Newcastle find £10m bargain, angry Joelinton and Brighton react to 'ugly' side to Eddie Howe

Nick Pope certainly won't forget this weekend in a hurry. Fresh from unwittingly becoming a social media sensation on Friday, after Newcastle United supporters hijacked a poll by Burger King on Twitter, the goalkeeper's phone blew up once again a day later after he helped his side earn a point in a 0-0 draw at Brighton.

Those remarkable second-half saves to keep out Adam Lallana and Solly March hinted at why Newcastle signed Pope from Burnley in the first place. Yes, Newcastle already had a proven Premier League number one in Martin Dubravka, but it is not an exaggeration to say that without Pope, the visitors would have lost on Saturday. That is unlikely to be the last time that statement is uttered this season.

Given some of the prices Newcastle have been quoted this summer, the £10m the Magpies spent on Pope already looks like a bargain. Newcastle certainly needed the England international at the Amex on an afternoon where Eddie Howe's side were 'very pleased' to escape with a point.

Newcastle have played better under Howe - much better - but the black-and-whites still managed to eke out a goalless draw to make it four points from a possible six. To put that haul into context, following the opening two fixtures of last season, leaky Newcastle had nothing on the board. In fact, it took Newcastle nine matches to even accumulate four points.

Newcastle rode their luck against Brighton - there were the aforementioned saves from Pope, goalline clearances from Kieran Trippier and Fabian Schar, and a shocking miss from Pascal Gross - but, crucially, the visitors still managed to keep a clean sheet when they once would have crumbled under that pressure. Howe has repeatedly used the word 'ugly' in the past week when it comes