EPL: Isak's Penalty Salvages Point for Newcastle Against Brighton

Newcastle and Brighton played out a 1-1 draw, with Alexander Isak scoring a late penalty for the Magpies.

Alexander Isak's late penalty salvaged a point for Newcastle in a 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion. The result extended Newcastle's winless run in away Premier League games to eight matches.

The match was marked by intense action and two significant VAR reviews that denied Newcastle a potential winning goal. Despite the draw, Newcastle remains in contention to finish as the best of the rest behind league leaders Liverpool, thanks to Arsenal's recent struggles.

Neither team started with particular intensity, though Brighton, aware that a win could boost their eighth-place aspirations, might have been expected to show more urgency. The visitors had the first notable chances, with Harvey Barnes having a snapshot turned away for a corner by Bart Verbruggen. Joe Willock then broke down the left and sent an effort inches over the bar.

The Magpies were soon made to pay for squandering those half-chances. Just before the half-hour mark, a familiar figure tormented Eddie Howe's side. Former Newcastle player Yankuba Minteh returned to haunt his old club, stepping into the box and curling a beautiful left-footed shot into the far corner.

Despite falling behind, Newcastle came out after halftime with renewed determination to get back into the game. Their hopes were briefly buoyed when Mats Wieffer's reckless challenge on Sandro Tonali seemed worthy of a penalty, but referee Craig Pawson didn't intervene.

Alexander Isak earns a VITAL point for Newcastle and their Champions League hopes!

They remain fourth, three points ahead of Chelsea and Nottingham Forest#BHANEW pic.twitter.com/SokPXXbLc2

— Premier League (@premierleague) May 4, 2025

Newcastle's bad luck continued when Anthony Gordon was tripped by Tariq Lamptey after coming off the bench, initially appearing to have earned a penalty. However, VAR intervened and overturned the decision, ruling that the contact occurred outside the box.

A similar scenario unfolded later when referee Craig Pawson awarded a penalty for a supposed foul on Joe Willock by Jan Paul van Hecke in the box. However, VAR intervened once again, overturning the decision and sparing Brighton.

Newcastle persisted in their pursuit of a late equalizer, and their determination was finally rewarded. Yasin Ayari inadvertently blocked Fabian Schär's free-kick with an outstretched arm, resulting in a penalty for Newcastle.

After another lengthy VAR review, a penalty was awarded, and Alexander Isak confidently dispatched it into the bottom corner.

In stoppage time, both Diego Gomez for Brighton and Callum Wilson for Newcastle had opportunities to win the game but failed to capitalize. Ultimately, the teams were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw, which did little to advance their respective European aspirations.