Brighton 1 Newcastle 2: Mohamed Diame freak goal and Ayoze Perez stun Seagulls to boost Premier League hopes
Home side looked on course to move four points clear of Newcastle before the midfielder's late goal
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MO DIAME has a knack for promotion-sealing goals and he may well have hit another at Brighton — not that he knew much about it!
The Senegalese star cracked a stunner for Hull to win the play-off final last May.
And he found the net here to chalk off Glenn Murray’s controversial penalty when the ball looped up off his boot and into the top corner, paving the way for Ayoze Perez’s late winner.
It was as fortuitous a goal as you can get — but could prove just as vital as that Wembley wonderstrike last season. And it suggested the luck and momentum are now with top dogs Newcastle as the race to the Premier League nears its conclusion.
Boss Rafa Benitez said: “We created a lot of good situations before Diame, who was lucky.
“The winning goal was calm and composure from Ayoze.
“We had to change a bit to be more dangerous, but I’m really pleased with the players’ reaction, the way they understood how we had to be playing.
“We had to take a risk, playing between the lines. When you play against a good team, with the advantage of the goal from the penalty — which was not one — it’s always more difficult.
“A lot of things were against us, but the reaction was good.”
This was the biggest match of the Championship season so far and Brighton started stronger.
Toon keeper Karl Darlow saved well to deny a Bruno volley and Sam Baldock’s shot.
But there was nothing he could do about the opener, given in controversial circumstances.
Murray and Ciaran Clark were wrestling in the box, giving as good as they got.
But when Jamaal Lascelles bumped into Murray, the pair hit the deck and ref Robert Madley pointed to the spot.
Murray made no mistake, sweeping a perfect penalty into the left-hand corner for his 17th goal of the season.
Toon rallied as Matt Ritchie clipped the bar before Christian Atsu fired a shot from eight yards straight at David Stockdale, who showed superb reactions to turn it away on the stroke of half-time.
Darlow had his heart in his mouth a minute after the break as he was beaten to the punch when coming for a free-kick by Lewis Dunk, whose looped header was going in until Paul Dummett cleared off the line.
Stockdale then had his own moment of madness as he inexplicably passed the ball straight to Yoan Gouffran 25 yards out, but redeemed himself by saving the Frenchman’s shot.
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Yet the Albion stopper was left helpless when Diame’s lucky strike levelled proceedings, inadvertently turning in Atsu’s wayward shot after Brighton had failed to clear a corner.
The sucker punch turned into a knockout blow on 89 minutes as Atsu crossed for sub Perez to expertly steer home.
It was a sickener for Brighton, who surrendered top spot to their victors as a result. It left the 3,000 travelling Geordie fans — including Ant ’n Dec — singing into the night.
Seagulls chief Chris Hughton said: “Yes it was a sickener and over 90 minutes it’s not a result we deserved. I genuinely felt, up until the equaliser, we’d go on and win the game.
“The equaliser was one of those unfortunate goals. They happen in the game.
“I wondered at the time how it had gone in. That gave a very, very strong Newcastle team a little bit of momentum going into that last period.
“We weren’t at our best, but I felt we would hold on and get a result.”