Brighton boosts hopes of survival with Newcastle draw

(Reuters) – Brighton and Hove Albion have increased their chances of staying in the Premier League after their 1-1 draw against Newcastle United at Saturday's Amex Stadium.

After Fulham's loss to Cardiff (18th), Brighton scored a point that left him four points ahead of the relegation zone.

Ayoze Perez put Newcastle in the forefront in the 18th minute with a nice finish and the home team offered virtually nothing in response for the rest of the half.

Brighton improved after the break and got his reward after 75 minutes when Pascal Gross scored for his first goal in eight games, all competitions equalized, much to the relief of local fans.

Brighton striker Glenn Murray had a great opportunity to win the game late in the game, but came back at close range.

With Arsenal and Manchester City, Brighton is not safe, but has a much greater goal difference than Cardiff, who must now win his last two games to have a chance to survive. Newcastle remained comfortable in the 13th.

"We have all been relieved," Gross told the BBC. "We pushed for the second but unfortunately, that was not the case. We have two games left, we'll see how it ends. "

Newcastle controlled the start and deserved to take the lead by Perez, who threw off Salomon Rondon's chest layoff. This is Perez's last intervention in the match.

Fabian Schar was denied by goalkeeper Mat Ryan, Brighton goalkeeper, and the hosts failed to get a perfect shot in the first period.

After the interval, Brighton was much more threatened and Shane Duffy headed a little further.

Brighton's persistence finally paid off as Gross headed for Murray's overthrow before Murray missed the opportunity to take all three points within two minutes of the end.

"They were aggressive and struggled to avoid relegation," said BT Sport Rafa Benitez, Newcastle's coach. "We had to keep the ball better and our counterattacks were not good.

"They were desperate to win so we have to understand the context of the game."