Mike Ashley does not really do regrets but in a rare moment of introspection Newcastle’s owner did recently offer Chris Hughton a public apology for sacking him eight years ago.

It was a particularly harsh dismissal and only served to deepen the affection of Tynesiders for the leftwinger they dubbed “Comrade Chris”.

Four managers, a relegation and a promotion on, Ashley will most definitely not have enjoyed watching his latest appointment, the decorated Rafael Benítez, outmanoeuvred by Hughton’s Brighton on another dreadful day for Newcastle.

An appalling, and winless, start to the season – among the worst in the club’s history – was compounded by a sixth straight home defeat that leaves Benítez’s team with only two points and contemplating a brutally harsh winter.

Granted, it took Beram Kayal’s deflected goal from a dubious corner and some excellent goalkeeping on Mathew Ryan’s part for Brighton to win it but the resigned boos and muted atmosphere at the final whistle reflected the reality that Newcastle lack the vision and incision to extricate themselves from the bottom of the table.

A chronic lack of summer investment is largely responsible for Newcastle catching a debilitating autumn cold. “It’s difficult,” said Benítez, who is struggling with a nasty cough. “But I’m still confident. We just need to take our chances.”

The former Champions League-winning manager should not bear the brunt of the blame for his side’s plight but faces arguably the biggest challenge of his career.

“It’s a difficult period for Newcastle but Rafa will be confident he can turn it round,” Hughton said. “They’ve had difficult periods like this before and got through them.”

Brighton endured a concerning start when Glenn Murray required lengthy treatment following a sickening clash of heads with Federico Fernández. After a worrying hiatus, Murray was taken to hospital where he was soon fully conscious and undergoing precautionary scans. “Glenn’s OK, he’s been discharged, but he’ll stay up here overnight,” Hughton said. “There was real fear when it happened, though.”

Murray’s injury set a sombre tone and it took a while to recapture an early momentum that had seen Ryan save brilliantly from Ayoze Pérez after Jonjo Shelvey had dispossessed a slapdash Gaëtan Bong.

Up in the directors’ box, Ashley seemed to curse Ryan’s heroics. After neglecting to watch Benítez’s team for over a year he was attending his fourth successive match. He does not seems to be bringing his players much luck.

Since rediscovering his enthusiasm for the club – although it could merely be a case of the proprietor taking the temperature of Benítez’s side – the owner has not had much to cheer about.

He witnessed yet another setback when Brighton’s Iran international Alireza Jahanbakhsh floated in a disputed corner. It was flicked on by Shane Duffy for José Izquierdo to unleash a volley that Kayal deflected beyond Martin Dubravka.

Shelvey eventually seized control of the game’s tempo but the ever streetwise Hughton instructed his players to interrupt it with strategic time-wasting.

If such gamesmanship disrupted Benítez’s plan it was further stymied by Brighton’s immensely impressive central defensive pairing of Lewis Dunk and Duffy, who delighted in thwarting wave upon wave of home attacks.

Matt Ritchie missed two decent headed chances and Ryan’s saves – most notably from Shelvey – proved crucial but Newcastle chased far too many long balls and lost causes.

The late Joselu shot that ended up striking a corner flag seemed emblematic of Geordie woes.