Premier League: Newcastle draws 4-4 draw with Luton; Brighton beats Palace

Newcastle’s Sean Longstaff scored a brace in a first half that ended 2-2 but Luton went 4-2 up after restart, with Eddie Howe’s boys clawing back into the match, eventually.

Newcastle United’s Harvey Barnes celebrates scoring the equaliser against Luton Town in the Premier League. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Newcastle United fought back from two goals down in a rollercoaster 4-4 draw against Luton Town, which stayed just outside the Premier League drop zone, at St James’ Park on Saturday.

Newcastle’s Sean Longstaff scored a brace in a first half that ended 2-2 but Luton went 4-2 up through a Carlton Morris penalty in the 59th minute and an Elijah Adebayo strike soon afterwards.

On an extraordinary afternoon in the north-east, Kieran Trippier pulled one goal back and substitute Harvey Barnes equalised in the 73rd to deny Luton a league double over Newcastle this season.

Longstaff had opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a right-footed shot to the far corner but Luton equalised in the 21st through a close-range Gabriel Osho header.

Newcastle went back in front two minutes later through Longstaff but Ross Barkley made it 2-2 with his first away Premier League goal in three years.

Luton, which beat Newcastle 1-0 at Kenilworth Road in December, had dropped into the bottom three before the match after Everton drew 2-2 at home to Tottenham Hotspur but ended the day 16th and a point clear of the drop zone.

Brighton bounces back with easy win over Palace

Brighton & Hove Albion ended a run of three Premier League games without a win with a 4-1 home victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday, a result which piles the pressure back on the visitor’s manager Roy Hodgson.

Brighton & Hove Albion’s Joao Pedro celebrates scoring against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. | Photo Credit: Reuters

The home side, which lost 4-0 at Luton Town on Tuesday, was quick out of the blocks and opened the scoring in the third minute with Lewis Dunk’s powerful header from a corner.

Brighton netted two more goals within a minute to kill off any hopes of a Palace comeback, with Jack Hinshelwood scoring from another header in the 33rd minute and Facundo Buonanotte made it 3-0 just a minute later.

Palace threatened to spoil the party in the 73rd minute as a relaxed Brighton defence switched off and Joachim Anderson’s curling cross was headed home by Jean Mateta, but Joao Pedro finished it off six minutes from time.

Brighton moves up to seventh in the standings, level on 35 points with eighth placed Manchester United, which hosts West Ham United on Sunday, while Palace remains 14th, five points above the relegation zone.