Eddie Howe’s men were stunned with a second home defeat to the Seagulls this season. Former Sunderland loanee Danny Welbeck proved the hero again – tucking home in stoppage time to sicken the home side.
Newcastle looked on course for a place in the FA Cup quarter-final when Alexander Isak opened the scoring from the spot. Toon fans thought he had another moments later until the referee halted play for offside.
Yankuba Minteh – who left the Tyneside last summer – came back to haunt the Magpies on the stroke of half-time. A frantic second half saw Anthony Gordon and Tariq Lamptey sent off before Welbeck snatched the victory on 114 minutes.
Speaking post-match, Brighton boss Hurzeler praised his team for staying calm under pressure. He told reporters: “I think, not only the character, but the performance was impressive.
“Of course, we had some setbacks during the game but we always reacted in a special way. We stayed calm. We found a good balance. We had phases of the game where we had to suffer. But in the end, we always stayed together. I’m really pleased with the character but also the performance.
“You need special players, like Solly (March) with the assist and Danny with the goal but, overall, we see how hard the other players worked for this win. It’s always a do-or-die game in the cup. We really have to focus on the league and then we will see the draw. It will be another tough challenge, for sure.
“We have to understand why we won this game today. It’s because we did the basic things right. We always worked hard – but we need this in every game.”
‘Stay calm’ – Brighton manager fires ‘special’ message following Newcastle United upset
