Brighton eases relegation fears with 3-0 win over Newcastle

BRIGHTON, England (AP) — Brighton pulled six points clear of the bottom three in the Premier League with a dominant 3-0 win over relegation rival Newcastle on Saturday.

Newcastle went into the game having won just two of its last 17 league matches and stayed two points above the relegation zone as Brighton recorded only its second league victory at the Amex Stadium this campaign.

Leandro Trossard’s curling shot put the home side ahead in first-half stoppage time.

Danny Welbeck then doubled Brighton’s lead with a well-struck shot into the corner six minutes into the second half, and Neal Maupay’s 68th-minute volley sealed all three points.

After 30 minutes, Brighton had enjoyed 75% of the possession and it was one-way traffic for the whole match, with Newcastle having to wait until the 37th for a first meaningful chance when Jamaal Lascelles headed wide.

Moments later, Maupay had a good opportunity at the other end after being picked out by Trossard, but his shot was blocked by Ciaran Clark.

Things got worse for Newcastle just before halftime when Isaac Hayden was hurt in a challenge with Yves Bissouma, and he had to be carried off on a stretcher.

Brighton took the lead when Trossard collected the ball on the edge of the box from Joel Veltman’s long pass forward, before turning and curling it into the corner.

Newcastle had an opportunity to equalize at the start of the second half when Miguel Almiron found Ryan Fraser in space on the left, and the Scotland international curled the ball towards the goal only for it to bounce out off the post.

Welbeck’s goal came when the 30-year-old former Manchester United forward was found by Trossard and he cut inside on to his right foot before firing the ball into the back of the net from 20 yards.

Brighton made sure of the points when Pascal Gross crossed for Maupay, who steered home his volley for his first goal in 10 games.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports