The Media Review: Welbeck strikes on Tyneside

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Nick Szczepanik

2025-03-03T13:00+00:00

Bart Verbruggen celebrates after Albion sealed their win at Newcastle. 📷 by James Boardman.

As Albion’s travelling fans know all too well, Newcastle is a long way north. So most sports desks are happy to let their Tyneside-based writers look after the Toon’s home games, even if, almost to a person, they bleed black and white.

The Daily Mirror, however, sent admirably neutral chief football writer (and chairman of the Football Writers’ Association) John Cross up from London to cover the fifth-round FA Cup tie at St James’ Park. And his report reflected his enjoyment of the occasion.

“What an incredible advert for the FA Cup,” he wrote. “But a seriously bad day for Newcastle as they crashed out, Anthony Gordon’s sending-off rules him out of the Carabao Cup final and the gruelling 120 minutes left others playing on one leg.

“It was an absolutely bonkers fifth round tie decided by a wonderful piece of quality from Brighton super sub Danny Welbeck who left the pocket of away fans singing about Wembley. Brighton were terrific as their Newcastle hoodoo struck again and they have now beaten the Toon Army in their last five meetings in the FA Cup and this was their second win at St James’s Park this season.

“It was no more than the visitors deserved as Brighton had 21 shots to Newcastle’s 15 and you just could not take your eyes off what must have been a superb Sunday afternoon TV entertainment.

“Brighton are now in their fourth quarter final since the 2017/18 season and you have to give huge credit to the way they have responded since they were humiliated 7-0 at Nottingham Forest last month. Their players were celebrating wildly while Newcastle’s were on their knees. If anyone doubted the value of the domestic cups then you only need to look at this to see what it means.

“Solly March provided a lovely through ball and Welbeck lifted the ball over Dubravka. Welbeck is a two-time FA Cup winner. He was not fully fit and was therefore only a substitute. But even at 34, there are not many English strikers playing better than him in the Premier League.”

The Guardian’s Louise Taylor wrote that “when the dust finally settled on a tie featuring two red cards and an endless stream of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it drama crowned by Danny Welbeck’s extra-time winner, Brighton were in the quarter-finals.

“Fabian Hürzeler celebrated with abandon, his smile as wide as the Tyne. Tariq Lamptey, in particular, used his change of pace to good effect as he initiated a series of visiting breaks from right-back. Lamptey’s duel with Gordon would become one of the more engrossing subplots. Who could have guessed that both players would ultimately be sent off?

“Martin Dubravka enhanced his chances of starting ahead of Nick Pope in the final thanks to a brilliant save from Diego Gómez. Yet even Dubravka had no answer to a wonderful winner from the 34-year-old Welbeck. Penalties seemed to be beckoning when Brighton broke and, put through by Solly March, the former England striker expertly dinked the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper.”

Most other reports were written by scribes based much closer to the bubble that is football on Tyneside, and many seemed more concerned by the ramifications of the Gordon dismissal than the outcome of the game.

But others found plenty to admire in Albion’s display. The i paper’s Northern Football Correspondent Mark Douglas wrote that “Fabian Hurzeler’s side are a bright, bustling team who are worldly-wise despite the relative youth of their starting XI. They preyed on Newcastle nerves, disrupting the home side’s game plan while also laying the foundation for the win with some magnificent counter-attacking football. Danny Welbeck has a fine record of breaking black and white hearts. That he did so again was a testament to his durability and quality.

Danny Welbeck was Albion's hero on Tyneside. 📷 by James Boardman.

“Brighton now look well-placed to compete for their first major honour, hitting form at just the right time as they move into the last eight of an FA Cup that looks wide open. Howe must wish his team had the same knack of pushing through moments of difficulty.”

Several writers noted that the game had been levelled by a - sort-of - former Magpie. In The Sun, Gary Stonehouse wrote that “out of nowhere, bang. The Seagulls got themselves level right in the dying seconds of the opening half and it was Minteh who made amends for his error. A superb pass from Joao Pedro sent the star, who ran off Gordon, clear into the right of the area.

“And he kept his cool to slot, with the help of a deflection from Kieran Trippier, home past Martin Dubravka. That was Minteh’s first goal on his first appearance at St James’ after he missed the 1-0 Premier League win for the Seagulls here back in October.”

Craig Hope of The Daily Mail wrote that “it would be a stretch to call the Gambian a former Newcastle player, given this was his first time at St James’ and he passed through without ever training with the club.

Yankuba Minteh got Albion back on level terms. 📷 by James Boardman.

“But when Minteh then made good on his mistake by levelling the scores just before half-time, he nonetheless refused to celebrate. He offered his hands in thanks to the Gallowgate End, and maybe that was as much for the space he was gifted in behind the home defence.

“What played out in the second half, and into extra-time, was like kids on a field called in for tea by their mother - next goal wins! It arrived when Welbeck was threaded through by fellow substitute Solly March and the striker’s wonderful dink was hardly in keeping with a tie of low quality.” Not the tie that most Albion fans watched, perhaps?