Newcastle and Brighton draw after late Gordon goal disallowed
Starting this home finale on the back of some decent spring form, Eddie Howe’s men began brightly, with Jacob Murphy looking threatening down the right, but it was the visitors who took the lead just after the quarter-hour mark.
A Pascal Groß corner was not dealt with, and Joël Veltman was the quickest to react and lash home.
Howe’s men continued to drive forward in search of an equaliser, and next up to come close to drawing his side level was Sean Longstaff, whose header from Anthony Gordon’s corner was brilliantly saved by Brighton’s stopper.
The Seagulls were content to soak up the pressure and hit on the counter, and this tactic almost helped double their lead before the break after Simon Adingra broke down the left flank and picked out Julio Enciso, but the Paraguayan forward headed over.
Brighton’s Dutch goalkeeper looked like he was going to keep his side ahead going into the break, but his resolve was finally broken in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Following good work from Gordon, Elliot Anderson picked out Longstaff who poked home to level the scoreline at HT.
Yet, despite the frantic end to the first half, the same intensity was lacking after the restart and neither side looked likely to take the lead.
The Magpies were almost gifted a second goal when Tariq Lamptey’s miscued clearance almost looped over Verbruggen, but he was quick to react and keep the ball out.
Both sides were suffering from a lack of quality in the final third, and as a result, Howe and Roberto De Zerbi turned to their respective benches after the hour mark in an attempt to liven the contest.
Gordon thought he had netted a winner but it was ruled out for offside and the game petered out, leaving both sides having to settle for a point apiece.
Newcastle remain in sixth-place, three points ahead of Chelsea with one game remaining.
Brighton’s up and down season seems to be ending in a whimper, with just one win in their last eight league games (D3, L4).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Bart Verbruggen (Brighton & Hove Albion)
