Two goals in the space of 95 first-half seconds from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon took the game away from Spurs before Isak’s second and a late Fabian Schar header confirmed their dominance. It is the biggest defeat of Ange Postecoglou’s time in charge.
Tottenham had been hoping to open up an advantage over Aston Villa. Instead, this heavy defeat sees them drop below their rivals into fifth in the table as they found themselves overpowered by a clinical Newcastle.
Tottenham had the early chances through Timo Werner but were soon made to pay for his wastefulness in front of goal. Micky van de Ven slipped for each of the first two goals but the finishing from Newcastle’s in-form attacking players was so clinical.
Gordon threaded Isak in following a counter-attack by the home side and Isak stepped inside the Dutch defender before firing past the goalkeeper. It was never in doubt, a 20th goal of the season in all competitions for the in-demand Newcastle striker.
Spurs barely had time to catch breath before Gordon added a goal of his own to double the advantage, once again leaving Van de Ven in his wake before finishing emphatically beyond Guglielmo Vicario. There remains an alarming vulnerability to Postecoglou’s side.
It was exposed again by the impressive Isak after the interval when he cleverly bent his run on the halfway line, racing onto Bruno Guimaraes’ long pass with the hapless Van de Ven unable to track him. Once again, the forward’s finish was never in doubt.
It was a chastening experience for Postecoglou and his players, with five of those featuring here also having played in the 6-1 defeat at the same ground in April. Tactically, Eddie Howe’s switch to a back five for this fixture seemed to utterly confound Spurs.
Schar’s header from Gordon’s right-wing corner added late gloss, to the delight of the home support. “It’s happened again,” they sang.
Despite the injury concerns, Newcastle now look well set to secure European football next season. The fear for Tottenham supporters is that their own team could be joining them in the Europa League unless they improve defensively in the coming weeks.
Source SkySports
