Alan Shearer has made it clear who he believes was responsible for Newcastle United’s defeat against Brighton, offering an honest and detailed breakdown of what went wrong.
The former Newcastle striker, now a respected pundit, didn’t hold back on Match of the Day as he analysed the 2-1 loss at the Amex Stadium. For Shearer, the issue wasn’t just about tactics or missed chances it was about effort, discipline, and energy, particularly in midfield, where Newcastle were second best throughout the game.
Brighton looked sharper and more organised, cutting through Newcastle’s lines with ease. Danny Welbeck’s two goals were enough to seal the victory, despite a moment of brilliance from Nick Woltemade, who pulled one back with a clever finish.
But the truth, as Shearer pointed out, was that Newcastle never looked in control. Their midfield trio of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, and Sandro Tonali failed to match Brighton’s intensity, and that cost them.
Eddie Howe’s team selection came under scrutiny after the match. All three midfielders started despite travelling long distances for international duty Bruno and Joelinton returning from Asia after games against Japan and South Korea, while Tonali had been on duty with Italy.
Howe defended his decision to keep them in the lineup, insisting he didn’t have many other fit options. But Shearer’s analysis painted a different picture.
“I thought Brighton were the better team,” Shearer said bluntly. “Newcastle were too easy to play through at times, and Brighton kept finding the extra man in front of the back four.
Newcastle’s midfield covered six kilometres less than Brighton’s when out of possession that tells you everything you need to know.”
The statistics supported his view. Newcastle simply didn’t press or track runners with their usual aggression. Brighton’s midfielders, led by Georginio Rutter, controlled the tempo and constantly found space.
For the first goal, Rutter’s precise through ball cut open Newcastle’s defence, allowing Welbeck to finish with composure. Shearer highlighted how easily Brighton played around Newcastle’s midfield, pointing out moments where the Magpies were slow to close down or position themselves properly.
“It happened a few times,” Shearer said. “Brighton’s passing and movement were excellent, and Newcastle just couldn’t cope. The midfield looked off the pace.”
After the match, Howe explained his reasoning for sticking with his usual midfield. He pointed out that possible replacements, Lewis Miley and Jacob Ramsey, were not fully fit.
Miley had missed two weeks of training after pulling out of England U19 duty, while Ramsey was only just returning from an ankle injury that kept him out since the Leeds United game.
Still, both were on the bench, and when Miley came on at half-time for Joelinton, Newcastle looked a little more alive.
Miley made an instant impact, bringing fresh energy and urgency into midfield. He even provided the assist for Woltemade’s equaliser a moment that briefly lifted the travelling fans’ spirits.
But just when Newcastle looked capable of salvaging something, they switched off again, allowing Welbeck to score his second.
Howe admitted after the match that his side’s first-half display wasn’t good enough. “If you’re talking about Joelinton and Bruno, they were the two who could have been left out,” he said.
“But Lewis hadn’t trained, and Jacob’s coming back from a long layoff, so it was difficult to throw them straight in. We decided to go with the two lads who’d done the travelling.” He added that Bruno improved in the second half, showing that the problem wasn’t just fatigue but also focus and rhythm.
The defeat extended Newcastle’s poor record at Brighton, where they are still without a Premier League win in nine visits. For Howe, the challenge now is to regroup and get his team back to their best before facing Benfica in the Champions League.
It’s a quick turnaround, and he’ll have to make some big decisions. Rotation seems inevitable, especially after Shearer’s blunt reminder that Newcastle’s engine room looked drained.
Howe’s side have built their reputation on intensity and collective effort qualities that were missing on the South Coast. To get back on track, they’ll need to rediscover that trademark energy and aggression that once made them one of the league’s hardest teams to play against.
Shearer’s message was simple: the standards must return. Covering six kilometres less than your opponent might sound like just a number, but in the Premier League, those small margins often decide everything.
