3 Positives and 3 Negatives to take from Brighton 1 Newcastle 1 | OneFootball

Sunday’s match ended Brighton 1 Newcastle 1.

Ahead of each match we ask one of our writers to come up with three positives and three negatives following the game.

Plenty to talk about after this one.

On this occasion it is ‘Matt Busby said to Joe Harvey…’:

POSITIVES

Don’t underestimate how big that point is

That was a huge, huge point in our quest for top five.

Even if Forest win later today, they’ll not do so by a cricket score (they need a ten goal margin to overhaul us) so we’re sitting in fourth with a home game against the team in fifth on Sunday, and the team in fifth also has to play away to the team in sixth a fortnight later.

It’s pretty clear (to me at least) that barring some kind of mathematical miracle, if we win both our remaining home games, only one of Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa can realistically finish above us and that guarantees fifth.

We could finish even higher if we also win our remaining fixture away from home.

After fifteen games, when we were languishing 12th in the table, if lifting the League Cup and win our final two home games to all but guarantee Champions League football was put to any of us, we’d have snapped the hands off whoever had put such a ridiculous offer in front of us, right?

Say we don’t manage to get those six points, so what?

That would probably mean a tilt at the Europa League next season, which judging by the shambles that have reached the last four of this season’s competition, is a trophy we would surely be well placed to lift in 12 months time?

Ice Cold Alex

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

With ice coursing through his veins, Isak calmly despatched that 89th minute penalty, for what was his 23rd premier league goal of the season.

Alex has put some crucial penalties away during his time with us and that one might be the most important, certainly for now.

Still only that one at Turf Moor at the end of last season that the irreplaceable Swede has missed whilst in a black and white shirt.

Barnes will tear you apart

I thought Harvey was MOTM yesterday.

Whilst there weren’t that many contenders, it’s really pleasing to see Barnes getting a consistent run in the team and I can see him playing a major part in what remains of the campaign.

With New Order being one of my favourite bands of all time, I cannot wait for another Barnes goal and another rendition of that Joy Division classic to reverberate around St James Park against Chelsea or Everton.

NEGATIVES

Others won and we didn’t

I’ve tried to put a sheen on this in the positives and whilst a draw was still a huge result, let’s face it, a win would have been even better, especially as Man City, Villa and Chelsea all took maximum points over the weekend.

It didn’t surprise me that both Man City and Villa toiled to solitary goal victories, and I had the same reaction when seeing the weakened line up the Slot Machine put out at Stamford Bridge yesterday, which undoubtedly helped the cockneys take maximum points.

That’s six in six years without a win at the Amex

‘There’s lies, damned lies and statistics’ said Mark Twain. Or was it Benjamin Disraeli?

No matter, that’s our sixth trek to the Amex in the last six years and we haven’t won any of them.

It’s a tricky place to get a result so not surprising. The fact that we’ve only lost twice in that time shouldn’t be underplayed however, a fact that is often lost on folk.

Old boy returns to haunt us (again)

Not for the first time this season, we were on the receiving end of a Yankuba Minteh strike yesterday.

For those still lamenting the loss of his services, I say fair play to the lad, he helped us out of a financial hole and is getting regular first team football, something I doubt would be the case if he’d stayed at St James’ Park.

Brighton 1 Newcastle 1 – Sunday 4 May 2025 2pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Isak 89 pen

Brighton

Minteh 28

Possession was Newcastle 54% Brighton 46%

Total shots were Newcastle 13 Ipswich 5

Shots on target were Newcastle 5 Brighton 2

Corners were Newcastle 4 Brighton 1

Touches in the box Newcastle 32 Brighton 17

Newcastle team v Brighton:

Pope, Trippier (Krafth 97), Schar (Botman 97), Burn, Livramento, Willock (Wilson 74), Tonali, Bruno, Barnes, Isak, Murphy (Gordon 56)

Unused subs:

Dubravka, Osula, Longstaff, Miley, Neave

(Brighton 1 Newcastle 1 – Match ratings and comments on all Newcastle United players – Read HERE)