensational summer deal Watch Teams Matches Tickets & Membership Shop St. James' Park The match will be broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports. Supporters in other countries can check their local broadcaster here Supporters can also listen to BBC Radio Newcastle commentary across newcastleunited.com and the Official Newcastle United App with a Newcastle United Account Our Match Centre will provide minute-by-minute updates Fans can also chose their Player of the Match at full-time Match updates will be provided across the club's social media accounts. Follow them here: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok | Threads Highlights will be available on newcastleunited.com and the Official Newcastle United App two hours after the match A full match replay will be available the following day Fabian Hurzeler confirmed that Jan Paul van Hecke is available to start on Sunday having missed the Seagulls' previous match and Kaoru Mitoma are all ready to start having been unavailable in recent weeks Hurzeler said: "(he) joined [in training] yesterday so he will be also maybe be an option to be in the squad Everything is looking a little bit more positive." We will wear our away kit, featuring navy and burgundy hooped shirts, white shorts, and navy and burgundy socks. You can buy the away kit here. Brighton will wear their home kit, featuring blue and white striped shirts, blue shorts, and white socks. Map MYNORTHWEST NEWS 10:32 AM | Updated: 2:03 pm Firefighters in Bellevue's Newcastle neighborhood saved a home from going up in flames after a brush fire broke out on a steep slope BY TOM BROCK It’s reminder that we are on the verge of what could be a busy brush fire season A fire spread across a steep slope behind a home in Bellevue’s Newcastle area Friday evening and ignited the back deck of the house The fire left one person hurt with serious burns Fire crews from the Bellevue Fire Department quickly arrived and knocked down the flames shortly after they got there Firefighters from the Renton Regional Fire Authority also helped put the fire out This brush fire in Newcastle burned a multi-level deck behind a home on Friday Crews acted fast to keep the flames from spreading to the rest of the house But the fire did significant damage to the two-level deck that overlooks Lake Washington A brush fire in Newcastle burned a deck and injured a neighbor who tried to extinguish the flames Firefighters say the person injured was a neighbor who they found trying to put the fire out as they arrived Medics transported that person to a local hospital to be treated for burns Newcastle United have drawn a Premier League fixture that fact alone warrants (moderate) celebration What in isolation appears to have been their least remarkable result of 2025 so far (in a positive or negative sense) could actually prove to be among the most consequential Especially so given Chelsea’s victory over Liverpool later the same afternoon Without the point Newcastle secured on Sunday they would have slipped from fourth to below Chelsea who they are now above on goals scored alone “Losing the game would have dented us,” Howe said in his post-match press conference “You look at the league table — not that I’m a great believer in doing that but sometimes you just have a little look at it — and we look stronger for the point than we would have done without it.” The Briefing: Brighton 1 Newcastle 1 - Isak's late leveller The manner of Newcastle’s comeback made this draw even more important Newcastle had fallen behind in the 28th minute to a goal from their former player-who-never-actually-played-for-them Yankuba Minteh had been awarded two second-half penalties by the on-field referee only to see both correctly overturned by VAR and had generally struggled in the final third with Alexander Isak touching the ball just once in the opposition box inside the opening 88 minutes Yet rather than succumb to a second successive away defeat following the 4-1 capitulation at Aston Villa last month Fabian Schar whipped a free kick from inside the Brighton D towards goal and Yasin Ayari instinctively stuck out his arm to block it despite the VAR officials taking several minutes to determine that the ball had actually struck Ayari’s arm this time a penalty award for Newcastle was not rescinded Isak — having been starved of service and having twice psyched himself up to take spot kicks only to have those opportunities to score taken from him — stepped up and confidently dispatched the penalty in the 89th minute with only his second touch inside the opposition box There were even opportunities to claim what had appeared an unlikely victory but there can be tangible long-term value in ensuring you do not lose it despite their greatly improved away form this season which has featured eight victories on the road do not tend to recover against top-half sides on their travels once they fall behind Across their nine away matches against top-10 teams this season (they are yet to travel to the Emirates to face Arsenal) Newcastle have conceded the first goal on every occasion If that stat in itself is quite concerning it is even more alarming when you consider seven of those goals have come inside the opening 21 minutes Newcastle lost six and drew just one (1-1 at Bournemouth in August) of the first eight of those Their solitary victory came at Nottingham Forest in November when Newcastle delivered an excellent second-half display to overturn their one-goal deficit They went on to lose all four by a combined scoreline of 14-3 Had they continued that trend and been defeated at the Amex then another away defeat may have proven disastrous such a reversal could have been damaging to their Champions League qualification chances given how congested the top-five race has become a point could be really important,” Howe said we probably haven’t dug out enough points in games that are in the balance really (that we haven’t drawn since December).” Newcastle’s lack of a Premier League draw for precisely five months is actually they also won 14 of the 20 top-flight matches they played the most victories in the division across that time But it also marked the longest run of games in Newcastle’s Premier League history in which they did not record a single draw Only 11 Premier League teams have ever gone longer without sharing the points This curious stat demonstrates that Newcastle had become an all-or-nothing team regularly blowing their opponents away in the process as evidenced by the Villa reversal and the 4-1 home defeat against Bournemouth but somehow they managed to scrap their way to a point so you’ve got to be careful what you wish for,” said Howe “We want to win games and we’ll attack and try to do that you’ve got to make sure you don’t lose the game I’m really pleased to come here and come back from a goal down The Amex may remain a bogey stadium for Newcastle — they have visited Brighton’s ground eight times in the Premier League and never returned with a victory the most occasions they have travelled to an away ground in the competition without winning — but it may also prove to be the site of a season-defining fightback And that genuinely is a significant statement Sign InJoinBrighton fans comments after Sunday’s draw against Newcastle United – Interesting | OneFootballThe Mag Brighton fans have been commenting on what happened at he Amex Stadium on Saturday A match where Newcastle United were clearly the better team but ended up needing a very late penalty to rescue a point Plenty of talking points in an eventful match what did the Brighton fans think of it all… Brighton fans commenting via their North Stand Chat forum: ‘A good point on balance as they were much better than we were They looked stronger than us everywhere and if not for JP ‘I thought we were decent against a very good side.’ ‘My only complaint about that game is Pawson’s Newcastle bias along with the Sky commentary team’s Newcastle deserved at least a point though.’ some of our fans on here get irrationally angry about these things Got a point against a stronger side who also desperately wanted all three It’s not as if a draw was not a fair result for us.’ ‘It was good to have a reminder of how much I hate Eddie Howe It’s amazing how his teams still get away with pretty much constant cheating for the entire game.’ Pawson didn’t actually cost us the win by giving it.’ Did he even make a single competitive appearance for Newcastle???! Sam the steward in our lounge did a great job Away fans are allowed in the 1901 providing they are respectful Perhaps the time is coming for the club to review this policy….’ ‘2,001 unsold seats today for Newcastle when I checked just before kick-off.’ and travel chaos especially isn’t helping I don’t think Its a real shame travel is having an increasing effect on the attendances and early leavers ‘It was strange there seemed a lot more empty seats than for West Ham probably 4-5 thousand.’ ‘A Sunday match on the May Bank Holiday Weekend when many families will be busy/away.’ our 2nd highest top flight points haul with 3 still to play but it seems thousands of ST holders aren’t attending either yesterday or v West Ham If it’s ‘apathy’ then we have a seriously fickle fan base.’ ‘Got back late from Salisbury and didn’t try to go to the match…watched it at home and frankly wished I hadn’t bothered The only real negative was how easy we made things for Dan Burn today .He doesn’t play for us anymore It baffles me that this was not recognised by so many people’ ‘Hate Anthony Gordon and he looks like Dot Cotton.’ ‘Newcastle edged it overall so we should be happy with the draw Most threatening player on the pitch today was Newcastle’s Barnes.’ ‘I’m adamant that today was our hardest of the remaining 4 Newcastle were the only side with anything to play for as far as the table is concerned.’ ‘Is it my Albion bias to think Pawson let Newcastle get away with so many challenges that he gave free kicks against us for for very similar challenges?’ but came to the conclusion that the Pawson would cost us the win.’ ‘Got a point against a stronger side who also desperately wanted all three ‘Thought that was a gutsy defensive display IMHO even with the ref having an absolute shocker and giving every possible thing he could to the geordies.’ ‘The reason why Albion didn’t do owt today was nothing to do with the ref They were just too poor for long periods.’ ‘Maybe he should get his cards out for Newcastle ‘He got 900 things wrong today but that wasn’t one of them Wieffer grabbed the ball to delay the restart = yellow.’ We were playing a Champions League positioned team who have won a cup final I don’t think I’ll be criticizing that team performance today ‘Disappointing to come so close and let it slip but a decent point against a very good side who had the referee playing for them too.’ Brighton 1 Newcastle 1 – Sunday 4 May 2025 2pm (Brighton 1 Newcastle 1 – Match ratings and comments on all Newcastle United players – Read HERE) Related NewsCeltic friendly now confirmed – Newcastle United official announcement Becky Langley wins Manager of the Month award Alexander Isak leaving Newcastle United headlines take decisive shift Brendan Rodgers reacts to Celtic v Newcastle United friendly as ticket prices made public Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea make enquiries for “extraordinary” defender Newcastle United rescued a late point at Brighton & Hove Albion to keep their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League in their own hands Eddie Howe’s side had won six of their previous seven top-flight matches but seemed destined for defeat on the south coast a result which would have left them vulnerable to the teams below them But Alexander Isak’s 89th-minute penalty — Newcastle were awarded three during this match but the first two were overturned — puts them three points clear of sixth-placed Nottingham Forest with the top five certain to qualify for the Champions League Forest (who play at Crystal Palace on Monday) have a game in hand Fifth-placed Chelsea (who beat Liverpool later on Sunday) are level on points with fourth-placed Newcastle three points behind Howe’s side having played the same number of games a necessary sale by Newcastle last summer for financial reasons put Brighton ahead with a curling first-half effort and it seemed that might be enough to win it But Isak’s late penalty salvaged a point for Newcastle at the end of a second half packed with penalty drama (more on that below) George Caulkin and Chris Waugh analyse the key talking points As anonymous as Isak was for large spells — he did not have a touch inside the opposition box until the 67th minute and had just 15 in general during the first half — Newcastle did have their moments and finally slid into a challenge with Sandro Tonali and caught the Newcastle midfielder only for Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler to immediately replace Wieffer with Tariq Lamptey The substitute’s first act was to foul Anthony Gordon who had only just come on to the field for Newcastle and with his opening contribution he cut inside and drew a foul but VAR intervened to (rightly) rule that contact had taken place outside the box Bruno Guimaraes played a pass in behind the Brighton defence Joe Willock got a foot to the ball before Jan Paul van Hecke and went down had actually pulled out of the challenge and Willock Pawson had initially signalled for a penalty but after being sent over to the monitor by Andrew Madley The third on-field award came after Fabian Schar’s goalbound free kick from inside the D of the Brighton penalty area was blocked by the outstretched arm of Yasin Ayari VAR checked to see whether the ball had indeed hit Ayari’s hand but having asked Pawson to rethink his previous two penalty decisions told the referee to stick with his original call It proved third time lucky for Newcastle because with only his second touch in the opposition box Isak coolly dispatched his second penalty in as many games to rescue a valuable point for Newcastle Given he did not make an appearance for Newcastle Minteh has played an outsized role in the club’s recent existence if only in the sense they needed him to leave Without the £30million ($40m) Brighton paid for the winger last summer Newcastle would have breached the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and a substantive points deduction would have rendered the notion of qualifying for the Champions League moot Having scored for his new club at St James’ Park in the FA Cup in March — Brighton won that game 2-1 after extra time — Minteh was at it again niggling away at Newcastle before chipping in with another goal When Tino Livramento headed away a ball into the box in the 28th minute cutting in and around Livramento and Sandro Tonali after feinting to shoot His curled finish took a nick off Dan Burn Minteh had refused to celebrate his goal on Tyneside out of respect to Newcastle He wagged his fingers at the traveling supporters and kissed the Brighton badge before being pulled away by his team-mates Newcastle fans responded with chants of “You’re just a s*** Jacob Murphy,” but Minteh had made an impact again Newcastle left it late — very late — to turn a bad day at the office into a half-decent one The experience was a familiar one for Howe’s team who have not won any of their eight Premier League fixtures at Brighton’s Amex Stadium but on this occasion they were not passive participants While Newcastle struggled to get their big players into the game, they had more possession than Brighton they did not allow a bitty performance and some unfavourable decisions to grind them down The final scoreline suggests Newcastle missed a significant opportunity given that a victory would have seen them move two points behind second-placed Arsenal they finished the day fourth in the Premier League level on points with Chelsea and three ahead of Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa The circumstances paint a slightly different picture with Isak’s penalty earning a draw which for long spells looked out of reach qualifying for the Champions League remains within their grasp although they next play Chelsea and Arsenal before finishing the season with a home match against Everton but this game allowed one conclusion to be drawn: Newcastle will not give up without a fight (Top photo: Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images) By SHAYNE BUGDEN FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA A shock rumour that the girlfriend of Newcastle Knights star Jackson Hastings is feuding with the partner of one of his teammates has surfaced just as the footy couple celebrate the birth of their daughter Despite being one of the club's top players Hastings hasn't been picked for the Knights' first-grade team this year even though the club has only won three of its eight games to sit twelfth on the ladder as they struggle to score points he's being paid an estimated $800,000 a year to play in reserve grade with fans left scratching their heads over his inability to earn a spot in the club's top squad especially after he was one of their best as they shot to a fifth-place finish last season a sensational rumour suggests Hastings is on the outer with the team - not because his form is bad but because his partner Amelia Smith is feuding with the spouse of another Knights star A recent column indicated the falling-out stemmed from a comment Smith had allegedly made but the club has closed ranks and will not reveal what was said The feud apparently escalated when the unnamed fellow Knights player made his case to club powerbrokers who backed him over Hastings NRL star Jackson Hastings is pictured with his partner Amelia Smith who is at the centre of a rumour about a feud between WAGs at the Newcastle Knights Reports of the feud surfaced shortly after the couple welcomed their daughter Scottie Hastings is one of the best players for the struggling Knights leaving fans mystified about why he's being paid an estimated $800,000 to run around in reserve grade this year Knights insiders say this problem isn't going away and the longer Hastings remains locked out of first grade We can now reveal the news of the alleged falling-out has cast a shadow over what should have been one of the happiest times of Hastings' life Last month, he and Smith celebrated the birth of their daughter. The couple revealed their little girl's name, Scottie Hastings, alongside a series of tender photos and messages shared with fans.  The announcement drew congratulations from sports stars including Matildas big guns Sam Kerr and Caitlin Foord, plus NRL talents Latrell Mitchell and Ezra Mam.  'Scottie Hastings. 13.04.25. The most perfect little girl. Nothing is more important than this little girl, our whole world,' wrote Smith.  Hastings added: 'Proud of you, you were unbelievable. And our little girl is the most perfect little thing in the whole world. Still pinching myself.' About this time, Smith's parents flew in from the UK to meet their new granddaughter. The rumour would go a long way to explaining why Hastings hasn't played first grade in 2025 Hastings (pictured with Smith) has been dogged by personality clashes throughout his career Hastings' partner and his in-laws were there to support him as he steered Newcastle's reserve-grade side to a dramatic last-minute win over Souths in Sydney on Sunday with Smith posting a clip of him kissing their daughter while he was still on the field after the victory The halfback set up the late try that won the match in another display that will have fans asking why he can't break into the NRL side Knights icon and Nine commentator Andrew Johns was asking the same question After pointing out that Hastings' kicking game is 'up there with one of the best' he rated him above one of the stars who has kept him out of the halfback spot and addressed other rumours that Hastings has clashed with stars at the Knights 'Whether it's the [Knights] CEO or someone else you've got to get them all together and sort it out.' Knights coach Adam O'Brien addressed the mystery over Hastings' omission just ahead of the team's NRL match against Souths on Saturday 'I think it would be unfair on Jackson to think that he's the one that can come in and fix all of these things,' O'Brien said referring to problems the team is having across the field 'There's a number of other variables and I'm comfortable with sticking with the crew that we've had at the moment.'  Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hastings Rumours of clashes with teammates and club management are nothing new for Hastings Wests Tigers and UK teams Salford and Wigan before joining the Knights in 2023 Hastings (centre) was one of the driving forces behind Newcastle making the finals as they stormed to a fifth-place finish last season making his demotion as the side has struggled this season even harder to digest Tigers and Roosters star heaped praise on British-born Smith crediting her and her family with helping him become a 'totally different person' He exited the Roosters - where his famous father Kevin 'Horrie' Hastings became a club legend - under a cloud in 2016 after he was banished to reserve grade 'It's been well-documented that I had a run-in with a few different people and it's just sad the way it all ended at the Roosters,' Hastings previously said I've loved that club since I was four years old and the way it ended has been rubbish Hastings then switched to Manly and only played in 13 games over two seasons before getting released from his contract in June 2018 after reportedly getting into a physical clash with Sea Eagles skipper Daly Cherry-Evans He denied getting into a fight with the club legend but admitted getting senior figures at the team offside by breaking curfew to hit the town after a loss in what he confessed was a 'f***ing stupid' decision Three seasons in English footy followed before he returned to the Tigers where he only lasted for the 2022 season before leaving as his relationship with then-coach Tim Sheens reportedly deteriorated In March last year, English footy great Jon Wilkin branded Hastings the most unlikeable player in rugby league with the Aussie brushing his remarks off with a joke who has worked to help the halfback improve his game defended Hastings in 2023 when he made headlines for a fiery sideline exchange with Tommy Talau after he broke his former Tigers teammate's nose with a high shot I think coming in as a halfback into a team like that he tried to put up a façade and it came across as arrogant,' Johns said Hastings met Smith while he was playing in England and paid tribute to her and her family for helping him grow as a person when he left to come back Down Under in late 2021 'My partner Amelia has been incredible, and her family has taken me in,' he told the Manchester Evening News and the gratitude I have for help like that is something I maybe didn't possess before 'I'm better equipped to handle anything thrown my way on and off the field now The comments below have not been moderated By posting your comment you agree to our house rules Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group The highly-rated 20-year-old, who joined the Magpies from A-League side Central Coast Mariners in January 2023, recorded two goals and two assists in as many league matches at second-string level. The Australia international, who represented his country at the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar, netted a brace in the young Magpies' 7-1 thrashing of Reading at St. James' Park before registering two second-half assists against their Royals counterparts. Kuol, who spent the duration of the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Dutch outfit FC Volendam, has netted eight goals in all competitions for United's second-string, returning to action in January after suffering a quad injury during pre-season. Nominated alongside Kuol are West Ham United pair, Lewis Orford and Kamarai Sawyer as well as Braiden Graham of Everton, Chelsea's Donnell McNeilly, Divin Mubama of Manchester City, Southampton's Lewis Payne and Jack Thompson of Nottingham Forest. The winner, also chosen by the Premier League Football Development panel, will be announced later this week. Arsenal could also be dragged into the mix The race for Champions League football next season continues to be too tough to call after another pivotal set of results in the Premier League Ahead of Nottingham Forest’s trip to Crystal Palace on Monday night, Chelsea, Manchester City and Aston Villa all recorded important wins... but Newcastle again dropped points In an interesting turn of events, Arsenal’s home defeat to Bournemouth means they are also not yet guaranteed a top-five finish needing five more points from their final three games With that in mind, here is the state of the race to finish in the top five... According to Opta, Manchester City now have a 97.69 per cent chance of finishing in the top five. Four wins of the spin, including a victory over Villa, plus the easiest run-in, on paper, of their rivals means Pep Guardiola & Co. appear set to return to Europe’s top table. The same cannot be said of Nottingham Forest, who have lost three of their last four games. Opta gave them a whopping 80% of securing a first-ever qualification for the Champions League, since its rebrand over 30 years ago, but their chances are now almost halved to 44.32% Newcastle United appear to have benefited most from Forest’s slump. Despite being thumped 4-1 by Aston Villa and then scrapping a 1-1 draw at Brighton, thanks to Alexander Isak’s late penalty, Newcastle still have a 77.89% chance of finishing in the top five. Palmer ends long goal drought as Chelsea beat champions Liverpool Chelsea vs Liverpool LIVE: Premier League latest score and updates Potter explains why Paqueta burst into tears when shown a yellow card Chelsea have impressed the most during the run-in. Handed the toughest run-in, a last-gap win over Fulham was followed by a narrow victory over Everton, and on Sunday they beat champions Liverpool. Those three wins have been the Blues’ chances climb from 29.73% to 66.52%. Aston Villa have the weakest shot, sitting at 13.69%. VE Day 2025 fashion: best looks from the day, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Lady Victoria Starmer Jacob Murphy scored one goal and set up another as rampant Newcastle United thumped Crystal Palace 5-0 at St James' Park on Wednesday to go third in the Premier League table with a sixth consecutive win in all competitions Newcastle have 59 points from 32 games and are five points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea in the race for Champions League qualification next season with the top five teams earning a place Newcastle were again without manager Eddie Howe in the dugout as he continues to recover from pneumonia but the performance would have been just the tonic as they scored some excellent goals and were ruthless in punishing Palace errors "We have spoken about building on the recent results and today was a good example of that," Barnes told Premier League Productions He is such a character in the changing room and in great form "We are focussing on our job and the task at hand and making sure the manager (Howe) is proud of the results We are so well drilled and know our roles going into each game." It was the first time Palace have failed to score in 13 Premier League fixtures though remarkably their expected goals tally of 2.02 was better than that of Newcastle (1.39) Newcastle played with tenacity, pace and efficiency in the final third as they opened the scoring on 14 minutes through Murphy's thunderous shot from a tight angle that beat goalkeeper Dean Henderson high at his near post The visitors were awarded a penalty by the Video Assistant Review when home goalkeeper Nick Pope came to punch a free-kick that had been floated into the box and clattered into defender Chris Richards But Eze's spot-kick was desperately poor and lacked power or accuracy giving Pope his first penalty save for five years "I can't remember the last time Eze missed a penalty," Guehi told Sky Sports Newcastle doubled their advantage as a game that should have been 1-1 was suddenly 2-0 to the home side Barnes looked to square the ball inside the six-yard box and his cross deflected off Guehi and wrong-footed Henderson with 38 minutes gone Newcastle added two more goals in first half added time as Barnes got his goal from a lightning counter-attack after being set up by Sandro Tonali before Schar stooped to glance a header from Murphy's cross into the net Isak added the icing to a sumptuous performance on 58 minutes when he collected the ball from Joelinton's challenge on Palace defender Maxence Lacroix and curled his shot low into the net from 25 yards Jacob Murphy scored one goal and set up another as rampant Newcastle United thumped Crystal Palace 5-0 at St James' Park on Wednesday to go third in the Premier League table with a sixth consecutive win in all competitions Newcastle have 59 points from 32 games and are five points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea in the race for Champions League qualification next season with the top five teams earning a place \"We have spoken about building on the recent results and today was a good example of that,\" Barnes told Premier League Productions \"We are focussing on our job and the task at hand and making sure the manager (Howe) is proud of the results We are so well drilled and know our roles going into each game.\" It was the first time Palace have failed to score in 13 Premier League fixtures Newcastle played with tenacity, pace and efficiency in the final third as they opened the scoring on 14 minutes through Murphy's thunderous shot from a tight angle that beat goalkeeper Dean Henderson high at his near post The visitors were awarded a penalty by the Video Assistant Review when home goalkeeper Nick Pope came to punch a free-kick that had been floated into the box and clattered into defender Chris Richards \"I can't remember the last time Eze missed a penalty,\" Guehi told Sky Sports Newcastle added two more goals in first half added time as Barnes got his goal from a lightning counter-attack after being set up by Sandro Tonali Isak added the icing to a sumptuous performance on 58 minutes when he collected the ball from Joelinton's challenge on Palace defender Maxence Lacroix and curled his shot low into the net from 25 yards While all eyes at Newcastle United are on their push for Champions League qualification, Eddie Howe’s side will be on some kind of continental campaign next time out Indeed, Newcastle have qualified for the Conference League by winning the Carabao Cup in March no one at the club will actually want to play in that competition but the point is that there will be more games added to the schedule next season Fortunately, Newcastle insiders think they can spend this summer. That will be a huge boost for the Newcastle United manager who has not seen his squad significantly strengthened since the summer of 2023 expecting the club to make a series of big-name signings feels unwise in a PSR-dominated world Not every gap can be filled in one single transfer window With that in mind, Howe could do with turning to the Newcastle youth ranks in an attempt to further reinforce his senior side. One of the more well-known youngsters in Garang Kuol has just been recognised for his form READ MORE: Who is Garang Kuol? Height, Position, Transfer, Family and More As confirmed by the Newcastle United official website Kuol has been nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month Award The Australia international scored twice while registering the same number of assists in just two Premier League 2 outings for the Newcastle United Under-21 side during the month of April Kuol admits training with the Newcastle first-team has been difficult but is certainly proving a prolific forward option at youth level That obviously doesn’t mean he’ll translate it on the senior stage if and when his chance comes but Kuol isn’t doing his chances any harm The 20-year-old is yet to have been trusted by Howe in a competitive sense just yet but is starting to impress those within the Newcastle coaching set-up Indeed, Kuol is highly rated by the Newcastle U21 manager with Diarmuid O’Carroll suggesting the Australia international could score goals in the senior side Newcastle fans are keen to see Kuol handed a chance and while that feels very unlikely any time soon perhaps the increased schedule next time out could see him start to make his way into the team He hasn’t had the easiest time of things at Newcastle but Kuol is seemingly starting to come good Having failed to sign first-team players for what feels like an age now, Newcastle United’s options behind their largely excellent starting eleven are not all that compelling Still, Eddie Howe does have a few areas in which there is depth Lewis Miley and Sean Longstaff are all capable replacements for Joelinton in central midfield where Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes start Out on the left wing, there’s also a battle for a starting berth. Harvey Barnes is currently the starting option there, while Anthony Gordon is pushing to reclaim his spot in the starting lineup Speaking after Newcastle’s 1-1 draw with Brighton Howe claimed it was Gordon’s “job” to impress him off the bench That could suggest the 24-year-old will remain there over the final few games of the campaign. Barnes has been excellent for Newcastle this season, while Jacob Murphy has been one of the Premier League’s most effective forwards out on the right Gordon replaced Murphy with Barnes shifting over to the right on Sunday and won what first looked to have been a penalty after he was fouled by Tariq Lamptey although referee Craig Pawson overturned the decision after VAR deemed the contact had taken place outside the box #BHANEW – 57’ VAR OVERTURNVAR checked the referee’s call of penalty for the challenge by Lamptey on Gordon and recommended that play restarted with a Newcastle free kick as the contact was outside the penalty area Asked whether or not Gordon played well, the Newcastle United manager said (via The Northern Echo): “Definitely when he gets an opportunity he has to come on the pitch and show his qualities He made one lovely pass to Bruno that could have ended up with a different outcome He influenced the game with the penalty decision and although it wasn’t given it gives a feeling the momentum is with us.” Gordon’s positive running helped Newcastle inject some energy into their performance but it’s hard to imagine Howe would have seen enough to drop Barnes all of a sudden Barnes had much more time on the pitch than Gordon did but produced far more in the way of shots and key passes That’s not to say Gordon can’t play a big role in the final three games He’s been an excellent player for Newcastle but Barnes is deserving of his starting role Newcastle United’s dominant 4-1 victory against Manchester United at St James’ Park on Sunday made it four successive Premier League wins and lifted them to fourth place Eddie Howe’s side still have a game in hand over their Champions League-chasing rivals — on Wednesday night A win would see Newcastle leapfrog Nottingham Forest into third and close the gap to four points on second-placed Arsenal who they play in the penultimate game of the season In the latest episode of The Totally Football Show James Richardson was joined by Daniel Storey and Matt Davies-Adams to discuss whether Newcastle could finish as runners-up in the Premier League A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on “The Totally Football Show” feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.  James Richardson: Sandro Tonali got Newcastle on their way to a 4-1 thumping of a hapless-looking Manchester United Daniel Storey: Newcastle were brilliant all game, and they’re really in the mood. Since winning the Carabao Cup final they have looked nailed on for at least a top-five finish They are the best team in the country at the moment They’ve not been great in every game since beating Liverpool at Wembley — especially in the 2-1 win against Brentford — but they are just way too good when they click in the final third Their midfield embarrassed Manchester United Joelinton and Sandro Tonali and what Manchester United had on the pitch was night and day but there was only ever one team that was going to win the game They’re in such a good place and I think they’ll finish third this season — and they deserve it and even that depends on Arsenal’s form as well… Duncan Alexander: They could even overtake Arsenal. If Arsenal progress in the Champions League, they will have their eyes on that, and we saw what happened on Saturday with Arsenal (1-1 draw against Brentford at home). People forget that a football season is a very long time. You see it all over the country. Look at Walsall they were brilliant for the first half of the year and have really fallen away Newcastle had spells where they weren’t very good but they are the form team in the country Look at Harvey Barnes today — Anthony Gordon was out injured but it now feels like they can carry some injuries and still do well James: Has Harvey Barnes been the forgotten man of the Newcastle squad It’s difficult to supplant Gordon when he’s fit But Newcastle a bit of depth about them now They have also been somewhat limited in the transfer market lately he hadn’t completed 90 minutes since September and now he’s done it in back-to-back games You’d imagine Gordon would probably come in before not too long maybe as early as Wednesday night against Palace But it’s a nice headache for those selecting the team to have You can listen to full episodes of The Totally Football Show free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Naturally, much of the focus at Newcastle United at the end of the season will likely be on what players they can bring into the club However, equally as important will be who leaves. In an ideal world, Eddie Howe would keep all of his best players but sales may need to be made in order to generate funds for signings of their own That’s not to suggest any of the club’s elite stars will be off, just that previously important figures in the Newcastle United squad could leave Indeed, Howe has described Sean Longstaff as Newcastle’s “unsung hero” having played through the pain barrier during the 2022/23 campaign Still, the time could be ticking on Longstaff’s journey at Newcastle Everton have been linked with Longstaff who has been limited to only 12 starts across all competitions this season While Newcastle have triggered the option to extend his contract until the summer of 2026 in order to protect the midfielder’s value they seemingly won’t stand in his way if a suitable offer comes in Leeds are interested in Longstaff too so there would appear to be a market for him this summer According to Dominic Scurr of The Shields Gazette Newcastle are prepared to let their academy graduate leave Newcastle United won't stand in Sean Longstaff's way should he want to leave the club this summer. Eddie Howe confirmed that the club have triggered an extension in his contract until June 2026. Leeds and Everton linked with the 27-year-old. pic.twitter.com/jvOEGTdhDb It would be a shame to see the Newcastle United academy graduate leave Howe might have more compelling options in midfield right now but the 27-year-old’s contribution over the last few seasons cannot be overlooked Longstaff has made 213 appearances for his boyhood club and was part of the squad who won the Carabao Cup back in March he’s played a key role in some of their biggest games in recent memory His strikes against Paris Saint-Germain and Southampton in the Carabao Cup semi-final of 2023 can hardly be forgotten first-team football has been hard to come by and wanting to move in pursuit of it is certainly understandable Howe believes Longstaff could become a manager one day such is his level of understanding of the game Perhaps one day he’ll return to Newcastle in a different kind of capacity As it stands, Newcastle United will qualify for the Champions League. They sit fourth in the Premier League but have little margin for error left ahead of the final three games, starting with a massive clash against Chelsea at St James’ Park on Sunday Eddie Howe’s side drew 1-1 with Brighton on Sunday but there are positives to take They battled back from behind against a team who have constantly bested them at the Amex Stadium over the last few years Beat Chelsea on Sunday and what has already been an historic campaign should end in a return to Europe’s elite club competition even if not claiming all three points in a race this tight is a blow Indeed, pundit Wayne Rooney thinks they are only a few tweaks away from getting back to winning ways on a consistent basis Speaking on Match of the Day 2 on Sunday Rooney moved to assure supporters that Newcastle would soon start winning games “comfortably” The Manchester United and England legend revealed he really enjoys watching Howe’s side having been impressed by their desire to keep pushing in games Rooney also thinks they dominated the game against Brighton “I think Newcastle are a really good team and a good watch as well,” he said but what I liked about them was that they kept pushing “They kept finding themselves in the right areas and doing the right things – it was just their little details They have to get those right and then they win games comfortably.” both this season and in terms of what’s to come Indeed, Rooney thinks Manchester United should be scared of Newcastle who have overtaken them in the Premier League’s power positions It’s hard to disagree. Howe’s side have won 20 of their last 27 games and a draw away at Brighton is hardly a disaster, even if the fact Manchester City, Aston Villa and Chelsea won their games this weekend further tighten the Premier League table If Newcastle’s big players are on form for what are effectively three cup finals to come the Champions League will return to St James’ The Magpies welcome Chelsea to St James’ Park as both sides battle it out to qualify for the Champions League It is a massive game for both teams, and the Newcastle United manager will be pondering whether or not to make any alterations to his starting XI Some Newcastle fans want Joe Willock to be dropped after his performance against Brighton. Meanwhile, Fabian Schar limped off on Sunday and could be a doubt for Chelsea Sven Botman is on standby if he is unavailable But the one player who could force his way back into the starting XI is Anthony Gordon He enjoyed a very bright cameo against Brighton and Micah Richards has admitted on The Rest Is Football podcast that he was very impressed with the 24-year-old following his introduction in the 56th minute “They couldn’t get Tonali dictating the game “I thought Gordon made a difference when he came on Obviously Barnes has been playing so well with Murphy Gordon was really impressive after replacing Jacob Murphy early in the second half driving at Tariq Lamptey and winning a penalty replays proved that the foul was outside the box and the decision was overturned whose last Toon start came in the FA Cup fifth round defeat to Brighton back in March Suspension, injury and the form of Harvey Barnes has forced Gordon to watch from the sidelines Jason Tindall told Gordon to be patient recently and wait for his opportunity with a lot of supporters calling on the England international to reclaim his place in the side he will need to drop one of Murphy or Barnes to the bench Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has been admitted to hospital and will miss Sunday's game against Manchester United, the Premier League club have said Newcastle said Howe had felt unwell for a "number of days" and was taken to hospital late on Friday evening Jason Tindall and Graeme Jones will lead the team in Howe's absence on Friday as United visit St "Medical staff kept Eddie in hospital overnight for further tests, which are ongoing," the statement added Eddie Howe will miss Sunday's game against Manchester United. Stu Forster/Getty Images"He is conscious and talking with his family and is continuing to receive expert medical care." where Tindall suggested he expected the head coach to be well enough to take his place in the dugout on Sunday missed a Newcastle match was for his first game in charge he was absent due to testing positive for COVID-19 Newcastle are seventh ahead of Sunday's match, while United -- led by Ruben Amorim -- are 13th. Newcastle then take on Crystal Palace on Wednesday There was Jacob Murphy doing what Jacob Murphy does which is a mean impersonation of peak Lionel Messi a ploy so devastatingly simple it bamboozled Crystal Palace Fabian Schar powered one in and in these circumstances of bombardment and rout it would have been rude if Alexander Isak hadn’t contributed an achievement magnified by the absence of Eddie Howe The head coach, who is recovering from pneumonia the way Kieran Trippier made a nuisance of himself when Nick Pope conceded a penalty and the way his goalkeeper promptly made amends He would have relished another clean sheet for England’s Dan Burn the rampaging forward runs of Tino Livramento There were stories and points of interest aplenty but holding it all together was another quietly towering performance from Sandro Tonali who is consistently playing at an elite level week upon week If Guimaraes is Newcastle’s tempo-setter and Trippier the dressing-room’s standard-bearer orchestrating and conducting and knitting it all together assistant head coach who has stepped up in Howe’s absence “We’re starting to see the best of Sandro.” Murphy This is Tonali’s genius; he constantly scans the pitch and anticipates There were moments big and small against Palace; an incredible reverse ball that set Barnes free to power forward and then score; sprinting back to nudge Eddie Nketiah out of play in the 75th minute eliciting a huge roar from the Gallowgate End Barnes is on fire 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hslKRkzCwR — Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 16, 2025 Tonali has become the central cog in what is it did not feel like anything other than numbing a performance most notable for not being noteworthy given they had mustered precisely one shot A late Palace equaliser robbed them of nothing aside from the daylight robbery of two more points Tonali was making his 10th league start and aside from his debut against Aston Villa the previous season some big and necessary clearances from Burn and an expected goals (xG) figure of 0.04 it was the Italian who provided the nearest thing to optimism Newcastle’s midfield felt like an insoluble puzzle but which remained a jigsaw of mismatched pieces was the day Howe tweaked his line-up to push Tonali deep for the first time in the league and although the effect was not immediate see-saw 3-3 draw with Liverpool — ended with Tonali cramping up hardly surprising given the effort he eked out of rusty legs following his 10-month suspension for betting offences He began Brentford away on the bench and Newcastle lost 4-2 Tonali came straight back in for Leicester City at home on December 14 and a 4-0 win part of a run of 10 victories and two draws in the Italian’s first 12 starts as a No 6 Newcastle have not looked back; they have won more games in all competitions than any other Premier League side (19 of 24) while their 58 goals are behind only Liverpool (61) in that time If it would be wrong to single Tonali out as the only reason for this substantive uptick since Palace away the reverse fixture demonstrated a masterclass of the cohesion he has brought featuring the same starting XI for the sixth consecutive match Describing Tonali as a “No 6” does not do justice to his myriad talents championed the ambitious pursuit of Tonali two years ago it was precisely because the Italian is not a holding midfielder or an attacking midfielder; he is both rolled into one “You see that he covers every blade of grass,” Murphy says “He’s super-composed on the ball and he frees up Bruno and Joelinton they dovetail and complement each other really well It means you end up getting fed the ball more (as an attacker).” Nominally, Tonali sits at the central base of Newcastle’s midfield He has the engine and pace of a traditional box-to-box midfielder covering his team-mates by sprinting back to make tackles and interceptions before sending attackers away with accurate passes or by carrying possession upfield himself Of central midfielders to have played more than 2,000 minutes in the Premier League this season Tonali is second for total distance covered Conventional ‘sitting’ midfielders are nowhere near as all-action and Tonali’s array of talents makes him ideal for Howe’s athletic and intense style “He’s got so many great qualities,” Tindall says He’s very quick and reads the game extremely well.” Few Premier League players execute such aesthetically pleasing passes — there was a sublime ninth-minute crossfield ball to Trippier that drew gasps of approval from the home crowd — and none of his Newcastle team-mates can match the sheer ferocity of his shooting When Tonali fired in from the right byline against Brentford this month Howe initially assumed it was intentional because he had witnessed the 24-year-old do something similar in training Tonali admitted later his attempt was “70 per cent cross insisted his opener from “an audacious angle” against Palace was deliberate because he was “a bit closer in” than the Italian What was undeniable: it was 100 per cent brilliant Howe declared that he “fell in love” watching Tonali play (Top photo: Michelle Mercer/Newcastle United via Getty Images)