The moment that made Ryan Fraser shake his head and Bruno Guimaraes being the coolest person in St James's Park – Newcastle United moments missed from 2-1 win over Brighton
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United with Ukraine
It was hard to miss Newcastle’s show of solidarity and support for Ukraine with ‘Football Stands Together’ displayed with Ukrainian colours on the big screen in the Leazes Stand.
But in the midst of the ‘biggest’ Wor Flags display to date a bespoke ‘united with Ukraine’ banner was displayed in the East Stand, which deserves special mention.
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Hide AdIt was the first time the East Stand had fully taken part in a Wor Flags display and it didn’t disappoint as the Gallowgate and Leazes Ends joined in with black and white foil that read ‘NUFC’ and ‘howay the lads’ respectively.
Wor Flags displays have become a crucial staple in the matchday experience at Newcastle – it’s a powerful thing when paired with a winning side.
Ryan Fraser’s head shake after helping Newcastle take a 2-0 lead
While Allan Saint-Maximin is undoubtedly an important player for United, Eddie Howe’s decision not to start him was a statement in itself.
They no longer need to rely on the 24-year-old to pose an attacking threat.
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Hide AdThis is particularly the case while Ryan Fraser is enjoying far and away the best form in black and white right now.
It took the Scottish winger just over a minute to get his first look at goal as his volley from Joe Willock’s cross was well saved by Robert Sanchez in the Brighton goal.
The visitors then quickly started applying pressure themselves and were very much on the front foot when Chris Wood launched a breakaway for Newcastle in the 12th minute.
Wood turned and played through Jacob Murphy, who showed a good turn of pace before hitting the post. Fortunately Fraser was there to poke in the rebound from close range as United took the lead against the run of play.
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Hide AdTwo minutes later, the hosts found themselves two goals to the good as Fraser turned provider with his free-kick being headed in by the continually impressive Fabian Schar.
With two goals and three assists – including two goals and two assists in the last five games – no Newcastle player has played a role in more goals since Howe took charge.
But midway through the first half, Fraser was left shaking his head in disbelief when goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, under no real pressure, opted to ping a long ball to the winger – prompting an aerial duel with Joel Veltman on the halfway line.
At 5ft 4in, Fraser didn’t win that aerial duel but continued to try and get the ball back for his side.
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Hide AdDespite their lead, Newcastle had struggled to keep possession in the game. So when the ball went out of play, Fraser turned to Dubravka as if to say ‘what was that,’ shaking his head at the goalkeeper for effectively gifting Brighton possession by forcing the smallest player in the Premier League into an aerial duel.
Dan Burn shows Brighton what they’re missing
For the first time since April 2006, Newcastle led by two goals at half-time in consecutive matches.
But Graham Potter’s side finally broke through 10 minutes after the restart as Lewis Dunk headed home from a corner, giving them plenty of time to find an equaliser.
Newcastle’s response was to bring off Murphy for the fresh legs of Allan Saint-Maximin to help stunt Brighton’s momentum.
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Hide AdDefensively, Dan Burn put in an impervious display against his former club while Schar, Matt Targett and Emil Krafth helped limit Brighton to few clear cut chances.
A couple of months ago, you would have expected Newcastle to crumble under the pressure and throw away their two goal lead. Though on this occasion, they stood firm and held on.
Burn’s arrival at centre-back has been a key factor behind United’s new-found resilience. They have now won four and drawn one of their last five games since Burn arrived while Brighton have lost five of their last six since selling the defender.
That £13million seems like a bargain.
Bruno the coolest man in St James’s Park
Once again, Bruno Guimaraes was limited to a brief outing from the bench with Newcastle looking to keep their narrow lead intact in the final 11 minutes.
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Hide AdGiven Newcastle were hanging on, Guimaraes’ calmness on the ball was welcome. But in a world where we’ve grown used to hoofing it clear and running into the corners to run down the clock, the Brazilian trying to spin away from three players or dribbling the ball along his own byline certainly made the St James’s Park crowd and Eddie Howe just that bit more nervous.
But in his cameo appearances so far, Bruno has shown his technical ability on the ball should give us nothing to worry about as he helped Newcastle see the game out and created a few further chances with clever through balls to Saint-Maximin.
Bucking the trend
After failing to beat or even score against Brighton in the Premier League, Newcastle had broken yet another hoodoo to make it eight games unbeaten in the top flight – their longest run in over a decade.
Following the draw against Watford, Howe suggested his side had forgotten how to win matches – a valid statement considering they had won one out of 22 at that point.
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Hide AdNow they look like a side who are forgetting how to lose, even when things are against them with injuries or moments in matches, they are able to secure wins, prompting another post-match team photo.
For a side who were supposedly as good as relegated back in December, Howe’s side now have 28 points and -16 goal difference after 26 games.
That would have been good enough to stay up in the Premier League last season.
And now they sit seven points clear of the relegation zone with 12 games remaining.