United execute their revenge mission as Spurs crushed
THERE was no beleaguered Cristian Stellini on the touchline. Hugo Lloris, Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez, Ivan Perisic and the blameless Harry Kane were among those who had long since moved on.
Spurs even managed to avoid being 5-0 down midway through the first half. Yet this was an all too familiar story for the Londoners at St James’ Park as Newcastle United fans chanted: “Tottenham Hotspur - it’s happened again!”
It was not quite 6-1 this time but, in some ways, this 4-0 win was every bit as impressive. Ruthless Newcastle scored four goals from just five shots on target and limited the visitors to two fairly harmless efforts on goal. Not many sides will do that to Ange Postecoglou’s team this season - let alone without 11 senior players.
Lessons were clearly learned from the reverse fixture, a bruising 4-1 defeat, and Newcastle “adjusted things slightly” and repeatedly hurt Spurs on the counter. Anthony Gordon was the first to admit that Newcastle could not play their “normal way” because of how good Spurs are on the ball so the Magpies went man for man, changed to a 3-4-3 out of possession and, in the words of fellow goal scorer Alexander Isak, moved away from “pressuring all the time”. It paid off. As Dan Burn told NUFC TV: “It surprised them a little bit. They probably didn’t think that we were going to go the way that we did and we took advantage of that.”
James Maddison called it a “horrible day” and, having dominated 73% possession, Spurs’ frustrations were clear late on in scenes that served as a real contrast to when the teams last met in the capital. It was during the closing stages of that defeat in December that Callum Wilson had strong words with Guglielmo Vicario after the Spurs goalkeeper “made faces” and showed a “lack of respect”.
This time, it was Spurs substitute Giovani Lo Celso who was seeing red after Bruno Guimaraes raised four fingers aloft to signify the number of goals Newcastle had scored.
Injured captain Jamaal Lascelles wrote in his programme notes that Newcastle “owed them one because of what happened down at their place” and this felt like a throwback to last season when the Magpies got under the skin of the Premier League’s established order time and time again on the way to gate-crashing the top four.
There may not be Champions League football to play for this time around, barring an almighty swing in results, but Jamie Carragher’s assertion last month that Newcastle “looked like a team almost ready for the end of the season” proved premature after the black-and-whites subsequently picked up 10 points from a possible 12.
“It was important we showed that the season wasn’t over from our perspective,” Howe told reporters after watching his side move up to sixth. “I
always say there’s no game for Newcastle United that’s not important.
“I say that for a pre-season game or a friendly. Premier League games are massive occasions and we have to show how important it is to everybody in every minute so there was no chance we were ever going to stop.”
That response has been all the more impressive given the number of absences injury-ravaged Newcastle have had to contend with and Howe was forced into two fresh changes on Saturday. Elliot Anderson came in for Joe Willock, who went off at Fulham with an Achilles issue, and Harvey Barnes replaced Lewis Hall, who was only fit enough to make the bench after being unable to train this week due to a tight quad.
It is easy to forget that Spurs quickly tested Newcastle’s patchedup defence and there were just seven minutes on the clock when Brennan Johnson picked out the unmarked Timo Werner in the box but the forward could only volley over. It proved a costly miss in a game where clinical Newcastle took their chances.
Take Newcastle’s first opening, which all came about after Son Heung-min’s attempted flick was intercepted by Bruno Guimaraes right on the edge of his own box.
The Brazil international immediately looked up and floated the ball to Anthony Gordon on the halfway line. Destiny Udogie managed to win it back, but the persistent Gordon quickly dispossessed the Spurs defender before threading the ball through to Isak. The club’s record signing took a touch and cut inside Micky van de Ven, who could only fall to the ground, before coolly picking out the bottom corner in trademark fashion.
Newcastle were ahead following their first shot on target. The hosts soon doubled their advantage with just their second just a couple of minutes later.
Pedro Porro attempted to hook the ball back to his goalkeeper, but the Spurs defender was far too casual and Gordon pounced on the under hit pass. Gordon took a touch inside and van de Ven slipped once more. The stunned Spurs defender could only watch as the England international fired the ball into the back of the net.
St James’ was rocking and Newcastle did not look like they wanted the half to end. Spurs, in contrast, looked in need of a breather. It said it all that Spurs’ only effort on target in the first half was a rather speculative long-range shot from Werner that Martin Dubravka fumbled, but the Newcastle goalkeeper managed to react quickest to smother the ball.
You still felt the next goal was crucial, however, and Newcastle grabbed it after half-time. Just like the opener, Bruno got on the ball in his own defensive third and launched it above Spurs’ high line to send Isak racing clear. Isak had time to overthink, and a lot of grass still to run into as Vicario backpedalled, but the club’s top scorer was never going to miss in this kind of form and slotted home once again.
Newcastle kept pushing - even at 3-0. Isak glanced wide from Gordon’s free-kick in the 57th minute; the impressive Elliot Anderson had a shot pushed away by Vicario at the near post midway through the second half; and Emil Krafth even struck the upright on the volley late on. A fourth goal finally arrived in the 87th minute when Schar rose highest to meet Gordon’s corner and the defender headed the ball past a stranded Vicario.
The scoreline certainly did not flatter the hosts. For the second season running.