Goals from Dwight Gayle and Daryl Murphy saw Newcastle go top of the Championship standings after a 2-1 win over Brentford at Griffin Park.
Lasse Vibe's second half equaliser was not enough to earn the Bees the share of the spoils their performance deserved as the Magpies withstood a late barrage to take all three points.
Gayle gave the Magpies the lead after 20 minutes, racing clear down the left and cutting inside before rifling an unstoppable shot across Bees keeper Dan Bentley into the far corner.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 24 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 25 | 54 |
| 2 | Newcastle United | 25 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 28 | 52 |
| 3 | Leeds United | 26 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 48 |
| 4 | Reading | 25 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 46 |
| 5 | Huddersfield Town | 25 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 46 |
| 6 | Sheffield Wednesday | 25 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 42 |
| 7 | Derby County | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 40 |
| 8 | Barnsley | 25 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 38 |
| 9 | Norwich City | 25 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 37 |
| 10 | Fulham | 24 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 36 |
| 11 | Preston North End | 25 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 36 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 25 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 35 |
| 13 | Birmingham City | 25 | 9 | 8 | 8 | -5 | 35 |
| 14 | Brentford | 25 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 33 |
| 15 | Queens Park Rangers | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | -11 | 32 |
| 16 | Ipswich Town | 25 | 8 | 7 | 10 | -4 | 31 |
| 17 | Cardiff City | 25 | 8 | 6 | 11 | -10 | 30 |
| 18 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 25 | 7 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 29 |
| 19 | Bristol City | 26 | 8 | 3 | 15 | -3 | 27 |
| 20 | Nottingham Forest | 25 | 7 | 5 | 13 | -8 | 26 |
| 21 | Burton Albion | 25 | 6 | 7 | 12 | -8 | 25 |
| 22 | Blackburn Rovers | 25 | 6 | 6 | 13 | -11 | 24 |
| 23 | Wigan Athletic | 25 | 4 | 7 | 14 | -11 | 19 |
| 24 | Rotherham United | 25 | 3 | 4 | 18 | -30 | 13 |
But Danish striker Vibe hit back for a revitalised Brentford just after the break when he lashed home a loose ball in the box after United's defence failed to clear a corner.