Newcastle were hot. Opposed to Luton this Saturday, during the 23rd day of the Premier League, the Magpies had all the difficulty in the world to snatch a draw at the end of a match rich in goals and twists and turns (4-4). Never since the first transfer window operated by the new Saudi investors in the winter of 2022 has Newcastle conceded four goals at home. This draw against Luton (4-4) pushes the Magpies a little further into the sluggish underbelly of the ranking, and constitutes the third defensive drowning in two months, after the routs at Tottenham (4-1, December 10), and Liverpool (4-2) on January 1.
After a resounding victory during the week at Aston Villa (3-1), the Magpies led and were caught twice in the first period (double from Sean Longstaff and responses from Gabriel Osho and Ross Barkley), before Carlton Morris gave the advantage in Luton from the penalty spot (59th, 2-3), then Elijah Adebayo thrills St James’ Park (2-4, 62nd). Kieran Trippier (67th) and Harvey Barnes (73rd) finally saved the day. Luton remains head outside the relegation zone, four days after crushing Brighton (4-0). With eight goals in two matches, Rob Edwards’ players can have hopes.
In the other results of the afternoon, after the draw between Everton and Tottenham (2-2), Brighton made short work of Crystal Palace (4-1). The “blackout” last Tuesday in Luton was therefore a simple accident. Against their historic rival, Brighton only needed 34 minutes to take cover for good. This large victory (4-1) will remain in the statistics, since the Seagulls had never scored four goals against Crystal Palace since a match played in 1957, in the third division.
