At a glance
- Brighton suffered another setback
- Fabian Hurzeler reacted after full-time
- Newcastle United punished key moments
Fabian Hurzeler insisted Brighton & Hove Albion “dominated the game” despite suffering a 3-1 defeat to Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday.
The Seagulls saw their impressive run halted by a defeat at Tyneside as defensive lapses and missed chances cost the visitors three points.
Brighton arrived at St. James Park in strong form after their recent 3-0 win over Chelsea at home. However, Newcastle managed to open the score sheet early as the home side were desperate after a bad string of results.
All in all, the Jack Hinshelwood strike in the 60th minute wasn’t enough to inspire a comeback, with another blunder in injury time resulting in the Magpies’ third.
Fabian Hurzeler Reacts to Brighton Defeat
Despite the result, Fabian Hurzeler stood by his team, claiming that the Seagulls produced enough but were just unlucky with the scoreline.
Hurzeler’s men actually dominated the game with 68% overall possession. However, Newcastle had the higher xG of 3.16, which can be attributed to the errors.
“We dominated the game. We started well, we had two big chances, Newcastle scored out of nowhere. Then the second goal is a set-piece where we lost a little bit our structure. But overall we created plenty of chances,” Hurzeler told the media.
Brighton also had 28 touches in the opposition box compared to the Magpies’ 24, but the visitors still managed only one goal in the whole game.
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Brighton Lost in Key Moments
Statistically, Bart Verbruggen was the better keeper, facing 4.21 xGOT and preventing 1.21. However, the Dutchman failed to judge the ball in the 12th minute, which directly led to a goal for Newcastle.
Then Jan Paul van Hecke slipped while making a back pass under pressure, which led to the third goal during injury time.
“You shouldn’t concede so easily the goals. We weren’t able to manage the small margins, the key moments of the game, well. On the other side, you can also say we created so many chances that we have to be more ruthless in a certain way,” Hurzeler said.
Nevertheless, on the attacking front, Olivier Boscagli made the most passes into the final third (16) of all the players on the pitch, followed by van Hecke, Pascal Grob and Bart Verbruggen.
Brighton Must Look Ahead After Newcastle Setback
Brighton know this was a missed opportunity. However, the Seagulls still have three games to turn this around.
Hurzeler’s men had four big chances compared to Newcastle’s five. The Magpies were gifted these opportunities instead of creating them, while Brighton were constantly in the opposition half but failed to convert.
Europe is still within reach as the Seagulls stand seventh, eligible for a Conference League qualification. However, with a Europa League spot possible, Hurzeler would want to aim for the best they can achieve.
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