PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 13TH APRIL, 2024
(12.30pm)
NEWCASTLE UNITED 4(2) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 0(0)

Scorers:-
Isak, 30,51
Gordon, 32
Schar, 87

Attendance:- 52,206

Referee:- Tim Robinson
Assistants:- Gary Beswick, Adam Nunn
Fourth official:- Oliver Langford
VAR:- Stuart Attwell
Assistant VAR:- Sian Massey-Ellis

Teams:-
Newcastle (3-4-3):- Dubravka; Krafth, Schar (sub Dummett, 90+3), Burn (Capt.); J. Murphy (sub Livramento, 78), S, Longstaff, Guimaraes (sub White, 90+3), Anderson (sub Ritchie, 89); Gordon, Isak, Barnes (sub Hall, 88)

Subs not used:- Karius; Gilliespie, A. Murphy; Parkinson

No bookings

Spurs (4-2-3-1):- Vicario; Pedro Porro (sub Emerson Royal, 49), Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur (sub Sarr, 57), Bissouma (sub Hojbjerg, 57); Johnson, Maddison (sub Lo Celso, 81), Werner; Son (Capt.) (sub Kulusevski, 58)
(Armband to Maddison, then Romero)

Subs not used:- Austin; Dragusin, Davies; Gil

Booked:- Van de Ven (foul on Gordon), Bissouma (foul on Longstaff), Romero (foul on Guimaraes), Maddison (foul on Murphy)

Deja vu disaster for Spurs

Thanks to Eugene Gasper for capturing this image

Spurs travelled to Newcastle in April last year as Champions League contenders and lost 6-1. Today, we sat in the top four when we started the game, but thanks to another shocking defeat, we slipped back to fifth place and have every prospect of falling away from Champions League contention with the top three among our remaining opponents. On this form we might even fail to qualify for any European place again. We were that bad.

These were two teams with different mindsets. Despite Newcastle counting their injured in double figures, they could field three front men, all of whom had the pace and guile to beat and bewilder our defenders. Each were capable of scoring, and indeed two (Isak and Gordon) did hit the net. Gordon also had two assists.

Spurs, despite counting their injured in single figures (Richarlison was the only significant absentee), did not have a line-leader and none of their front players looked capable of scoring. Werner had one excellent opportunity and another half-chance but failed on both occasions. We had no striker on the bench.

The different attitudes of the two teams was shown early in the second half when Newcastle had a free kick near the half-way line and hit it towards the danger zone where attackers threatened. In a similar position, Spurs would pass sideways or backwards and surrender any initiative.

"Ange-ball" when played well can be exciting and rewarding. However, Spurs are too often their worst enemies with failed passes in their own half. Vicario's short passes to a central defender marked by two opponents do not help either. Midfielders, including Maddison, too often dawdle on the ball and get closed down. Today it was the high-energy Newcastle who knew our game; dispossessed us and sent quick balls that were too often collected by Gordon or Barnes with players such as Udogie, Pedro Porro and even Van de Ven slow off the mark.

The game was played in the week following the passing of Joe Kinnear, who played for Spurs in the 60s and 70s and managed Newcastle in more recent years. Daniel Levy and Newcastle's CEO laid wreaths outside the stadium before the game. Both sets of players wore black armbands.

Spurs kicked off and played towards the Gallowgate End. High intensity football was promised and that was what we got, at least in the opening stages. Eddie Howe chose to play a back three that became five when defending, but the nature of Spurs' game generally allowed the home side to get as many men behind the ball as they wished.

It wasn't long before Spurs were exposed by Gordon's pace down the right flank and his crosses led to two successive corners. Udogie won Spurs' first corner after taking a pass from Werner. Another Gordon cross reached Barnes behind the Spurs defence and Spurs conceded another corner. Bissouma did well to clear in front of Guimaraes and after another corner by Gordon, Barnes headed wide.

Barnes had the beating of Pedro Porro and won yet another home corner which Vicario managed to hold at the second attempt. Finally, Spurs created a chance when Son sent a good pass to Werner and got in front of the German when he shot. Unfortunately, the ball hit Son, who was offside anyway.

Isak passed to Barnes who was again in space, but Spurs did manage to close him down. Good interplay between Bentancur and Maddison led to a chance for Werner who could not convert his shot. Maddison got away with a body check on Gordon without being carded by referee Tim Robinson who was letting a lot go early on. Maddison soon upset the home fans when he wanted Burn carded for pulling him back in the middle. James seems to upset opposition fans everywhere he goes.

In the end, Micky van de Ven was shown the first yellow card for the least serious of these three fouls when he was the right side of a sandwich of two players sliding in on Gordon.

Pedro Porro lifted a decent ball to Son, but Dubravka was out to smother the shot. Disaster then struck Spurs and Van de Ven in two moments. Firstly, Isak scored after Gordon's pass from the right when both Udogie and Van de Ven slipped. That goal meant that Isak had scored in six consecutive home games, and that he'd become the first Newcastle player to score 20 goals in a Premier League season since Alan Shearer. Dwight Gayle did it in 2016/17, but Newcastle had been in the Championship that season.

Only a minute later after Pedro Porro hit a ridiculous backward pass from the touchline towards his own goal, Gordon was able to take advantage after Van de Ven slipped again. Van de Ven redeemed himself to some degree shortly after when Maddison was closed down and dispossessed and Newcastle again sprayed a ball forward to the feet of Isak. Barnes and Isak threatened again after a Vicario clearance went straight to Newcastle feet on the wing. Van de Ven prevented a goal again.

Spurs were playing like frightened rabbits. Vicario came to the rescue after Barnes teed up Isak, who headed wide from the corner. Spurs countered and Johnson raced down the right wing giving Werner half a chance with his cross, but again Timo could not score. Maddison had a shot held after another attack when Bentancur went down in the box after being struck in the chest by the boot of Dan Burn. VAR reviewed but did not overrule the referee who saw no offence. Mr. Robinson was a homer, but that is not the reason we lost.

Somewhat surprisingly there were no changes at the start of the second half. Bissouma got an early yellow card which led to the Newcastle free kick I mentioned at the top of this report. Isak was the danger man again and won his side a corner. Pedro Porro needed treatment and had to be replaced by Emerson Royal, who hasn't played since 2nd March.

Werner had another shot which was on target, after Maddison's pass. Although Dubravka failed to hold the shot, Newcastle cleared.

Newcastle soon went three up when Isak had half a yard on Van de Ven. The long ball from the back was hit with Isak just inside his half. Van de Ven couldn't catch the Swedish international, who raced away to score his second goal.

Romero was booked for a foul on Guimaraes. Postecoglou soon made three changes, one of whom was our captain. Johnson took over in the middle of the attack, such as it was. Brennan made a nice take of a long ball, but when he turned and shot, the ball was well over the target. Now Maddison was booked for a midfield foul.

21-year-old Elliot Anderson had a shot well saved by Vicario. After the corner, the Spurs defence was nowhere, but Dan Burn fired wide. Maddison threaded a pass to Kulusevski who won a corner near the bye-line to the left of goal. Maddison hit a shot over the bar five minutes later, but by now the game was truly lost.

Krafth nearly got in on the scoring when Emerson headed a ball to his feet and the defender's right foot shot had Vicario beaten, but it went the wrong side off the foot of the post. Gordon should have scored from Barnes' pass, but Van de Ven cleared again. Micky did concede a corner and the Spurs defence clearly had trouble marking up when Schar rose to easily head home Gordon's corner kick.

Dubravka had to stretch to save a late effort by Kulusevski, but the game was up for Spurs who had suffered their biggest and worst defeat of the season.

There seemed to be a lot of needle at the end of the game, which does not augur well for the planned post-season friendly between the two sides!

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