CHRISTIAN ATSU claims Newcastle United’s ‘big-game mentality’ could be the decisive factor as they look to force their way back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The Magpies’ promotion hopes looked like suffering a major blow when they trailed top-two rivals Brighton in the final ten minutes of Tuesday’s game at the Amex Stadium, but a dramatic conclusion saw late goals from Mo Diame and Ayoze Perez secure a 2-1 win.

Atsu had a hand in both goals, inadvertently setting up Diame with a miscued shot before delivering a pinpoint cross for Perez to slot home the winner, with the result enabling Newcastle to leapfrog Brighton at the top of the table and open up an eight-point gap to Huddersfield Town in the first of the play-off places.

Rafael Benitez’s side travel to Huddersfield on Saturday for another potentially-crucial encounter, and having helped his team-mates rouse themselves to pluck victory from the jaws of defeat on Tuesday, Atsu is hoping Newcastle’s ability to rise to the big occasion is a key factor once more.

“I love playing in big games, and you can see the rest of the team feel the same way too,” said the winger, whose form has improved markedly since he returned from representing Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations last month. “That was a big game, and there is nothing better than coming out of the end of a game like that with all of the points.

“When you are at a big club like Newcastle, you have to show your talent in big games. They are going to be the matches that decide your season, and so far, we have done well in the really big matches.

“I remember being told from a very early stage in my career, ‘It is the big games where you see the good players’. If you are a good player, you look forward to the chance to influence a game like that. And as you have seen all season, our team is full of good players.”

It would have been easy for Newcastle’s players to go under on Tuesday night, such was the strength of Brighton’s start and the inevitable disappointment that accompanied the concession of a controversial early penalty.

Brighton had scored first in 18 Championship matches prior to Tuesday, and gone on to win all 18, but Newcastle ended that sequence through a mixture of gritty determination, unshakeable confidence and Benitez’s astute substitutions.

The introduction of Daryl Murphy helped change things, with the striker providing the kind of attacking focal point that was missing when Yoan Gouffran was leading the line. As a result, Murphy is likely to find himself back in the starting line-up at Huddersfield.

Perez’s appearance was also significant, with the Spaniard displaying impressive composure as he drove home an 89th-minute winner, but more than anything, it was Newcastle’s commitment and resolve that enabled them to dig themselves back into the game after Brighton had threatened to run away things in the opening 20 minutes.

“It says a lot about the character of the team to win a game like that,” said Atsu. “I thought we created a lot of chances in the first half and could have equalised, and it would have been easy for our heads to have dropped when we weren’t able to score. But we kept believing in ourselves.

“Brighton are a very good side, but we fought hard, and that is the kind of spirit you have to show if you want to get promotion. You have to stick together when times are difficult, and we have done that all season.

“We have a very good team spirit, and the belief of all the players is strong. We are a very good group, and this is the kind of team spirit we are going to need in every game between now and the end of the season.”

Prior to the final ten minutes, Atsu’s night at the Amex Stadium looked like being notable for a miss in first-half stoppage time. However, one of the most bizarre goals of the season changed all that.

Atsu’s assist for Perez’s winner might have been intended, but the same cannot be said for the shanked shot that led to Diame’s remarkable leveller.

Atsu’s shot was heading out for a throw-in before Murphy stabbed it towards Diame, who thrust out a foot to loop the ball over Brighton defender Fikayo Tomori and into the top right-hand corner of the net.

“It was a lucky assist,” laughed Atsu. “I can’t really pretend that I meant to do that, but I will take the assist and I am very happy for Mo that he scored. I meant the one for Ayoze though!

“When I was controlling the ball (for the winner), I could see that he had taken the defender inside, and then afterwards his movement meant he was free. Normally, I would have looked to dribble in that situation, but I didn’t need to dribble because he had come back and was waiting for the ball. I just had to put in a quick cross for him to score.”