Friday 27 / December / 2024
Brighton and Hove : Evan Ferguson's first career hat-trick ensured Brighton & Hove Albion walked away with nine points as Newcastle United slumped to a 3-1 defeat at the Falmer Stadium.
The young Irish forward stunned the Magpies who have kicked off the season chasing shadows of their previous season.
Eddie Howe's Newcastle kicked off the game on a dominant foot, keeping possession, looking to threaten Brighton's defence with Alexander Isak making runs behind the defensive line.
In the early minutes of the first half, Isak got past the defensive line and found himself one-on-one with the keeper but took an extra touch which allowed Hecke to make a decisive tackle.
Newcastle dominated possession while Brighton waiting for a breakthrough was the story of the first 25 minutes of the game.
In the next 60 seconds, Nick Pope gave away the ball straight to Pervis Estupinan, who made a darting run to Newcastle's box and slipped past the ball to Mitouma whose attempt was redirected by Pope. The ball fell to Gilmour, forcing another save from Pope. However, the ball slipped out from the hands of the English keeper, allowing Ferguson to put the hosts in front with a close-range finish.
Newcastle tried to rally back right after the start, with Joelinton's quick feet deceiving the Brighton's defence but his shot went wide of the post.
The first half ended in Brighton's favour with the scoreline reading 1-0.
The game proceeded with Newcastle making attempts to bring back the game on level terms, while Brighton waited for the right moment to strike back.
The moment arrived after the hour mark, with Ferguson leading the charge after picking up the ball in the middle of the pitch. He shoved off Joelinton, took aim and fired a shot past Pope from over 30 yards with elegance.
Five minutes later Ferguson got his hattrick wrapped around his foot and fired a shot, Pope took a step towards the direction of the shot, and a major deflection changed the course of the ball completely.
Calum Wilson found socred in the final minutes of the game to steal away a clean sheet and get his 16th goal in 18 PL games.
