Victory was always the aim - Yedlin

United were in danger of slipping four points off the pace after Glenn Murray’s early penalty for the Seagulls, Ciaran Clark having been adjudged to have hauled down the frontman following Anthony Knockeart’s corner.

But, a goal apiece from Mohamed Diame and Ayoze Perez – both in the closing ten minutes – made sure of a memorable win for Rafa Benitez’s side.

And, although Brighton boasted the best home record in the division heading into the fixture, Yedlin stressed that he and his teammates were only ever chasing one outcome at the Amex Stadium.

“We wanted to come here and get three points – we obviously wouldn’t be satisfied with a loss and we wouldn’t be satisfied with a draw. We wanted to come and get the win and that’s what we did,” he told nufc.co.uk.

“It's a huge result. There was a bit of luck on our side, but the fight and character that the guys showed was unbelievable. I don’t think it was our best game – it wasn’t the prettiest and we had to scrap a bit – but we fight to the end, and that’s a great characteristic about this team.”

Victory was made all the more important for Newcastle given their start to March, with trips to Huddersfield Town and Reading – currently placed third and fifth respectively – to come over the next seven days.

But, having condemned the Seagulls to a first defeat on their own turf since September, Yedlin is targeting more away day joy at the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday, the American also paying tribute to goalscorers Diame and Perez – both of whom have been in and out of United’s starting line-up in recent weeks.

“It shows the depth we have – one guy goes out, and another comes in to replace him. Depth is a big component for a team fighting for promotion to have, and we’re fortunate to have the players we have here,” he said.

“We look towards Huddersfield now – it’s another tough game, but again, we’ll try to get three points. Playing away isn’t easy anywhere – so it’s great that we have such a good away record. We need to translate that to home – if we can do that, we’ll be good for the rest of the season.”