Newcastle 1-1 Brighton: Final home game of 2023/24 ends in frustrating draw

A 1-1 draw with Brighton in our final home game of the season all but confirms the highest we can finish in the league is sixth.

We never really hit top gear and our final ball often let us down on a day where both sides seem to struggle in the heat.

Spurs winning against Burnley means the gap opens to six points with just two games remaining – while Chelsea can move level on points if they win at Nottingham Forest.

A VAR-check denied Anthony Gordon from securing the three points late on as the lineman’s flag had been raised for offside.

Despite trailing through Joel Veltman’s opener, we struck back through a geordie-to-geordie set up to level proceedings. Elliot Anderson set up Sean Longstaff who made no mistake as he banged home into the middle of the net late in first half injury time.

We huffed and puffed in the second half and saw Harvey Barnes waste a few good openings, with Alexander Isak coming off shortly after the hour mark. It was a surprise at the time, but Eddie Howe admitted after the game that he was unwell yesterday, which makes sense based on his slightly subdued display.

A frustrating result that allows the likes of Chelsea and Man Utd back into it ahead of the final two games of the season, but our fate is in our own hands ahead of trips to Old Trafford and Brentford.

Whatever happens over the next week, Eddie Howe and the players deserve huge credit. We’ve had no luck with injuries and faced so many challenges, yet we’ve come through fighting, are still competing for Europe and will head into 2024/25 all the better for these experiences.

NUFC XI: Dubravka – Livramento, Krafth, Burn, Hall – Longstaff, Bruno, Anderson – Murphy, Isak, Gordon.

SUBS: Pope, Dummett, A Murphy, Trippier, Almiron, Joelinton, Ritchie, White, Barnes.

A wide shot of the Newcastle United players and their families in front of the Gallowgate Stand following our last home fixture of the season.

17 thoughts on “Newcastle 1-1 Brighton: Final home game of 2023/24 ends in frustrating draw

  1. Unless Isak was injured! Why on earth would you take your top scorer off for either Barnes or Almiron as the latter in particular couldn’t hit a Barn door sitting on the latch.
    Coaches😡🤮

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  2. Joseph – coz it wasn’t happening for him today mate & I think it was either a case of keeping him fit for Man Utd – or knowing we are going to shift Wilson and wanting to see Gordon covering CF.

    It may also have been to give Barnes game time or alternatively Miggy the chance to say goodbye to the home fans 🤞🏼

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  3. I feel like today has been the story of our season a little bit – disappointing but nothing you can really get angry about.

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  4. Sharpy17:
    I feel like today has been the story of our season a little bit – disappointing but nothing you can really get angry about.

    completely agree

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  5. Does anyone really know what our financial situation?!?!!

    I’m getting bored of reading every club being linked with taking Isak in the summer – I’m now reading Liverpool plan to scupper Arsenal to sign Isak – S0D OFF!! we are keeping him!!.

    I’m getting to a point where I’d advocate a points deduction – especially if we find ourselves being forced to sell to comply with some BS ‘fair play’ rule .

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  6. Sharpy
    We posted a debt of £73.4m last year and PSR allows you to have a rolling debt of £105m over a 3 year period , so we will be near the limit but hopefully we will not have to use any of our transfer kitty to cover debt.
    Our income for this year is expected to be about £270m and current FFP allows us to spend
    70% of that on wages and transfers.
    Our wage bill for this season was £105m leaving us with an £84m transfer kitty. From that we need to pay £28m for Lewis Hall so that leaves us with £56m.
    Of course we can add to that with player sales and we could get about £5m if Brentford sell Toney for £65m and Man U may give our kitty a further boost of any compensation we get for Ashworth.
    Now it is a case of who we sell and who we buy to stay in the FFP rules.

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  7. Sidekick – cheers mate.

    I guess it’s who we can get as well. If we can get Kelly or Tosin or both on a free that’ll make a big difference. It’ll also depend on if Dubs wants to stay or go.

    If defo sell Wilson & Miggy first though – if we can get £40-50m for them, added to that kitty you’re on about, I think we can strengthen enough with that 👍🏼

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  8. Brighton have a big say in where we finish as they are at home to Man U in the last game.

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  9. Ice – we could probably afford Longstaff to leave with Tonali coming in & the emergence of Miley this season. But unless the fee is £15-20m for him, I’d still keep him as a squad player for now.

    If we have £56m kitty & get £5m for Toney moving & say another £15m for Ashworth – then sell Wilson & Miggy for a further £40m – suddenly a transfer kitty over £100m without selling Isak or Bruno looks pretty good.

    Oh, and I should add we have proper owners & directors now – ones who seem to have a grip of the free transfer market, stealing a march on Kelly & Tosin if rumours are to be believed (but Howe didn’t deny our interest when asked about them).

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  10. Brighton have Chelsea to play too.

    Contract sit-rep
    Ending End of June 2024:
    Dummett, Ritchie, Karius, hall, Hendrick

    Ending End of June 2025:
    Dubravka, Trippier, Schar, Wilson, Burn, Fraser, Lascelles, Krafth, Gillespie

    Given that hall’s contract has been triggered, the club should be looking to renew trippier, schar and burn only and that is caveated as they’re going to be squad players or trying to get a fee for them. Thanks and goodbye to the rest

    Need to roll the dice and It really is beyond time to get aggressive in the out of contract market

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  11. That Hendrick & Fraser are still in the conversation reminds you just how early into this rebuild we are doesn’t it 🤦🏼‍♂️

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  12. Sharpy17:
    That Hendrick & Fraser are still in the conversation reminds you just how early into this rebuild we are doesn’t it 🤦🏼‍♂️

    It really does mate.

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  13. If I remember correctly there were still six of ‘Brucie’s’ players in the team that lost to Man City !

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