Report and reaction as Albion draw 1-1 with Newcastle

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Albion 1, Newcastle 1: Isak equalises in the 89th minute after Minteh's first-half opener against his former club.

Bruce Talbot

2025-05-04T16:00+01:00

Celebrations after Yankuba Minteh put Albion in front. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

Albion had to settle for a point at the Amex after Newcastle equalised with an 89th-minute penalty.

Newcastle had already been awarded two spot kicks in the second half by referee Craig Pawson, only to change his mind on the advice of VAR Andy Madley. But when substitute Yasin Ayari blocked a free kick with his left hand there could be no complaints and Alexander Isak duly made it 1-1.

Yankuba Minteh was Albion’s biggest threat and scored against his former club for the second time this season with his seventh of the campaign while substitute Diego Gomez headed a great chance wide in stoppage time.

Yankuba Minteh scores against his former club for the second time this season. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

Newcastle had settled first, using the wide areas well. A misunderstanding between Mats Wieffer and Jan Paul van Hecke presented Harvey Barnes with space and Bart Verbruggen pushed his angled shot round the post. The Albion keeper then spread himself to block Jacob Murphy’s effort after he’d broken inside from the right.

They had more success down the left when Callum Willock darted into the box unchallenged only to stab a right-foot shot over the bar but in the 29th minute the opener came from Albion’s first shot on target.

Wieffer picked out Minteh with a pass in the corner and he cut past two defenders and hit a right-foot shot from ten yards which deflected off Burn on its way into the far corner.

It had been a solid defensive performance by Albion in the first half and Carlos Baleba had another fine game. One powerful run early in the second period took him past four opponents before laying the ball off to Minteh, whose cross just eluded Danny Welbeck.

Mats Wieffer's pass eludes Tino Livramento. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

But Newcastle got on top at the start of the second half. They brought on Anthony Gordon and with his first touch he drew a foul from Tariq Lamptey, who had just replaced Wieffer. To Albion’s relief, the referee’s decision to award a penalty was overruled because the offence was committed inches outside the box.

Newcastle thought they’d got a second spot-kick with 18 minutes to go. Callum Willock went down in the box under pressure from van Hecke but there had been no contact by the Albion defender and for the second time Pawson changed his mind, this time after viewing the pitchside monitor.

Kieran Trippier clears under pressure from Simon Adingra. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

Minteh’s pace remained a threat and after going past Kieran Trippier he forced Nick Pope to make an instinctive block, but it was a case of third time lucky for Newcastle when Ayari blocked Trippier’s free kick with his outstretched left hand and Isak sent Verbruggen the wrong way to make it 1-1 in the last minute of normal time.

Albion could still have snatched it in stoppage time. Brajan Gruda’s inswinging free kick found fellow substitute Gomez unmarked six yards out but he somehow headed wide. Verbruggen then denied Callum Wilson at full stretch to ensure a point apiece.

The line-up

Verbruggen, Wieffer (Lamptey 54), Dunk, van Hecke, Estupinan, Baleba, Hinshelwood (Ayari 69), Adingra (Veltman 69), O’Riley (Gruda 90+4), Minteh (Gomez 90+4), Welbeck.

Unused subs: Steele, Igor, Webster, Howell.

Referee: Craig Pawson

Attendance: 31580

Fabian Hurzeler's reaction

Fabian Hurzeler applauds his team from the touchline. 📷 Paul Hazlewood.

"It's a mixture of feelings. I was proud of how the team performed and stuck together and how they defended together, especially in the second half. It wasn't always perfect when we were in possession, which we knew might happen against a good team like Newcastle. Overall, we try to take the positives and focus on the next match.

"We conceded the third penalty because our pressure wasn't perfect before and we conceded an early free kick. It was a very cheap penalty. We then had a big chance to win it but that's football, last time we had a great comeback against West Ham but not this time.

"We're on an upward trend overall. Although we couldn't control the game as we wanted to I saw a good team performance and a team that stuck together, and supported each other."