Newcastle salvage draw at Brighton thanks to late Isak penalty

Newcastle United escaped the Amex Stadium with a point after Alexander Isak scored a last-gasp penalty in a 1-1 Premier League draw with Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, in a key result for their chase of Champions League qualification.

Brighton looked poised for victory after winger Yankuba Minteh struck in the first half, but Isak's 89th-minute spot kick sent goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen the wrong way for his 23rd league goal of the season.

After seeing two second-half penalties denied by the Video Assistant Reference (VAR), it was third time lucky for Newcastle when the penalty was given after Yasin Ayari inexplicably stuck his arm out to stop Kieran Trippier's free-kick.

Newcastle are fourth in the table on 63 points with three games remaining, three points ahead of Chelsea and Nottingham Forest, who both have a game in hand. Brighton are 10th in a blow to their chances of playing European football next season.

Minteh scored against his former team with Brighton's first decent opportunity of the match in the 28th minute when he cut the ball inside to his left foot before unleashing a blistering shot through a crowd into the far corner.

Newcastle twice pleaded unsuccessfully for penalties in the second half, first when Anthony Gordon was fouled by Tariq Lamptey but VAR determined it was just outside the area, and then when Joe Willock went down in the box but VAR ruled that contact was minimal and Willock was booked for a dive.

Newcastle had 13 shots overall to Brighton's five but both sides squandered chances to go ahead in the dying minutes of an entertaining match.

Brighton substitute Diego Gomez got away from the defence to meet a free-kick into the box but headed just wide. And then Callum Wilson forced Verbruggen to make an excellent save for the visitors' final chance of the game.