Brighton eased their relegation concerns at the expense of fellow strugglers Newcastle as Graham Potter's side moved six points clear of the Premier League's bottom three with a deserved victory at Amex Stadium.
Leandro Trossard's curled finish into the bottom corner in first-half stoppage-time was the least Brighton's early dominance deserved, and Danny Welbeck's sublime strike from outside the box doubled the advantage six minutes after the restart.
Neal Maupay then put the result beyond any doubt as he met Pascal Gross' cross for his first goal in 10 league games midway through the second half.
Newcastle were second best throughout and rarely threatened a comeback - indeed they failed to have a shot on target - though Ryan Fraser was inches away from an equaliser when he fired against the post shortly after the break.