Brighton celebrate revenge but Hemed may face FA action

Brighton and Hove Albion players denied Championship winners' medals by Newcastle United last season were celebrating revenge of a sort after beating them 1-0 in the Premier League on Sunday. Winning away to Brighton last February with two goals in the final 10 minutes helped Newcastle pip the south coast club for the (second tier) Championship title by one point.

Tomer Hemed earns Brighton their 2nd #PL victory of the season and ends Newcastle's winning streak #BHANEW pic.twitter.com/JnYSxzebDv

— Premier League (@premierleague) September 24, 2017

"If everyone can remember the game here with Newcastle last season, it’s a shame we didn’t win," said Israeli striker Tomer Hemed, whose goal decided Sunday's tight encounter that lifted Brighton further away from the relegation zone. "I think in the last few games we have been playing well. This win can give us a push for the next games. We deserve it." Midfielder Dale Stephens, whose header across goal from a free kick set up Hemed to score, admitted there was a blocking move involved in the set-piece routine. "I’m glad it paid off. We change the blocker each time," he said. "We’re playing against a team who are flying, which makes it sweeter. We deserved it, we worked hard, we played well today. A win is massive in this division."

Brighton 1-0 Newcastle: Tomer Hemed has been involved in 3 goals in his last 2 home #PL matches (2 goals, 1 assist) #BHANEW pic.twitter.com/GIVY3lPiDl

— Premier League (@premierleague) September 24, 2017

Former Newcastle striker and manager Alan Shearer was disappointed with the team's performance after successive league wins against West Ham United, Swansea City and Stoke City had lifted them to fourth place in the table last weekend. "Not good enough today from @NUFC unfortunately," he tweeted. "The better team won." Sky Sports pundits were critical of Hemed, despite his fine display, for an apparent stamp on DeAndre Yedlin just before the end.

Mikel Merino's first half by numbers vs. Brighton:

100% take-ons completed
27 passes
3 take-ons
3 tackles won
1 chance created
1 shot pic.twitter.com/hhnnYG8TvS

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 24, 2017

"I don’t want to say this because I thought he was the man of the match today but for me he’s had a good look and he knows exactly what he’s doing," said former Liverpool midfielder and manager Graeme Souness. "It would have been very easy to put his foot somewhere else, let’s put it that way. It may come back to bite him." Another studio guest, former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry, agreed that Hemed could face retrospective action from the Football Association. "I think he’s had a look at him there. He doesn’t have to put his foot there. If anyone reviews it, he will be a massive loss for this football club."

Brighton move up to 13th in the #PL after their victory over Newcastle... #BHANEW pic.twitter.com/DXEEtknWvV

— Premier League (@premierleague) September 24, 2017