'It's not easy' – Brighton boss Graham Potter sums up Newcastle United's contrast under Eddie Howe

Potter admitted he was ‘shocked’ to see his side 2-0 down inside the opening 15 minutes as goals from Ryan Fraser and Fabian Schar put The Magpies in a commanding position.

But Brighton dominated possession throughout the afternoon and pulled a goal back in the second half through Lewis Dunk.

Ultimately it wasn't enough to come away with anything from the game as Newcastle continued their impressive run of form.

Following the match, Potter said: “Performance wise we did well but football is about scoring one more goal than your opponent and that’s what Newcastle did so in that respect we deserve what we get. It was a blow to go 2-0 down after starting the game well, we were the better team.

“Overall, I thought we were probably the better team, we pushed and pushed but it wasn’t to be.”

On the goals, he added: "I was stunned that we were 2-0 down in the game. It was a poor goal from our perspective but a good one from Newcastle's perspective on the break and then in the mayhem of that they score another goal from a set-play.”

A packed St James’s Park were in fine voice once again as Newcastle held on for their fifth win in six matches to move seven points clear of the relegation zone with 12 games remaining.

It was Newcastle’s first ever victory over Brighton in the Premier League at the 10th attempt.

And Potter was quick to give credit to Magpies head coach Eddie Howe and his team for their impressive turnaround.

“Newcastle defended with a lot of players and with a lot of organisation so credit to Eddie and his guys,” Potter continued.

“The home crowd can be a huge positive influence on the players but they can also be a negative one. If I’m being honest, that was probably the situation before and we obviously had lockdown as well.

“Credit to [Newcastle] they are in a good moment with good momentum and have some good players. It’s not easy at the minute.”

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Newcastle United coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription; sign up here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor