Newcastle United gave manager Eddie Howe a sigh of relief as they returned to winning ways against Brighton.
Although the head coach received backing from those above him at the club’s annual summit at Matfen Hall in Northumberland this week, he also faced some “difficult questions” following a run of nine league defeats in 12 games.
Howe needed a win, and with chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and minority owner Jamie Reuben watching from the directors’ box, his team delivered against in-form Brighton.
Newcastle were given a helping hand to soothe one or two jitters when Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen sprinted out of his goal to close down Jacob Murphy on the right.
Verbruggen clipped Murphy in the process, but the striker swiftly recovered to cross the ball into the area, where teammate William Osula headed into an empty net.
Burn nodded home Bruno Guimaraes’ corner kick midway through the first half, doubling the hosts’ lead.
However, this Brighton side had not tasted loss since March 4 for a reason, and they came storming back.
Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope was relieved to see the ball rebound off the post after Brighton midfielder Jack Hinshelwood blocked his attempted clearing in the first half.
Hinshelwood broke through in the second half, executing a clever one-two with Danny Welbeck before neatly scoring past Pope from within the box.
Newcastle has let up the most points (25) from winning positions in the Premier League this season, but they were able to hold out this time after Pope made a fine stop late on to save substitute Charalampos Kostoulas’ overhead kick.
Harvey Barnes clinched the victory in stoppage time with a powerful strike, as Howe and his staff celebrated enthusiastically on the touchline after breaking a five-game losing streak in all competitions.
Newcastle moved up to 13th place, while Brighton dropped to seventh.
Newcastle will play Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday, May 10 (14:00 BST), before hosting West Ham at St James’ Park on Sunday, May 17 (17:30 BST).
Brighton host Wolves at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, May 9 (15:00 BST), before traveling to Elland Road to face Leeds United on Sunday, May 17 (15:00 BST).
