Tottenham built on last weekend's derby win over Arsenal with another three points at Newcastle, keeping their late push for Europa League qualifications alive.
Newcastle enjoyed a bright opening quarter, dominating possession and coming close through Miguel Almiron within the opening few minutes. However, their defence switched off following a drinks break which allowed Spurs to take the lead through Son Heung-min and take control of proceedings.
The Magpies weren't prepared to sit back and defend in the second half and looked to press forward, despite being one goal down. Spurs looked comfortable on the ball, but Newcastle substitute Valentino Lazaro found Matt Ritchie, who smashed the ball into the right-top corner to bring the hosts deservedly level. His equaliser was swiftly cancelled out, however, as Harry Kane headed home his 200th goal for Tottenham to give his side the lead just four minutes later.
Jose Mourinho's men sat back after regaining the lead, looking to snuff out an onslaught from the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin, Joelinton and Matt Ritchie, who were constantly knocking on the door. A late second for Kane secured the points for Spurs, as Mourinho won at St. James' Park for the first time in his career.
Newcastle
Key Talking Point
With safety secured and nothing else to play for, Newcastle had nothing to lose in this one. With that being said, however, Steve Bruce set up his side to start with a conservative three/five at the back system, asking Matt Ritchie and DeAndre Yedlin operating as wing backs. It allowed them to get bodies back in defence, but also overload on the attack.
Newcastle were on top until the first drinks break, when a lapse in concentration following the interval saw them concede. It was the back three that seemed to be their downfall, leaving the Magpies terribly incoherent in defence; Yedlin looked uncomfortable as a wing-back and allowed Son Heung-min onto his right foot with ease.
Is Bruce on the wind up going to a back three again, #NEWTOT
— Craig Muldown (@CraigMuldown) July 15, 2020
Allan Saint-Maximin occupied a more central role as Newcastle looked to attack through their French favourite. Despite looking dangerous in transition, however, his fortunes were mixed and his final ball inconsistent. He linked up well with Jonjo Shelvey in the second half and ensured that the Magpies at least looked dangerous on the break.
The introduction of Lazaro allowed Newcastle to bolster their presence in midfield. His contribution was instant, playing the pass that allowed Ritchie to bag his incredible equaliser. However, more defensive inconsistencies saw the hosts outnumbered at the back, which allowed Spurs to regain the lead, and cost Newcastle the game despite their best efforts.
Newcastle Player Ratings
Starting XI: Dubravka (6); Krafth (6), Schar (5), Fernandez (5), Yedlin (5); Bentaleb (7), Shelvey (7), Saint-Maximin (8), Almiron (7), Ritchie (7); Gayle (6).
Substitutes: Lazaro (7), Joelinton (6), M. Longstaff (5).
Tottenham
Key Talking Point
Spurs looked rather surprised by Newcastle's attacking intent in the early minutes of the game, but seemed set up to surrender possession and catch their opponents on the counter anyways.
They were on the back foot right up until the drinks break, which allowed momentum to shift and Newcastle to switch off. Spurs capitalised on sleeping defenders and Son fired home a tidy finish. The goal filled Tottenham with confidence, who slowly pressed with more conviction and looked to counter in numbers, but were by no means in control of the game.
Mourinho's men enjoyed more of the ball in the second half, but were still susceptible at the back. While Harry Kane cancelled out the equaliser quickly, it didn't take away from the fact that both sides were poor defensively.
Get in H! 200 up #200club #coys #NEWTOT
— Spurscol (@SpursCol) July 15, 2020
Spurs' decision to sit back for the closing stages of the game might not have been the status quo this time last year, but with Mourinho at the helm, expect this to be the new normal. It created nervy viewing for fans at home, but they managed to hang in there. Just.
Tottenham Player Ratings
Starting XI: Lloris (7); Aurier (7), Sanchez (6), Alderweireld (6), Davies (6); Lo Celso (7), Winks (6), Sissoko (6); Lucas (7), Kane (6), Son (8).
Substitutes: Bergwijn (7), Lamela (6), Vertonghen (5).
Harry Kane
While the Englishman had a rather quiet 90 minutes in his 350th club appearance, Harry Kane's brace was crucial. The fact he's reached 201 club goals inside that amount of games is testament to just how good he really is.
It was by no means his - or Spurs' - best performance, but striking just minutes after Newcastle grabbed an equaliser was crucial in settling his team's nerves and keeping them in the hunt for the Europa League. His second was a brave one, following in a rebound from Dubravka's save that saw him take a hit in the process.
People are quick to omit the 26-year-old from the world class bracket, but 200 goals in 350 games at club level is an astonishing strike rate. The record eclipses Cristiano Ronaldo (379) and Sergio Aguero's (396) efforts.
Looking Ahead
Spurs move up to seventh on 55 points, edging closer to a Europa League spot for next season, and are now just one point off Wolves who drew with Burnley on Wednesday.
For Newcastle, their season fizzles out with nothing left to play for, but an injury to Fabian Schar in the final stages of play will be of great concern to Steve Bruce. His side are already light on numbers at the back, thus losing the Swiss international would be a slight disaster.
Source : 90min