Danny Welbeck was the matchwinner against Newcastle United again on Saturday as his double gave Brighton & Hove Albion a 2-1 win at Amex Stadium.
Veteran striker Welbeck scored decisive goals in Premier League and FA Cup wins at St James' Park last season, and he was the difference again as Brighton climbed into the top half of the table.
The home side had opportunities to add to Welbeck's 41st-minute opener before a brilliant Nick Woltemade backheel brought Newcastle level with 14 minutes to play.
Newcastle looked the more likely winners at that stage, but eight minutes later, Welbeck curled a fine finish beyond the reach of Nick Pope to claim all three points.
The result took Brighton up to ninth, above Newcastle, who fell to 12th as their wait for a first away win of the season continues.
How the match unfolded
Bruno Guimaraes missed a golden opportunity to give Newcastle an early lead, prodding his effort from inside the box just wide of the right-hand post.
Georginio Rutter forced a good save from Pope in the 20th minute, but the breakthrough came shortly before half-time when Welbeck dinked his finish over the goalkeeper after being played through by Rutter.
The Seagulls started the second half on the front foot, with Maxim De Cuyper’s powerful strike blocked by Pope, but the tide had begun to turn even before Woltemade's intervention.
Newcastle's new record signing turned Lewis Miley's square ball past Bart Verbruggen with a deft flick, and Guimaraes was then denied by a close-range block moments later.
But Welbeck had the final say as a strong tackle from Dan Burn on the edge of the Newcastle box fell kindly for the 34-year-old to net with a first-time finish.
Welbeck eases selection problems for Hurzeler
Welbeck, a former Sunderland loanee, continues to haunt his former rivals in Newcastle at every turn, but Fabian Hurzeler will be pleased with his striker's form for many reasons.
Kaoru Mitoma and Brajan Gruda are sidelined with ankle and knee injuries, while Diego Gomez was forced off with a knock in the first half.
These ailments to attacking players have left Hurzeler with limited options going forward, and Ferdi Kadioglu filling in on the wing after Gomez went off.
However, after a slow start to the season, Welbeck has rediscovered his scoring touch in front of goal in recent matches.
Following an assist against Barnsley in the EFL Cup, the forward also scored a brace in the 3-1 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge late last month.
Welbeck also linked up well with Rutter and Yankuba Minteh as they tested one of the league's stronger defensive units on Saturday.
Hurzeler will hope for more of the same from Welbeck, who hit a career-high 10 league goals last season, when Brighton visit the forward's former club Manchester United next week.
Woltemade delivers in defeat
Prior to his goal, Woltemade's only attempt in the match came with the final touch of the first half as his header failed to trouble Verbruggen.
The Magpies struggled to create chances for their striker for much of this encounter, especially from open play, as cross after cross seemed to evade the reach of the forward.
Howe clearly noted a lack of quality in the final third and responded by replacing Anthony Elanga and Joelinton with Jacob Murphy and Miley at the break, and the latter made the crucial impact with his assist.
It was not enough to salvage a point, and Woltemade cut a disappointed figure at the full-time whistle having failed to force in a second goal in a stoppage-time goalmouth scramble.
This was another positive display from the Germany international, though, as he often dropped deep to link the play and dragged defenders out of position.
Woltemade's ability to influence proceedings and find the net will be key ahead of Newcastle's next three matches, all at home, against Benfica, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur.
His first three Premier League goals had all come at St James' Park, and the Magpies must start to build momentum back on Tyneside.
Club reports
Brighton report | Newcastle report
What the managers said
Fabian Hurzeler: "I never thought we would lose it, so I have the biggest belief in my team. We showed resilience, character and personality.
"We kept the structure quite well and I'm really pleased. The key thing was a good structure and being patient, so don't force it. Have different patterns in the final third. I thought we had a good variation, a good flexibility. I was pleased. Overall, in possession, it was really good."
Eddie Howe: "We are disappointed with the first-half performance really. We faded and the last half hour was hard to watch. Brighton scored in that period. We were pleased to get in at 1-0 and regroup."
Next PL matches
Key facts
Brighton are unbeaten in eight Premier League home games (W4 D4), their longest run without defeat since March 2024 under Roberto De Zerbi (12 games).
Newcastle are winless in seven Premier League away games (D4 L3); they last went longer on the road without winning in December 2021 (nine games).
Four of Rutter’s five Premier League assists for Brighton have been for Danny Welbeck goals, with all four putting their side ahead in the game.
Woltemade became the fifth player to score 4+ goals in their first five appearances for Newcastle in the Premier League, the first since Callum Wilson (four) in October 2020 (also Les Ferdinand - four, Michael Owen – four and Loic Remy - five).