Brighton were wary of Newcastle United’s ‘counter-attack’ threat because Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron are ‘dangerous’ players if you lose the ball, according to boss Graham Potter. As they did in the reverse fixture at St James’ Park back in September, Brighton dominated possession but Potter’s side were certainly conscious of the pace and threat the Magpies usually carry on the counter.
Graham Potter said “I can’t say that there were too many clear cut chances to be fair. It was a game that lacked quality. Newcastle came with a back five and defended deep and looking at the counter-attack players they have – Almiron and Saint-Maximin – they’re dangerous if you lose the ball so there’s a little bit of that probably in our play but we tried. We lacked a bit of quality in the final third.”
The Seagulls secured their Premier League status for another season following a 0-0 draw against the Magpies at the AMEX Stadium on Monday evening. Newcastle were playing their ninth game in all competitions since football restarted behind closed doors last month and the visitors only managed one shot on target during an uneventful 90 minutes.