Newcastle put in one of their finest performances of the season to secure a 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur, as Eddie Howe’s team moved into the top four. They now boast the best defence in the league having conceded just 10 goals in 11 games, and they’ve only lost once - that last gasp defeat at Anfield.
Without that 98th minute Fabio Carvalho goal, Newcastle would still be unbeaten. This result proved that they aren’t just contenders to break into the top six, but contenders to gatecrash the Champions League places, way ahead of schedule. They have the resources and finances to match the big boys off the pitch, but now just a year after the takeover, they are making it happen on the pitch.
This result, which featured goals from Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron, perfectly summed up the spirit of this squad. They defended together as a team, while their front line was lethal in front of goal, and pressed energetically without it.
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For Spurs, it marks back-to-back defeats and Antonio Conte needs to fix their confidence problems sooner rather than later. On the day, he was outwitted by Eddie Howe, who has been tactically superb this season.
Harry Kane was at his playmaking best but Heung-min Son couldn’t take advantage as he blundered a one-on-one with Nick Pope. Hugo Lloris then thought he’d been shoved over by Wilson, but the English forward made no mistake as he chipped the ball into an empty net. VAR decided that there was no foul, and Newcastle were ahead.
From that point, the confidence evaporated from Spurs’ legs. Almiron picked the ball up on the right wing, skinned Lenglet as if he wasn’t there and poked the ball past Lloris who could have done better. He’s been the shining light of Newcastle’s season and hit his sixth goal of the season here, after Jack Grealish’s derogatory comments this summer.
Tottenham fans vented their frustration with boos at half-time as the heavens opened, but the storm didn’t shake Newcastle’s resolve. In the second half, despite a positive start from the away side, Spurs pulled one back. It came from that man Harry Kane with his tenth of the season as he stooped at the back post to head home a corner.
He’s been overshadowed by Erling Haaland but individually is enjoying one of his best starts to a campaign. But today wasn’t about him or Tottenham, but about this determined Newcastle performance.
Joelinton was absolutely outstanding. Again. It’s been quite the revolution from failing striker to energetic midfielder and now he is absolutely crucial to Howe. At one point, he chased back 40 yards or more to put in a tackle on Rodrigo Bentancur, something that we could have never have imagined when he was deemed a £40m flop.
With a resolute midfield and rock-solid defence, Howe has managed to build a team that can compete against any side in the Premier League. They are relentlessly energetic with the likes of Almiron, Joelinton and Wilson pressing high even as the game reached its dying stages.
For Spurs, the atmosphere was on the whole a negative one. Even when they had pulled a goal back there was a general sense of frustration around the ground that the game had even got to that stage. They’d not lost a home game yet this season, but they came up against a Newcastle side that simply looked better than them on the day.
The Magpies have only lost one game this season, in the final seconds at Anfield but they got draws against Manchester City and United, and have now won four of their last five games. Things haven’t looked this good in the north-east for over two decades. The Magpies are flying.
