Brighton vs Newcastle, Premier League as it happened: Tomer Hemed seals valuable win for the Seagulls
Hemed's goal saw Brighton win their second successive home game
Newcastle United's run of three successive wins came to an end on Sunday when Brighton and Hove Albion, another promoted side, beat them by the only goal.
Israel international Tomer Hemed scored in the 51st minute, to move Brighton up four places to 13th.
Rafa Benitez's side, who drop down to joint eighth, had pipped Brighton to the Championship (second tier) title by one point on the final day of last season, having beaten them at home and away.
They had more of the game after bringing on midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, who hit a post direct from a corner, but good chances were hard to come by.
Relive the action below.
Team news:
Brighton: Ryan, Saltor, Duffy, Dunk, Suttner, Knockaert, Stephens, Propper, March, Gross, Hemed. Subs: Krul, Hunemeier, Murphy, Izquierdo, Schelotto, Rosenior, Brown.
Newcastle: Elliot, Yedlin, Lascelles, Clark, Mbemba, Hayden, Merino, Ritchie, Perez, Atsu, Joselu. Subs: Murphy, Shelvey, Gayle, Diame, Manquillo, Darlow, Jesus Gamez.
Referee: Andre Marriner (England).
Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of Brighton vs Newcastle in the Premier League.
Countdown to kick-off
The Amex is filling up ahead of kick-off at 4pm.
Can Newcastle make it four wins from four in the Premier League or will Brighton end the Magpies' good run of form?
Brighton vs Newcastle recent meetings
- Brighton 1-2 Newcastle - Championship, February 2017
- Newcastle 2-0 Brighton - Championship, August 2016
- Brighton 2-0 Newcastle - FA Cup, January 2013
- Brighton 1-0 Newcastle - FA Cup, January 2012
So, last season's top two Championship teams will lock horn in a little under half-an-hour's time.
Just one point separated Brighton and Newcastle after 46 games last season but the two sides have had differing starts to life in the Premier League.
The Seagulls sit 17th in the top flight with just one win from five games, while Newcastle, who lost their opening two games of the season, have won three on the bounce and sit 10 places higher than their opponents today.
Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez speaks pre-match
On naming an unchanged team: "When you have one game a week, it is easy to repeat and if the team is doing well and is winning, it is easier."
On playing Brighton after beating them twice in the Championship last season: "We know that it will be different. We've changed some players and they've changed some players. Hopefully the result will be the same but we know it will be difficult."
On what he puts Newcastle's recent good form down to: "The effort of the players, the commitment, the understanding between them. We have a lot of things at the moment that are going well but we know that the Premier League is quite difficult and we have to keep our feet on the floor and keep doing things in the same way."
Quotes from Sky Sports
Brighton manager Chris Hughton speaks pre-match
On the fact Brighton lost to Newcastle twice last season: "I don't think those results will have any bearing on today's match. They've had a good start to their season. Our level of performance has been good. I'm disappointed we didn't get more out of the Bournemouth game but I've been delighted with our level of performance."
On Brighton's struggles for goals this season: "We were able to score three goals against a well-organised West Brom team. Goals are harder to come by in this division so we know we're not going to be as prolific as we were last season but I think we've got goals in the team."
Quotes from Sky Sports
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