Newcastle inflicted further misery on injury-depleted Tottenham, claiming a hard-fought 2-1 victory on Saturday, with Alexander Isak extending his Premier League scoring streak to seven consecutive games.
The match was a dramatic one, with both teams finding the back of the net within the first six minutes. Tottenham’s Dominic Solanke gave Spurs an early lead, heading in a cross from Pedro Porro on the fourth minute.
However, Newcastle responded just two minutes later, as Anthony Gordon equalized in controversial fashion. A handball by Joelinton, which led to Gordon’s goal, was reviewed by VAR but was deemed unintentional, allowing the goal to stand.
Isak then took over, scoring the decisive goal in the 38th minute. Jacob Murphy's low cross was deflected by Radu Dragusin and landed perfectly for Isak, who scored his 14th goal of the season across all competitions.
Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon scores their first goal past Tottenham Hotspur's Brandon Austin. Photo: Reuters
This goal marked his seventh consecutive Premier League match with a goal, helping secure Newcastle’s sixth consecutive win in all competitions.
Spurs, struggling with numerous injuries, were without several key players including goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, defenders Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, and Ben Davies, and the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur.
With stand-in goalkeeper Fraser Forster also sidelined due to illness, manager Ange Postecoglou was forced to give 24-year-old Brandon Austin his debut between the posts.
Despite their injury woes, Tottenham started strongly. Solanke’s early header gave them the lead, and they looked to build on that momentum.
However, the controversial equalizer by Gordon left them reeling. In the second half, the absence of key defenders became evident as Spurs pushed forward relentlessly. They created several opportunities, including Brennan Johnson's shot hitting the post after a Pape Sarr effort was saved by Martin Dubravka.
With Spurs pushing for an equalizer, Postecoglou introduced Son Heung-min and James Maddison off the bench. Maddison came close, curling a shot just wide, while Johnson and Sergio Reguilon both had low efforts across the face of goal. But despite the pressure, Newcastle held firm and claimed all three points.
The win pushes Newcastle into fifth place, level on points with Chelsea in fourth, keeping their Champions League hopes alive. Meanwhile, Tottenham’s top-four ambitions are slipping away.
Sitting in 11th place, Spurs have now won just one of their last eight league games. With pressure mounting on Postecoglou, their season appears to be unraveling as they face the possibility of sinking further down the table.
For Newcastle, it was another impressive performance that capped off a brilliant festive period under manager Eddie Howe, as the club continues to battle for a return to Europe’s elite competition next season.
1735990243-0/Express-Tribune-(4)1735990243-0-270x192.webp "could saim ayub s injury lead to fakhar zaman s return")
1735977934-1/Express-Tribune-(1)1735977934-1-270x192.webp "shoaib malik bids farewell to karachi kings")
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ