HARRY HELPS SILLENCE ST JAMES’
FIRST LEAGUE GOAL OF THE SEASON FOR KANE AS SPURS RUIN NEWCASTLE OWNERS’ BIG DAY
NEWCASTLE’S new owners were left in little doubt as to the size of the task ahead of them as they watched a 3-2 defeat to Tottenham in a game delayed for 20 minutes by a medical emergency in the crowd.
In many ways, the result on a long-anticipated day was rendered largely irrelevant after players and fans watched anxiously as medical crews battled to save the life of a spectator in the East Stand at St James’ Park during an eventful first half on the pitch.
With non-executive chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan looking on, Callum Wilson got Steve Bruce’s 1,000th game as a manager off to the perfect start but goals from Tanguy Ndombele, Harry Kane – his first in the Premier League this season – and Heung-min Son put the visitors in complete control by the time the break arrived.
Bruce’s hopes of hanging on to his job look forlorn – Newcastle have failed to win any of their opening eight league games and remain in 19th place in the table – and topflight survival, as it was for much of the Mike Ashley era, has to be the sole aim for the immediate future.
At his pre-match press conference, Bruce had signalled his intention to stay exactly where he was despite the arrival of the new regime, who faced a protest before the game aimed at highlighting Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
Bruce, having recalled the fitagain Wilson to his starting line-up, saw the striker make his mark within two minutes. Allan Saint-Maximin rolled the ball into the path of the over-lapping Javier
Manquillo and Wilson got across his marker to head the wing-back’s cross past Hugo Lloris.
However, Spurs gradually worked their way back into the game before launching a blistering response.
Ndombele levelled with a sumptuous strike from the edge of the box with 17 minutes gone and worse was to follow for the home crowd when Kane got the benefit of a tight off
side call following a VAR review
after running on to a ball over the top and lifting it over the advancing Karl Darlow to end his league drought. Saint-Maximin only just failed to get a touch on Wilson’s 31st-minute cross after linking well with Joelinton.
Lucas Moura was unfortunate not to kill off a renewed sense of hope when he got his head to Son’s corner and saw his effort hit the bar. But with four minutes left of a pulsating first half, the game was suspended after players alerted referee Andre Marriner to a medical emergency in the crowd and he took them off.
The game restarted after a 20-minute delay with the fan on the way to hospital – where last night he was said to be in a stable condition – and Newcastle fell further behind during seven minutes of added time when Kane crossed for Son to slide home.
Bruce’s men returned facing an uphill climb and they found themselves chasing shadows as Spurs continued to dominate.
St James’ resounded to chants of ‘Brucey out’, as substitute Jonjo Shelvey was dismissed for a second bookable offence with seven minutes remaining, with Eric Dier’s late own goal sparking fresh, but ultimately vain, hope.