Atsu and Newcastle suffer shock Championship defeat

The Magpies lost ground on top of the table following their defeat at the hands of Blackburn in Saturday’s Championship game

Christian Atsu played the entire game as Newcastle United lost 1-0 at home to struggling Blackburn Rovers on Saturday with Brighton closing the gap at the top of the Championship table to two points.

Defender Charlie Mulgrew scored in the 75th minute to end the Magpies’ nine-game winning run and enable their closest challengers to catch up.

Brighton defeated Sone Aluko’s Fulham with goals from Sam Baldock and Glenn Murray to move up to 38 points in second place.

Atsu was left on the bench by coach Rafa Benitez in last weekend’s 2-0 away win at Leeds United but could not add to his two goals tally as he clocked 90 minutes on Saturday.

Newcastle United are bidding for a swift return to the Premier League after their relegation last season but it seems they will have a straight fight with Brighton for the Championship shield.

However, it is still a long way to the finish line with 18 matches played out of a total of 46 in a gruelling campaign that is not for the faint-hearted.