Before Newcastle United took to the pitch against Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday night, supporters knew that ceding ground in the Premier League for a third successive match could prove detrimental to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

Trepidation was in short supply from the bellowing St. James' Park home faithful, supporters turned from doubters to believers in their swathes after the exploits of the past 18 months, having cast aside the cynicism that in football is so often interlinked in negative results on the pitch.

Despite the recent defeat against Arsenal, and despite the away draw to imperilled Leeds United, the Magpies knew that victory would return and against high-flying Albion Eddie Howe's outfit produced a scintillating display of control, composure and creativity, emerging 4-1 victors and illustrating their Champions League credentials with a uniform display of steely conviction.

There were laudable performances from all angles, but it was Miguel Almiron, who didn't get on the score sheet himself, who dazzled with a dynamic performance for the ages on the right flank.

How did Miguel Almiron perform vs Brighton?

The high-octane Seagulls simply couldn't keep up for large portions of the affair, with Howe lauding his squad as "relentless" after a win which now leaves his side requiring just three more points to confirm top four.

And while Callum Wilson, Bruno Guimaraes and Dan Burn all etched their names onto the score sheet, it was the Paraguayan Almiron who truly stole the show, with podcaster Alex Hurst stating it was "one of the great non-goal scoring performances".

Wilson in particular caught the eye with his late surging run to make it 3-1, latching onto Almiron's through ball and clinching his 18th Premier League goal of the season, but Almiron was indeed the orchestrator.

As per Sofascore, the 29-year-old produced an impressive match rating of 7.6 and earned a late assist after playing Wilson through on goal in the closing stage of the match, but it was the expansive scope of his showing that cemented his "excellent" night on Tyneside, as he was praised by Chris Waugh.

Making four key passes and completing 89% of his total passes, Almiron's ball-playing aptitude was on full show, while his tenacity was also evident after making two tackles and interceptions apiece, winning nine of his 19 ground duels and picking up four fouls; he also succeeded with three of his five dribbles and forced a stunning save from Brighton stop-stopper Jason Steele.

Hailed for “one of the finest” displays out of possession by one analyst, the £42k-per-week star reminded English football of his prowess on Thursday night, and while he couldn't add to his 11 divisional goals this term, he has seemingly returned to top form at the optimum moment, steering his club toward Champions League nights.