Soccer: Newcastle crush Brighton as top-four finish looms

NEWCASTLE, England : Newcastle United claimed an emphatic 4-1 home victory over Brighton & Hove Albion to take a massive step towards clinching a top-four finish in the Premier League on Thursday.

An own goal by Deniz Undav and a Dan Burn header before the interval put third-placed Newcastle in command.

But sixth-placed Brighton, themselves seeking to qualify for Europe for the first time, pulled a goal back through Undav.

There were plenty of nerves around St James' Park as Newcastle squandered chances and Brighton threatened an equaliser but late goals by Callum Wilson and Bruno Guimaraes sent the home fans home happy.

One more win from their last two games will guarantee Newcastle a place in the Champions League for the first time in two decades. They have 69 points above fourth-placed Manchester United, who are on 66 with a game in hand. Liverpool have 65.