Premier League: Ferguson shines for Brighton
Brighton & Hove Albion 3 - 1 Newcastle United
Evan Ferguson scored a hat-trick against Newcastle to show off his extraordinary potential and has potentially set the stage for another memorable Premier League season for Brighton.
After overachieving last season, both teams discovered their European groups this week, and Albion appears to be much better positioned than the Magpies to contend for a Champions League spot this time around.
More Premier League news and stories can be found here: Premier League news and stories: 2023/2024
What happened in the match?
Solly March, Kaoru Mitoma and Lewis Dunk all had a chance to score before Ferguson's hat-trick made him the first non-English player to score 10 Premier League goals before his 19th birthday.
After Nick Pope mishandled Billy Gilmour's long-range attempt, the Republic of Ireland striker Ferguson pounced from close range.
The 18-year-old scored a stunning strike from 25 yards out to make it 2-0 before adding another through a fantastic Fabian Schar deflection to score his first hat-trick and 10th Premier League goal. He ALSO became just the fourth player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick before turning 19 years old.
It was a poor performance from the Geordies
Newcastle did not have a shot on target until 87 minutes and they scored when Callum Wilson followed a long ball and scored in injury time, but it was too late for any hope of a comeback. It was too late for hope of a comeback.
It's still early, and they have had a rough start in terms of fixtures, but Newcastle have lost three of their first four games and there will be some concerned voices in the Newcastle United boardroom.
Paul, a Newcastle fan, said: "As Brighton are a good team, we had good momentum at times in the game, but with the first goal, we created our own problems and that was crucial. The atmosphere in the away end was amazing though. Always proud to be a Geordie."
Newcastle away fans after losing 3-1 away to Brighton.
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) September 3, 2023
Love the passion. Love the support 👏🤝 pic.twitter.com/G9cEIkCH5Z
Brighton still living the dream
Their success is rare at the top of the league, and it is largely down to their organisational structure, which allows them to continue to win when bigger and richer clubs bring in their stars. De Zerbi has taken over from Graham Potter, who left to join Chelsea and has improved the team since.
Amy, a Brighton fan, was delighted with the home side's performance. She said: "We played well against one of the best teams in the Premier League. All the fans are delighted with the attitue of the players. It has been a wonderful start to the season for us."
Frank is happy with the progress being made by the team he has supported for the last 45 years. "What can we achieve? Who knows yet - but three wins out of four is a promising start. Ferguson is more than promising. He's already a deadly Premier League striker."
