
<p>Newcastle thumped Brighton on Thursday to edge closer to Champions League qualification. The Magpies scored twice in each half to dominate the Seagulls on Tyneside. Late goals from Callum Wilson and Bruno Guimarães cemented the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Premier League</a> victory.</p>



<p>The Magpies were hoping to get back on track after a loss to Arsenal followed up by a draw away to Leeds. They entered the day sitting third in the Premier League table, ahead of <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/manchester-united-tv-schedule/">Manchester United</a> on goal difference. Brighton also had a chance to make headway on a possible top-four finish. The Seagulls started the match sixth but had two extra matches on the schedule compared to fifth-placed <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/liverpool-tv-schedule/">Liverpool</a>.</p>



<p><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/newcastle-united-tv-schedule/">Newcastle</a> started Thursday’s game on the front foot. Alexander Isak and Miguel Almiron both had decent opportunities inside the opening five minutes. The Swede saw his shot go wide from a good position, while Almiron had a shot blocked by Jan Paul van Hecke. Fabian Schar also hit a dangerous free kick straight at Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele.</p>



<h2>Trippier creates two goals to give Newcastle edge over Brighton</h2>



<p>The breakthrough for the hosts finally came in the 23rd minute. However, the goal was scored by Deniz Undav into his own net. Kieran Trippier sent in a typically dangerous corner kick that glanced off of the Brighton forward’s head and past Steele. The German striker attempted to send the ball away from his goal but got the header all wrong in the end. It was the sixth own goal by Brighton so far this season.</p>



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<p>Newcastle doubled their lead just moments prior to the halftime break. Much like the first score, Trippier created the goal from a set piece. The England international sent in a perfect free-kick pass through to Dan Burn. The 6’6″ versatile defender was easily able to latch onto the ball with a header that ended up in the back of the net. It was his first Premier League goal since he played for Brighton over a year ago.</p>



<h5>Visitors grab a goal back early in second half</h5>



<p>The hosts looked to continue their dominance at the start of the second half. However, Steele made a massive save to keep out a shot from Almiron in the 50th minute. Despite looking like a sure goal, the keeper stopped the shot in impressive fashion. The save would prove to be even bigger considering Brighton was back in the game just moments later.</p>



<p>Undav put his team on the scoresheet just a minute after the big save with a goal, this time for his team. Billy Gilmour found the German with a clever through ball going forward towards Newcastle’s box. Undav then <a href="https://t.co/fJ6p3eIoi1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">slipped his shot beyond a diving Nick Pope</a> to cut the deficit to one goal. It was his fourth goal in his last five top-flight matches.</p>



<h5>Magpies add two late goals</h5>



<p>Nevertheless, Newcastle would extend their lead once again with just two minutes left on the clock. Almiron made a strong run down the right flank and sent Callum Wilson through on goal from 40 yards away. Although the English striker appeared to be offside, he cleverly made his run at the right time. Wilson then ran towards Steele and slotted home his 18th Premier League goal of the campaign.</p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Miguel Almiron sets up Callum Wilson for the dagger! <br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/USANetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USANetwork</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NEWBHA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NEWBHA</a> <a href="https://t.co/lWV63kokCn">pic.twitter.com/lWV63kokCn</a></p>— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1659294243075026956?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Wilson then created his team’s fourth of the night just two minutes later. The striker again ran free on goal but instead of taking the shot, he cooly and unselfishly fed Bruno Guimarães for the open goal.</p>



<p>The Newcastle victory edges the club closer to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/champions-league-tv-schedule/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Champions League</a> qualification. They need to grab just one more victory in their final two matches to secure a top-four place in the table. Newcastle next face Leicester City, before finishing their campaign against <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a>. </p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images</em></p>


Newcastle United edged closer to a top-four Premier League finish thanks to a demolition of Brighton on Thursday.

Newcastle smashes Brighton to approach UCL qualification

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<p>Arsenal’s top-four push is something that should not be surprising given the stature of the club.</p>
<p>Despite that, the north London outfit greatly struggled in recent seasons to secure a Champions League place. After consecutive eighth-place finishes in the league, Arsenal clearly needed a rebuild. Oftentimes, major names and potential signings avoid these extended rebuilds. Therefore, Arsenal faced an uphill battle in the fight to get back into the top four.</p>
<p>Currently, Arsenal sits in fourth. However, securing a Champions League spot is anything but guaranteed. Regardless, the club’s current position in the table surprises many fans and pundits. Few “experts” picked Arsenal to be in a position to possibly secure a top four finish based on their full opening day squad. Plus, the team also overcame three significant issues throughout the season.</p>
<h3>Arsenal’s surprising top-four push</h3>
<h5>1. Youth Movement</h5>
<p>With an <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/2021/10/26/arsenals-rebuild-requires-patience-with-young-roster/">average age of just over 24</a>, Arsenal have the youngest squad in all of the Premier League. In fact, the youngest starting XI that Mikel Arteta fielded during the current campaign was an average of 23.8. Those youngsters played to a scoreless draw with Burnley. Of the starting players, only Alexandre Lacazette and Rob Holding exceeded the age of 24. Along with the starting players, the substitutes also had an average age of just 21.7 as well.</p>
<p>That Burnley game, however, was not an outlier with this Arsenal team. The north London outfit currently have the 19 youngest starting XIs in the Premier League this season. Arsenal’s key players carry the load for the Gunners. These include Bukayo Saka (20), Gabriel Martinelli (20), Emile Smith Rowe (21), Martin Odegaard (23), Aaron Ramsdale (23), and Takehiro Tomiyasu (23).</p>
<p>Normally, relying on younger players is a massive gamble in such a grueling competition like the Premier League. Nevertheless, Arteta depends on the kids. This pays dividends in a major way considering Arsenal’s position on top of some rivals in the table.</p>
<h5>2. Striker Issues</h5>
<p>Arsenal entered the current campaign with two high-profile center forwards: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. Most envisioned the historically dynamic duo leading the overwhelmingly young 2021/22 squad. Fans, however, did not expect both of the players to essentially be the weakness throughout the season.</p>
<p>Aubameyang managed just four Premier League goals prior to being left out of the entire squad by Arteta. Eventually, he departed to Barcelona on a free. Lacazette also scored just four league goals. That being said, he is still in the squad and featured in 27 total Premier League matches this season. The Frenchman does have value with his link-up play and passing. Yet, 22-year-old Eddie Nketiah pushed Lacazette out of Arteta’s starting XI. Nketiah began the season as Arsenal’s third or even fourth option up front.</p>
<p>Arsenal’s struggles from the center forwards are not due to a lack of chances. The young creative Gunners have the fourth-most shot-creating actions (24.2 per game) and the third-most key passes (11.1 per game) in the entire league. Despite this creativity, Arsenal have just <a href="https:\/\/www.premierleague.com/stats/top/clubs/goals?se=418">56 total goals in league play</a>, good enough for seventh best.</p>
<h5>3. Injuries</h5>
<p>Arsenal built a very solid squad, although they are a bit thin in depth. Arteta and Technical Director Edu created a backbone in defense and a midfield base. This core is extremely capable of keeping clean sheets. Moreover, it can provide the impetus via progressive passes to more offensive teammates.</p>
<h5>See Arsenal in person</h5><table class="table5">
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<td width="30%"><a href="https:\/\/vivid-seats.pxf.io/c/330866/952533/12730?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vividseats.com%2Ffc-series-tickets-camping-world-stadium-7-23-2022--sports-soccer%2Fproduction%2F3929343" target="blank" rel="noopener"><div><figure class="image"><img src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20220511_WST_383426_SoccerTickets_Block.webp&amp;width=500&amp;height=310" alt="Arsenal tickets"></figure></div></a></td>
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<h4>Arsenal’s 2022 U.S. Tour:</h4>
<p>See Gunners against Chelsea in Orlando</p></td>
<td><a class="button" href="https:\/\/vivid-seats.pxf.io/c/330866/952533/12730?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vividseats.com%2Ffc-series-tickets-camping-world-stadium-7-23-2022--sports-soccer%2Fproduction%2F3929343" target="blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: white;"><strong>Tickets on sale</strong></span></a></td>
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<p>This backbone of Aaron Ramsdale, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, Gabriel, Kieran Tierney, Thomas Partey, and Granit Xhaka is essentially guaranteed to be in Arteta’s starting XI each week if available. However, injuries disrupted any plans to get these players into any sort of rhythm together.</p>
<p>These seven instrumental players managed to start just six total games together in all competitions this season. The Gunners won four of these six games. Arsenal fans can only wonder just how comfortable the team might be in the standings if this septet in particular would have stayed a bit more healthy throughout the campaign. It is reasonable to think Arsenal’s current dramatic top-four push would not be as necessary or unpredictable.</p>
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<td>Kieran Tierney</td>
<td>Left-back</td>
<td>13</td>
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<td>Takehiro Tomiyasu</td>
<td>Right-back</td>
<td>13</td>
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<td>Thomas Partey</td>
<td>Midfielder</td>
<td>11</td>
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<td>Granit Xhaka</td>
<td>Midfielder</td>
<td>11</td>
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<td>Ben White</td>
<td>Center-back</td>
<td>4</td>
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<td>Gabriel</td>
<td>Center-back</td>
<td>4</td>
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Arsenal's top-four push looked like a bleak possibility early in the season. Despite outlandish circumstances, Mikel Arteta righted the ship.

ALL POSTS TAGGED "top four"

Brighton and Hove Albion

Newcastle smashes Brighton to approach UCL qualification

Arsenal

Arsenal's top-four push thriving despite three major obstacles