Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 2-1 at home by Newcastle United on Saturday lunchtime, prompting more attention on Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou.
The north London side struck first in a typically chaotic opening ten minutes. Dominic Solanke beat Sven Botman – who was first Premier League start almost ten months after tearing his ACL – only to get the nod following Pedro Porro’s wonderful cross in the fourth minute.
Newcastle they were not far behind – only two minutes and 20 seconds, to be precise. Lucas Bergvall injected the burst of energy that led to Tottenham’s opener but was responsible for a wayward pass in the build-up to Anthony Gordon’s equaliser. The young Swede was robbed by Joelinton on the edge of his own penalty area, gifting Newcastle possession which Gordon capitalized on with a sharp strike into the bottom corner.
Growing under pressure Postecoglou cut an animated figure on the touchline, demanding a review of the incident after spotting the ball hit Joelinton’s arm before finding its way to Gordon. The goal was allowed to stand because the VAR “considered that his hand was by his side, in a natural position and that the contact was accidental” according to press release from the Premier League.
Newcastle gained confidence with their equalizer and took the lead in the 38th minute through the reliable source of Alexander Isak. The in-form striker netted for a seventh straight league game, slotting Jacob Murphy’s low cross past Tottenham’s third-choice goalkeeper Brandon Austin.
Spurs stepped up the pressure in search of an equalizer after the break. Brennan Johnson hit the post and club captain Son Heung-min – who surprisingly started the contest on the bench – dragged the ball wide.
Despite their best efforts, there was no way through for Tottenham, who are still waiting for a Premier League win in front of their own fans since defeating Aston Villa back in the misty days of early November.
*Ratings are provided by FotMob*
|
Player |
Evaluation |
|---|---|
|
GK: Brandon Austin |
6.8/10 |
|
RB: Pedro Porro |
7.7/10 |
|
CB: Radu Dragusin |
5.7/10 |
|
CB: Archie Gray |
5.8/10 |
|
LB: Grandpa Spence |
6.8/10 |
|
CM: Lucas Bergvall |
5.7/10 |
|
CM: Pope Sarr |
5.7/10 |
|
in the morning: Dejan Kulusevski |
6.7/10 |
|
RW: Brennan Johnson |
7.1/10 |
|
ST: Dominik Solanke |
6.6/10 |
|
LW: Timo Werner |
6.2/10 |
|
UNDER: Sergio Reguilon (46′ for Dragusin) |
7.2/10 |
|
UNDER: James Maddison (62′ for Bergvall) |
6.2/10 |
|
UNDER: Yves Bissouma (62′ for Sarr) |
6.8/10 |
|
UNDER: Son Heung-min (62′ for Werner) |
6.9/10 |
Subs not used: Alfie Whiteman (GK), Alfie Dorrington, Malachi Hardy, Callum Olusesi, Will Lankshear
*Ratings are provided by FotMob*
|
Player |
Evaluation |
|---|---|
|
GK: Martin Dubravka |
7.7/10 |
|
RB: Tino Livramento |
7.9/10 |
|
CB: Sven Botman |
7.6/10 |
|
CB: Dan Burn |
7.0/10 |
|
LB: Lewis Hall |
7.1/10 |
|
CM: Bruno Guimaraes |
7.9/10 |
|
CM: Sandro Tonali |
6.6/10 |
|
CM: Joelinton |
7.0/10 |
|
RW: Jacob Murphy |
6.9/10 |
|
ST: Alexander Isak |
7.7/10 |
|
LW: Anthony Gordon |
7.8/10 |
|
UNDER: Harvey Barnes (78′ for Gordon) |
6.4/10 |
|
UNDER: Joe Willock (86′ for Isak) |
ON |
|
UNDER: Sean Longstaff (86′ for Murphy) |
ON |
|
UNDER: Lloyd Kelly (90′ for Botman) |
ON |
Unused substitutes: Odisseas Vlachodimos, Kieran Trippier, Lewis Miley, Miguel Almiron, William Osula
Player of the match – Tino Livramento (Newcastle)
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