Evan Ferguson scored the first of what could be many Premier League hat-tricks as Brighton beat a sloppy Newcastle side 3-1 at the Amex Stadium.
With three differing types of goals that showed his excellent all-round ability, Ferguson only added to the hype surrounding him as the most prolific 18-year-old English football has seen for some time.
While the Irishman impressed, there were questions to be asked of Newcastle’s defending as the Champions League qualifiers fell well short of expectations on the south coast.
There was much to take from the match, then, starting with a significant positive for the home team.
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Brighton’s midfield does have the quality to succeed
Reports of Brighton’s midfield crisis, in the words of the great Mark Twain, have been greatly exaggerated.
Having lost Moises Caicedo and Alexis MacAllister – who made a combined 73 Premier League appearances last season – the logical reaction for the Seagulls would be to struggle initially in the middle of the park.
That they did, to an extent, in a reality-checking 3-1 defeat to West Ham last week, with nobody in a deeper Caicedo-like role to stop the Hammers’ lethal counter-attacks.
It would have been easy, then, for Roberto De Zerbi to do away with his new midfield pairing of Pascal Gross and Billy Gilmour, but against Newcastle his loyalty was rewarded.
Gilmour and Gross more than did a number on their high-quality opponents, outplaying Eddie Howe’s midfield three of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton with a little help from the team around them.
Indeed, while Gilmour (6.3%) and Gross (5.6%) shared almost 12% of all ball possession in the match between them, both Tonali and Joelinton were reduced to passenger roles, gathering just 2.2% and 2% of the ball respectively.
Refusing to lose possession was a key weapon in denying Newcastle opportunities, and even more important in paving the way for Brighton’s chances.
With Gilmour and Gross both more creative-minded than they are defensively inclined, their use of the ball was instrumental in breaking through the Newcastle lines.
On occasion, as with Gilmour’s long shot to set up Evan Ferguson’s opening goal, this meant trying their luck from distance, with midfield positivity proving momentous in forcing an unusual game-breaking error from Nick Pope.
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Newcastle are still adjusting to their new level
After making the big-money additions of Tonali, Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento this summer, Newcastle endured a quiet end to the transfer window, with Lewis Hall the only significant incoming in a loan deal that showed the pressures of Financial Fair Play on the side.
This has forced Howe to otherwise keep faith in the squad that carried the Toon to the Champions League, which will have both positive and negative repercussions in the season ahead.
On this occasion, we saw a lack of depth in a side that want to compete at the Premier League’s top table, with Sven Botman and Joe Willock both notable absentees due to injury.
Matt Targett had a forgettable evening at left-back, while starting wingers Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almiron showed the less consistent sides of their games by wasting key chances in front of goal.
It was always going to be a tough task for Howe’s side to perform on several fronts with the added expectation that this season brings, but they are stuttering so far and show signs of needing a refresh in January if funds allow.
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Brighton can mix it up more than we thought
A key criticism of how De Zerbi’s Seagulls played against West Ham focused on how they were constantly beaten in the game’s physical battles.
Just as with their midfield performance, this was an area in which Brighton showed huge improvements after a positive week of training.
Jan Paul van Hecke, who returned to the team in place of Adam Webster, showed great tenacity in defence, while the late stages of the game saw Brighton’s substitutes collect four yellow cards for petty fouls that stalled any Newcastle momentum.
Adam Lallana was even involved in a tetchy final few minutes with Sean Longstaff, who seemed decidedly rattled by the 35-year-old’s time-wasting efforts.
Call it bad sportsmanship if you like, but these are the realities of Premier League football, and just like Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side you have to be prepared to mix sumptuous football with timely fouls.
This all showed another side to Brighton, which is complemented by having at the other end a striker with the ability to barrel past defenders.
Evan Ferguson was first to every ball in the box, using strength, pace and intelligence to bully the centre-back pairing of Fabian Schar and Dan Burn, which few would have expected.
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Newcastle’s new weapons will do alright
Whilst some Newcastle starters on the night may soon find first-team opportunities at a premium after falling short in Sussex, their emerging replacements do look capable.
Newly naturalised Scotland winger Elliot Anderson impressed in bursts down the left flank, while Barnes continued his bright start to life for the Toon with a decent cameo.
Elsewhere on the bench was Livramento, with the one-time Brighton target continuing his recovery from a long-term anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Hall should also be a good addition this season – if only on an initial loan deal – so while fans didn’t get to see the Chelsea youngster in action at the Amex, there are bright sparks for the coming months.
Howe should trust his youth based on their contributions on the South Coast, although there may be little other choice if established first-teamers are misfiring.
For both Newcastle and Brighton, there is much to ponder from their opening four games.
The international break comes at a good time to recover and plan ahead, so it will be fascinating to see how both teams respond to European challenges this season.