Newcastle’s 11-match unbeaten Premier League (PL) home run ground to a crashing halt as they were beaten 1-0 at St James’ Park by Brighton & Hove Albion, who maintained their impressive start to the season.
Only goal difference separated Newcastle and Brighton in the table prior to today, and the pair were similarly closely matched on the pitch in the opening exchanges. Goalmouth action was few and far between, and even when a solid opening did arrive, Alexander Isak’s air kick with the goal at his mercy was somewhat symptomatic of both sides’ struggles.
The Swede was at the heart of everything good about the Geordies, but he missed another gilt-edged opportunity when Sandro Tonali played him clean through on goal, but he couldn’t beat Bart Verbruggen.
Newcastle then had the ultimate footballing punishment inflicted upon them when Brighton scored with their first shot of the game. There was an element of simplicity in the goal too, as a neat one-two between Danny Welbeck and Georginio Rutter ended with the former rolling home his fifth of the season – as many as he managed in the whole of the last campaign.
A training ground routine almost saw Lewis Dunk double the Seagulls advantage shortly after the break, but his volley flew harmlessly over the bar. It wasn’t all one-way traffic though, and Verbruggen was proving to be a busy man in the Brighton goal.
He denied Anthony Gordon and Isak as the game ticked into the final 15 minutes, though a last-ditch Dan Burn block to deny Ferdi Kadıoğlu was a stark reminder that Fabian Hürzeler’s men were still a threat.
Welbeck being stretchered off set up a nervy ending for Brighton, but their task was helped when Eddie Howe made the strange decision to withdraw Gordon and Bruno Guimarães in the 85th minute, to the bemusement of many inside St. James’ Park.
Mats Wieffer almost wrapped things up in stoppage time as Brighton looked to strike on the counter, but his effort was repelled by Nick Pope, who kept his side in the game as the clock ticked away.
The Magpies couldn’t capitalise upon that reprieve though, nor could they make any use of nine minutes added time. Despite conceding eight goals across their last three Premier League games, Brighton stood firm to secure a clean sheet that earned them just a second win in 10 away league outings.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")