Brighton players and staff felt an unfamiliar emotion at full-time. This side had forgotten how to lose, having beaten Chelsea, Liverpool, Sunderland and Burnley in recent weeks and drawn against Tottenham Hotspur.
But manager Fabian Hurzeler will still take a lot of heart from this display.
The Brighton boss handed his players five days off following their impressive 3-0 win against Chelsea last time out.
It was a recognition of how much they had given him and, also, how much trust he had in them to go "all in for the final part of the season" and "give everything for this badge" as he told them when he delivered the news in the dressing room.
They certainly did that at St James' Park and Hurzeler will take a lot of heart from his side's response to going 2-0 down.
They refused to go under and set up a nervy finish at St James' Park after Jack Hinshelwood pulled one back.
Yankuba Minteh even had a glorious opportunity to make it 2-2 against his former club, only to blaze over from close range as Hurzeler dropped to his knees.
