Newcastle United’s Premier League promotion campaign is going to plan as they currently sit at the top of the Championship table following what could be a defining match for their season.The Magpies came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory over Brighton on Tuesday night, and they completed the comeback in eight minutes.Mohamed Diame had a huge slice of luck when the ball flicked off his boot and into the top corner to cancel out Glenn Murray’s first-half penalty.Substitute Ayoze Perez found the winner in the 89th minute, which gave Rafael Benitez’s side a slender two-point lead over Brighton but an important eight-point advantage over third-placed Huddersfield Town.Key players Matt Ritchie and Jonjo Shelvey were in the starting lineup on Tuesday night, but another vital cog in Benitez’s machine – Dwight Gayle – was out injured.Interestingly, journalist Ben Spratt has revealed on Twitter that the trio have only played a full 90 minutes together twice this season.
The tweet above states that the Magpies were prolific when the three players completed a match, scoring four goals each time.
Newcastle have already scored an impressive 66 league goals this season, with Gayle the current top scorer on 20, but that tally could be much higher if they the trio regularly played 90 minutes together.
Of course, injuries have played a role in this statistic, but it goes to show how strong Newcastle have been as a team under Benitez this season.
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