‘A shock to the system’ - Eddie Howe reflects on ‘key’ moment during Newcastle United’s defeat to Brighton

Eddie Howe has revealed the key moment that sealed Newcastle United’s fate at the Amex Stadium on Saturday night, describing it as a ‘shock to the system’ that his team never really recovered from. The Magpies started promisingly on Saturday but were unable to turn this promise into goals and were undone by an Evan Ferguson hat-trick.

Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Howe pinpointed one moment that swung the balance of the tie away from his team. Howe said: “I thought it was a good start from the team, we were bright in the early stages and we had a couple of really good chances to score. When you come here and you get those moments you need to take them - we didn’t.

“Uncharacteristic goals to concede today. The first one was disappointing for us and that’s always key in a game.

“The second one was a shock to the system because at that moment it was a very even game and I sort of felt that they didn’t really cut us open. I think a 3-1 scoreline is damaging for us but I don’t think it reflected the whole game.”

Three defeats in a row leave the Magpies languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table ahead of the first international break of the season. Having had a very difficult start to the campaign by playing four of last season’s top seven, Newcastle have another tough test on the horizon when they face Thomas Frank’s Brentford at St James’ Park in a fortnight’s time.