Nick Woltemade scored his fifth goal in six starts for Newcastle United, but his strike wasn’t enough to prevent a 2-1 defeat at Brighton on Saturday.
Danny Welbeck scored either side of Woltemade’s superb finish to secure the win for Brighton. Welbeck gave the hosts an early lead, before Woltemade equalised for the Magpies with just 14 minutes left, flicking Lewis Miley’s low cross into the bottom-left corner while facing away from goal — arguably his best goal so far for Newcastle. However, Newcastle were caught out in the closing stages as Welbeck struck again, handing Brighton the victory.
Despite seven of his regular starters being away on international duty, including Woltemade, Eddie Howe fielded an unchanged lineup for the third consecutive match. Reflecting on the game, Howe said:
“We started brightly but lost our rhythm in the first half. We were loose on the ball and often caught in transition. The second half was much better, more like ourselves, and it’s disappointing to lose. We can’t rely on one player to score; historically, we’ve had goals from all areas. Nick’s done really well, and we’re delighted for him, but we need more contributions from the rest of the team.”
Woltemade, whose goals have helped him continue a strong start since his £65 million move from VfB Stuttgart, gave a candid assessment of the defeat:
“It’s not good. The first half wasn’t great, but we showed better energy in the second. We scored and it felt like we could win, but Brighton played well and got their goals. That’s football sometimes.”
He added that he remains positive despite the setback:
“I really like playing here. The players look for me, and the gaffer trusts me. We had chances in the second half, and we’ll keep working to win games away. Before the international break, we had a good week, and this shows we can compete on the road.”
Newcastle now turn their attention to Champions League action, hosting Benfica on Tuesday night.
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