Tottenham Hotspur’s miserable run continued as Newcastle United secured a 2-1 victory in north London, extending Spurs’ winless streak to eight league matches and increasing the pressure on manager Thomas Frank.
Both sides entered the clash looking to respond after disappointing results at the weekend, but it was Eddie Howe’s Newcastle who showed greater urgency from the outset at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The visitors nearly made the perfect start when Joe Willock struck narrowly wide from the edge of the area, before Harvey Barnes forced Guglielmo Vicario into action with a clever flick, serving as an early warning for the hosts.
As frustration began to grow among the home supporters, Newcastle thought they had taken the lead just before half-time. Willock burst through the Spurs defence and curled a superb effort into the far corner, only for a VAR check to rule the goal out for a marginal offside in the build-up.
However, Tottenham’s reprieve proved short-lived. With almost the final kick of the first half, Newcastle went ahead when Malick Thiaw’s header was saved by Vicario, but the defender reacted quickest to the rebound and powered home to give the Magpies a deserved lead.
Spurs improved after the break and came close to equalising early in the second half. Pape Matar Sarr tested Nick Pope from distance before substitute Mathys Tel fired over from inside the area after being picked out by Archie Gray.
Tottenham eventually found their leveller shortly after the hour mark when Gray turned from provider to scorer, reacting quickest to a loose ball in the box to fire home and bring the hosts back into the contest.
Yet their momentum was short-lived. Newcastle responded swiftly as Anthony Gordon weaved his way into the area and squared for Jacob Ramsey, who calmly swept home from 12 yards to restore the visitors’ advantage.
Spurs pushed forward in the closing stages in search of another equaliser, but their lack of cutting edge in the final third proved costly. The defeat extends their poor home form and leaves Frank’s side firmly embroiled in a relegation battle.
For Newcastle, the victory ends a three-match losing run and lifts Howe’s men back into the top half of the table, providing a timely boost to their campaign.
