Danny Welbeck is Brighton's hero, but injury spoils victory over Newcastle | first division

Pure luck is an underrated commodity in football. On a day when Brighton enjoyed much and Newcastle enjoyed almost none, a PhD student could have used these 102 minutes on Tyneside as the basis for a thesis on the vagaries of the game's fluctuating fortunes.

However, if favorable tailwinds played a major role in propelling Fabian Hürzeler's team to fifth place, it would be a mistake not to emphasize the influential role of the outstanding Danny Welbeck and the excellent Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, and the resilience and the poise of his teammates.

“We have to be honest,” Hürzeler said. “In the end I wouldn't say it was a deserved victory but my team suffered and defended together. Sometimes that's football. In the first half, Newcastle had great chances and a lot of intensity. “We didn’t deserve to score when we did, but it was a great moment of individual quality from Danny Welbeck and then we showed a great reaction in the second half.”

Brighton ended that period without Welbeck after their top scorer was stretchered off with an oxygen mask on his face after he collapsed clutching his lower back following a routine aerial challenge with Fabian Schär.

“I can't give you any updates until Danny has a scan,” said Hürzeler, who, at 31, is two years younger than Welbeck. “I think he took the opponent's knee in the back. Hopefully it's not too bad, but we can't be sure. Danny has great talent but is not only a great footballer but also a great teammate and a role model for young players. “I am very happy with him.”

One day when Alexander Isak had misplaced his shooting boots, Eddie Howe had no choice but to become an optimist. “Very frustrating,” said the Newcastle coach, who saw his players fail to convert any of the 21 goal attempts. “The first half was the best we have played this season, but we made a mistake and Brighton scored on their first attack. “We had some really good moments and looked creative, but it wasn’t to be.”

To say Welbeck's 35th-minute goal came against the run of play would be an understatement. Until then, Brighton had largely been locked in their own half as Newcastle stifled their attempts to play from the back.

With Isak squandering a couple of promising opportunities and Hürzeler seemingly reluctant to tear up his tactical plan and replace it with something more pragmatic, it seemed only a matter of time before Newcastle scored.

Fortunately for Brighton, Welbeck had other ideas. After chesting a long ball from Lewis Dunk, the former England striker proceeded to destabilize the Newcastle defense thanks to a clever one-two with Georginio Rutter before beating Tino Livramento and sliding a well-timed shot beyond Nick's reach. Pope. It was the visitors' first shot of the afternoon and Welbeck's fifth goal in eight league games.

Howe's players, until then intelligent in their pressing, impressive possession retention and deft passing, were kicked in the teeth after 45 minutes without barely scoring a goal.

Their response by falling behind proved less convincing, suggesting the team's difficulties scoring from open play could be becoming a psychological problem. As the crowd's frustration grew and Brighton's shift to a more counter-attacking strategy began to pay dividends, Howe began to make tactical changes.

Harvey Barnes and Joe Willock replaced Jacob Murphy and Sandro Tonali, but Welbeck also left.

His team-mates held on to achieve what seemed a highly unlikely victory, perhaps best summed up by the events of the 74th minute, when Anthony Gordon latched onto a fabulous pass from Schär but, with only Verbruggen within reach, converted a glorious chance.