Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope proved to be top of the stops for Eddie Howe on the South Coast. Key saves in both halves by the England international enabled United to take a point against Brighton & Hove Albion on a day when things did not click at the other end.
For all that, this should still be regarded as a decent point against the team that beat Manchester United last weekend. The Magpies only managed one shot on target on the day but remain unbeaten in the Premier League and are yet to concede a goal.
Playing in a one off kit to avoid a colour clash with Brighton the Magpies got the game under with great backing from the 3,100 travelling Geordie fans. The supporters hade made it despite the long journey south and regardless of the fact, that there were travel issues caused by industrial strike action.
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Howe went into the tactical battle with Graham Potter by setting up his team in their usual 4-3-3 formation but was forced to play Dan Burn left-back with Matt Targett ruled out with a dead leg. Potter went with a tried and trusted 3-4-2-1 system hoping to build on that sensational win at Manchester United last weekend.
It was Albion who had the first goal attempt with four minutes played but Leandro Trossard's shot was deflected over for a corner. Moments later Solly March earned another corner after robbing Allan Saint-Maximin but Sven Botman blocked the ball.
Callum Wilson had the ball in the net on 14 minutes after Kieran Trippier's free-kick from the right eventually fell his way. But despite taking the ball over the head of Lewis Dunk and firing home Wilson's goal was chalked off by Graham Scott.
Pope was called into action for the first time when Trossard broke free down the left before firing at the England goalkeeper on 21 minutes. Saint-Maximin was booked for a dive on the edge of the box moments later with ref Scott stamping his authority on the game.
With 27 minutes played Miguel Almiron had Newcastle's first real shot at goal but sent a wayward effort high over the top. Fabian Schar got away with a possible handball when Trossard's cross struck his wrist just after the half hour mark.
United escaped another nervous moment two minutes later when Kieran Trippier made a last gasp clearance off the line from March's right-footed effort. The goalline technology showed that Trippier had prevented the goal with millimetres to spare after Pope had let the ball beneath him.
United and Brighton went in at the break with the scores level but Pope was quickly called back into action after the interval. With three second half minutes played, Pope somehow clawed away Adam Lallana's header after a right wing cross had been hung up.
An unsavoury incident unfolded in the far right hand corner on 57 minutes when Joelinton and March battled for the ball. The 28-year-old Brighton star then attempted to pick Joelinton up by his leg sparking a small clash in the corner before the incident was resolved by ref Scott asking for a handshake plus issuing a caution apiece.
With 62 minutes gone Trippier's corner looked for Burn but his towering header bounced wide of the target. Two minutes later, Saint-Maximin's deflected right wing cross looked to pick out Wilson but Joel Veltman got to the ball first.
The resultant corner from Trippier found Burn but his header was high over the top. Newcastle were thankful to Pope yet again on 72 minutes when he made a block low down to deny March from close range,
Howe made his first changes of the day with 17 minutes to go when Jacob Murphy and Sean Longstaff replaced Willock and Saint-Maximin. Another clearance off the line, this time from Fabian Schar, aided the Magpies after Veltman's shot had been deflected off Burn.
Japan international Kaoru Mitoma got past Trippier with five minutes left and dinked the ball into the path of Pascal Gross but he missed a golden chance. Chris Wood was introduced for the last throes of the game as Newcastle still searched for the breakthrough. Wood replaced Wilson for the closing stages of the game but United could not find an opening and had to settle for a point.
Attendance: 31,552
Referee: Graham Scott (Oxford)
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