Key events
Here’s Son Heung-min: “To bounce back like that is very important – we don’t want to keep making the mistakes we have. I thought today was fantastic … I said after the West Ham game, we need to be more ruthless and we were today. To beat Newcastle 4-0 is not easy.” Four-one, Son. Four-one.
A word on Newcastle’s away record this season – they’ve picked up just five of their 26 points on the road, with their only victory the rule-proving-exception that was the 8-0 win at Bramall Lane. In their other seven away league games this season, they have scored a total of six goals. They won’t be getting close to the top four unless that record improves dramatically.
Today’s win keeps Spurs in fifth place, with Manchester City three points above them – and only seven points to the leaders, Liverpool. Cor!
Full time! Tottenham 4-1 Newcastle
The game ends with Newcastle players exchanging angry words with their opponents and the referee – probably over the Romero foul, which probably should have been a red card. The match was already over by then, Tottenham rediscovering their best form to sweep the visitors aside. Angeball is back!
95 mins: Wilson gets another chance to add some undeserved balance to the scoreline, but his downward header is held by Vicario. And that’s that!
94 mins: Wilson has time and space to make it 4-2, but delays his shot too long, allowing Romero to get back and intercept.
GOAL! Tottenham 4-1 Newcastle (Joelinton 91′)
As we head into the first of five added minutes, Joelinton sweeps Wilson’s cross home from 10 yards. For the away fans huddled in the corner, it might be pushing it to call that a consolation – but imagine how those who left after Son’s penalty will feel.
90 mins: Son goes off to an ovation and the official man-of-the-match award, replaced by youngster Jamie Donley.
88 mins: Before Newcastle can even catch a breath, Son is in down the right and sends his low shot a foot wide of the far post. Moments later, Porro pops up in the same pocket of space and sends his shot high into the stand.
87 mins: Kulusevski picks out Skipp with a cross, and the substitute has time to take a touch before firing his shot into Dubravka’s legs …
85 mins: More changes – Oliver Skipp and Brian Gil are on for Bissouma and Johnson; for Newcastle, Emil Krafth is on for Trippier, who was booked shortly before Spurs won that penalty. Now, apparently, is the time for Eddie Howe to freshen up the defence.
GOAL! Tottenham 4-0 Newcastle (Son penalty 85′)
Dubravka goes the right way, down to his right – but Son’s penalty is too well-struck and pings into the far corner. Son gets the goal to complete a man-of-the-match performance.
Penalty to Tottenham!
Spurs have a penalty, Son racing in behind the tattered Newcastle backline from Pedro Porro’s pass and rounding Dubravka, who has little choice but to bring him down.
“Eddie Howe has done very well at Newcastle, and he clearly knows his players, but I’m slightly mystified that he’s chosen to have his fatigued team set out to play exactly the same way he does when they’re fully fit,” writes Kári Tulinius. “They’ve looked off the pace since the first minute.” The fact he picked the same XI who ran out of gas so spectacularly at Everton is also hard to understand.
80 mins: With the ball loose in midfield, Romero crunches into a tackle on Wilson, planting a boot on the prone forward’s ankle. He is booked, and can probably count himself lucky. It’s an outrageously bad challenge, when you consider his team are three goals up. There’s also a meeting of foreheads between Bissouma and Bruno, which goes unpunished.
79 mins: Trippier opts to curl in a cross, which Schär swings a weary leg at, just failing to connect. Spurs clear away …
77 mins: Joelinton tries to give the away fans something (anything) to smile about, with his ambitious shot deflected away before he wins a free kick, 25-odd yards out. Can Kieran Trippier end his weekend on a high?
75 mins: Johnson continues to link beautifully with Porro, who then nutmegs Miley and fires in a low shot which Dubravka gathers at the second attempt. We’re treated to a wide-angle shot of the Newcastle fans, many of whom battled railway chaos to get here. They don’t look best pleased.
73 mins: Two further changes from Newcastle – Lewis Hall is on for Livramento, and Matt Ritchie comes on in place of Anthony Gordon.
72 mins: Pape Sarr goes off, replaced by Højbjerg after an impressive shift in central midfield. Double goalscorer Richarlison also departs, with Lo Celso coming on.
71 mins: Joelinton tries to muscle through the Spurs defence but is stood up by Romero. Spurs are about to make changes …
69 mins: Gordon, one of the few visiting players to emerge with much credit from this game, sends in a cross towards Joelinton. Pedro Porro has him covered, and the Brazilian takes out his frustration by shoving his marker to the ground, earning a yellow card for his troubles.
67 mins: Son aims for Dubravka’s near post from distance, but the keeper gets down to smother the ball. The shot count is stacking up: now 18-5 in Spurs’ favour, and 8-1 in terms of shots on target.
66 mins: Porro combines nicely with Johnson before sending his cross-shot over the bar. Moments later, Spurs are running at Newcastle again, and Kulusevski fires a shot straight at Dubravka.
64 mins: Newcastle changes, with Wilson replacing Isak and Sean Longstaff on for Almirón. I fear it may be too little, too late.
63 mins: Party time for Spurs now, with the masked Kulusevski pulling the strings to set up Johnson, whose cross-shot crashes off the far post, and then Son, whose wild strike flies wide from a narrow angle.
From the free-kick won by Son, the ball is worked out wide to Pedro Porro, whose superb long diagonal finds Richarlison between the centre-backs. His first touch is loose but Lascelles can’t reach it, Dubravka hesitates – and the forward gets there first to slot home!
GOAL! Tottenham 3-0 Newcastle (Richarlison 60′)
Spurs have sat patiently through a sustained period of Newcastle possession, but now they have surely put the game out of sight, thanks to a second goal from Richarlison!
58 mins: Newcastle win another corner, but Almiron is prised off the ball and Spurs have a 3v2 break downfield. One of the two is Lascelles, who hauls Son down as he weighs up his options. A booking inevitably follows.
56 mins: Lascelles gets back to cut out a Spurs counter – not bad for a player who apparently pulled his hamstring midway through the first half.
“Typical Ange-ball so far,” notes David Thomson. “Death by a thousand cutbacks.” You could call that austerity-ball, but I guess that was more Antonio Conte’s bag.
54 mins: Tottenham still look slick going forward, with a quick exchange of passes making space for Bissouma, whose shot from distance is well held by Dubravka.
52 mins: Joelinton goes in heavily on Romero, but Chris Kavanagh declines to produce the game’s first booking – and still keeps his cards dry when Bruno slides into a tackle on Udogie in midfield.
50 mins: Romero has Gordon’s run well-covered, but having shepherded him out wide, he can’t resist pushing him in the back and conceding a cheap free kick. Bissouma gets his head on the ball to clear away, but Newcastle regain possession, and Trippier’s deep cross is volleyed over by Gordon, albeit from an impossibly tight angle.
48 mins: Ben Davies heads away under pressure from Joelinton, before Isak’s searching cross from wide on the left is flicked away by Pedro Porro. A decent start to the second half for Newcastle, who know that pulling one goal back will get home nerves jangling.
47 mins: Newcastle press forward through Almirón, who plays in Trippier on the overlap. His cross is blocked by Udogie, but the visitors have a corner …
Peep!
The second half is under way. Anthony Gordon is lining up in the middle of Newcastle’s front three, with the ineffectual Isak pushed out wide. Guess which one is in my fantasy team!
“Dejan has said before in interviews that he sees himself more as a No 10 or an attacking No 8 than a winger: he played in that position earlier this season and was excellent,” notes Alexandra Ashton.
“As a Spurs fan who has seen him put up unconvincing performances on the wing for much of last season, I’m inclined to believe that we’ll play him in midfield, at least until Bentancur and Maddison return from injury. He’s been delightful today.” He has indeed.
Let’s talk tactics, with Mark Childs. “Watching Spurs v West Ham in midweek, I thought Kulusevski looked skilful, but a little slow for a winger. Seems like putting him in the #10 slot with Son out left has done the trick. Curious what Spurs fans think: is this a long-term switch?”
“I drove from North Wales to the Cotswolds yesterday to see Wrexham’s firmly carnivorous Paul Mullin terrorising the herbivorous defence of Forest Green Rovers, only to find the game was off,” writes Alun Pugh.
“I was offered a surplus and cold vegan burger for free as the catering team packed up early. Apart from Trippier, I’m not sure anyone is having a worse footballing week,” I don’t know – you should see the state of my fantasy team (yes, it has Tripper in it).
Half time! Spurs 2-0 Newcastle
Tottenham head in at the break with a deserved two-goal lead, with Destiny Udogie and Richarlison converting crosses from Son Heung-min, who has tormented the Newcastle defence. Now comes the hard part for the hosts: holding on to the lead. Back soon.
46 mins: It comes to nothing. Newcastle just look very tired, the injuries and fixtures stacking up for them. They’ve got a very big game coming up against Milan on Wednesday too.
44 mins: Bissouma gets back to cut out Trippier’s cross, and Newcastle have a corner. Three added minutes to come.
42 mins: After another Newcastle attack runs out of steam, they avoid conceding a third goal through sheer good fortune. Kulusevski’s shot is deflected across goal, where Richarlison stoops to try and head it in, rather than stick out a boot.
40 mins: Like the rest of the Spurs front four, Brennan Johnson has been a constant threat – and he fizzes a shot against the outside of the far post here. Kulusevski then miscues a shot which bounces into Dubravka’s arms.
It’s all very straightforward for the hosts – Trippier’s misjudged attempt at a headed clearance is seized upon by the tireless Son, who beats the beleaguered full-back and cuts back for Richarlison to steer into the corner!
GOAL! Tottenham 2-0 Newcastle (Richarlison 37′)
A big moment for player and team – Richarlison scores, and Spurs double their lead!
“Perhaps what David Hopkins saw last night in Shoreditch was a clever tactics demonstration by Eddie Howe, to show his players how parking the bus can stop any London traffic” wonders Justin Kavanagh. “If so, they clearly weren’t listening.”
34 mins: At the other end, Son threatens to combine with Richarlison, but the latter is flagged offside.
33 mins: A let-off for Spurs as Newcastle almost grab an unexpected equaliser! Gordon waits patiently before playing in Almirón, whose shot is well hit but too close to Vicario. That was a very decent chance.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
