Newcastle 0 Albion 3: High class all the way by Seagulls

This isn’t a bad habit to get into, is it?

Albion won 3-0 in their opening away fixture for the second season in a row.

But this was even more comprehensive than the golden afternoon at Watford last year when we first saw what Graham Potter’s side had to offer.

Albion outplayed Newcastle at St James’ Park yesterday and, bar one let-off when they were already 2-0 up, were untroubled.

They might have scored more than three goals of their own.

Not even a red card for Yves Bissouma in the dying minutes, when his attempt to flick the bouncing ball with his heel caught Jamal Lewis in the face, could spoil a hugly satisfactory day for Graham Potter and his men.

Neal Maupay struck twice in the first seven minutes and Aaron Connolly rounded it all off with a sumptuous finish to a fabulous move late on.

Early days, of course, but this was hugely impressive against a Toon side buoyed by their opening day win at West Ham.

The fact their two strikers shared the goals was pretty timely. too.

Football folklore tells us they love a No.9 on Tyneside - so maybe no bettter place for Maupay to score his first goals in his new squad number.

He struck scored twice in the first seven minutes with his his first double in the Premier League.

The first of them was an impressive show of confidence and temperament as he beat Karl Darlow from the penalty spot.

Maupay’s two most recent penalties, one of them admittedly in a friendly, had been sent low towards corners and been saved – by Kasper Schmeichel of Leicester and Willy Caballero of Chelsea.

There was a signficant delay before he took this one.

But he calmly took his time after the whistle went and sent his spot kick down the middle as Darlow dived to his right.

It was a flying start which got better as Maupay expertly guided Leandro Trossard’s low cross just inside the far post.

The flag went up but VAR proved there was no offside.

Great stuff from the No.9 at a time when Albion’s striking resources are being questioned – though not, it is understood, internally.

On most occasions he would have been the story, but not this time.

Instead, it felt like the Tariq Lamptey show.

Newcastle, in their 4-4-2 set-up, could not cope with him.

Allan Saint-Maximin, one of their greatest attacking threats, was left trying to solve a defensive puzzle.

It was his ungainly lunge on Lamptey as the wing-back flew past him which brought the spot kick.

It was Lamptey who launched the move for the second goal.

Lamptey who was fouled leading to yellow cards for Jonjo Shelvey and home debutant Lewis, the left-back who had his hands full with Trossard pushed well on down the right.

Lamptey who was expertly threaded in behind again by Ben White to deliver a low cross which almost forced an own goal.

And Lamptey who, having played Callum Wilson onside, then slid in to make a perfect tackle which hooked the ball away from the goalbound striker.

He might even have iced his first half with a goal in added time when his low drive was blocked by Darlow after Steven Alzate led a counter attack.

Jamaal Lascelles, booked for a foul on Maupay, was perhaps fortunate not to have another yellow by half-time.

Saint-Maximin, who was hurt looking to stop Lamptey, did not make it to the interval.

And Andy Carroll was taken off at the break, replaced by Miguel Almiron, before Newcastle pushed forward early in the second half.

Trossard had Darlow sprawling to hold his shot but it was generally more of a defensive test for the Seagulls.

It was one they had to tackle without Lamptey, who limped off, and in a revised shape.

Dan Burn’s introduction at left-back was part of a reshuffle in which White moved to right-back in a four.

They should have only had a slender advantage to protect for the last quarter of the contest but Wilson inexplicably headed over after Lewis Dunk, just as surprisingly, misjudged a cross.

But the way Albion quickly regained their poise in possession was impressive as Trossard fired low against the post from the edge of the box as Albion they players forward.

In the end, the goal which wrapped it up said so much about their performance.

It started when the frontmen chased hard and forced a pass which sub Adam Lallana picked off just inside the Newcastle half. You will have to go back and count the passes from there.

At one stage they went all the way back to Maty Ryan, then forward in tight areas down the right.

Maupay advanced on goal, maybe thought fleetingly about a hat-trick and then fed Connolly to the left of goal.

The young Irishman’s curler was heading inside the far post from the moment it left his boot.

Brilliant. The finish, the goal - and the performance.