Brighton 0-0 Newcastle player ratings: Kaoru Mitoma dazzles on debut but Newcastle's World Cup hopeful denies Albion

Nick Pope conjured two fine saves and Kieran Trippier a goal-line clearance as Newcastle ground out a goalless Premier League draw at Brighton.

England stopper Pope racked up a second-straight clean sheet in Newcastle colours, thwarting both Adam Lallana and Solly March at the Amex Stadium.

March thought he had scored with a low shot through traffic in the first half, only for Trippier to clear off the line at the very last opportunity.

Pascal Gross then turned the ball the wrong side of the post at the death, after Kaoru Mitoma’s neat cutback.

Newcastle struggled for clear openings despite high endeavour in searing heat, with both teams still unbeaten after two Premier League outings.

Brighton increased their domination the longer the contest wore on, but Graham Potter’s men were unable to strike again after last weekend’s fine 2-1 win at Manchester United.

Newcastle had defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 at home over the season’s opening weekend, but the Magpies were missing any clinical edge to their play on the south coast.

Player ratings...

Rob Sánchez – 7: Mostly untroubled throughout but did his job well when called upon. Made a brilliant save to deny Callum Wilson in the first half. Distribution was not always perfect, with one or two wayward long passes. Will be pleased with the clean sheet.

Joel Veltman – 8: Mr dependable. Another superb performance from the Dutchman, who may not take the headlines but works ever so hard in attack and defence. Key moments were a crucial clearance as Wilson looked set to get on the end of a cross from point blank range and he nearly grabbed a winner late on but it was his turn to see an effort cleared off the goalline.

Lewis Dunk – 7: Solid throughout, as you would expect. Good battle with Callum Wilson and kept him mostly quiet, particularly in the second half. A couple of brilliant tackles earned applause from the crowd. ‘Are you watching Southgate?’ shouted one fan near me.

Adam Webster – 7: Like his centre-back partner, Webster didn't put a foot wrong and deserved the clean sheet.

Solly March – 8: One of Brighton's standout performers this afternoon. Looked dangerous in attacking areas and he somehow didn't break the deadlock in the first half when his shot was cleared off the line - a similar tale of the day. The midfielder was denied again in the second half, this time by a reaction save from Nick Pope. Got the second standing ovation of the afternoon when he was replaced by Tariq Lamptey after 74 minutes.

Pascal Groß – 7: The hero at Old Trafford was a chance creation machine this afternoon and could easily have had a hatful of assists. But he will want to forget his sitter late on. It should have been the winner when he was found right in front of the goal but directed his effort off target.

Alexis Mac Allister – 6: Was playing in a deeper role this afternoon and did mostly well but was booked for a cyclical foul in the first half. That meant he had to play more cautiously in the second half but he stuck to his task and helped to keep the clean sheet.

Moises Caicedo – 7: Better without ball than with it in first half. Superb tackle on Saint-Maximin stopped a Newcastle counter and the crowd enjoyed it. He is quickly becoming fan favourite but left fans biting their nails with a couple of sloppy passes. Not afraid to shoot from long range

Leandro Trossard – 7: A real thorn in Newcastle’s defence in the first half, when the game was open and he had space to run into. He got fans off their seats with a couple of pieces of skill and frequently ran at the defence at pace, ending with shots at goal. Looked the most likely to break the deadlock. Had a reduced impact in the second half when Newcastle were pinned back for large periods, with less space in the forward areas. Replaced by debutant Kaoru Mitoma after 74 minutes.

Adam Lallana – 7: Another good performance from the veteran midfielder. A couple of vital interceptions in the middle of the park and twice came close to opening the scoring. Including at the end of the first half, when he had a shot saved after a superb touch and turn. Then, right at the start of the second half, he saw a header at goal somehow kept out by Nick Pope. Replaced to a standing ovation after 64 minutes.

Danny Welbeck – 6: Superb last week but couldn’t quite rediscover that form this afternoon. Worked hard up front but lacked that stroke of luck you sometimes need as a striker. Just unable to force in rebound after Trossard shot was saved. Accidental handball as he lined up volley. Denied by crunching tackle as he lined up a shot.

Subs

Enock Mwepu - 7: Linked up play well as Albion searched for that all-elusive winner. Could have had an assist when he found March with a clever pass but the resulting shot was kept out well by Pope.

Tariq Lamptey – 7: Made a big impact off the bench last week, when Albion were winning, and would have had different instructions this week – help us find a goal! Instantly got fans excited with burst of pace out wide but couldn’t quite keep the ball in. Always an option and his introduction caused problems.

Kaoru Mitoma – 8: A very promising debut! The Japanese international was a real handful for the tiring Newcastle defence after his late introduction and got fans off their seats instantly. He should have had a match-winning assist to his name when he beat his man and set up a tap-in for Pascal Gross but the German somehow missed.