Newcastle 1-1 Brighton
by Roger Domeneghetti

THE day after the night before, the Northern Lights were dimmed a little. Brighton were always going to pose a tricky obstacle in Newcastle’s last game of the season. And so it proved, the draw meaning that the Magpies’ European now hinge on their mid-week trip to Old Trafford.

“I don’t think we hit the heights we needed to win,” said Newcastle boss Eddie Howe. “Our rhythm wasn’t quite there, but it could end up as a really valuable point. The Manchester United game will be massive. It looks like it’s going to go right to the end. We’ve got two tough games but it’s still in our hands.”

Although the home side dominated the early exchanges, Brighton were, when they had the ball, the technically better side. Thus, it was little surprise when they opened the scoring after 18 minutes, Joel Veltman stabbing home the loose ball after a corner.