NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Newcastle dropped to the bottom of the English Premier League after extending its winless start to nine games in losing to Brighton 1-0 at home on Saturday.
There was a touch of fortune about Beram Kayal's 29th-minute strike, which came via a deflection off Jose Izquierdo's volley, on an afternoon when Brighton striker Glenn Murray left the field on a stretcher with a head injury.
Newcastle's defeat was all the harder to take for manager Rafael Benitez as he saw his team create more than enough chances to take at least a point. Ayoze Perez was guilty of an early miss which might have changed the game.
Newcastle has just one win in its last 15 games in all competitions. While Benitez may not fear the sack, the pressure is starting to mount.
Murray went down after clashing heads with Federico Fernandez, with concerned teammates immediately calling for medical attention. The game was stopped for six minutes as Murray received treatment before being carried off wearing an oxygen mask.
Murray was taken to the hospital for scans and Brighton manager Chris Hughton said the striker will be discharged on Saturday night.
"It's nothing more than concussion," Hughton said. "He was out cold. He's going to be sore for a short while and this week we will do the appropriate things we need to do with him. We are just happy he's OK."
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