Coming into the game, [team 20] were low in confidence after their demolishing defeat against [team 78]. [coach 455377]’s side without a win in their last five [league 8] games and desperately needed a result with [team 11] playing against [team 15] later. Three points would have been their obvious target but a point wouldn’t be the worst thing considering their recent form.
As for [team 6], a win was necessary to get them into the top four. With a victory, Tottenham would have overtaken [team 18] on goal difference. [coach 455375]’s side had four wins from their previous five games and were expected to get the three points.
Team News
After that dreadful performance against Brighton, Bruce made five changes to the starting eleven in hopes of getting a response. [player 3071] and [player 1061] started at wing-backs with Krafth and [player 1414] in support of [player 2985] at the heart of the defence. Joelinton and Gayle partnered upfront with [player 257663] behind them. Starman Saint-Maximin returned on the bench after his injury.
Jose named an unchanged eleven after his sides win against Villa before the international break. They were boosted by the return of [player 4313] but the Korean only fit enough to make it to the bench.
First-Half
The game had a fast start to it with both sides trying to get on the front foot. Both teams had early chances to score and [player 95998] could have scored for Spurs after his strike went through a lot of bodies. Newcastle United were committing more bodies forward and had better chances in the first 20 minutes.
The best chance came when [player 819] played a lovely ball into the box which was headed on target by [player 1179]. His initial effort was saved well by Lloris but the striker had another chance after the rebound. On the second chance, Gayle’s effort hit the post and found its way to a fortunate [player 1014].
There was a positive vibe about Newcastle today, something we haven’t seen from them in a long time. They were pressing with more intent and were forcing Tottenham into mistakes. They soon were credited for their efforts as their pressing resulted in a mistake from [player 26294]. The Colombian gave the ball away just outside the box. The ball then found its way to [player 173737] who played a brilliantly weighted pass to [player 33645] who scored his second of the season and the game’s first.
Newcastle’s lead lasted just over a minute as Tottenham equalized in their first attack after conceding. Spurs moved the ball well before finding [player 97664] who played into Kane’s path. [player 129966] should have cleared the ball instead, he let it go in the hopes that the keeper will collect it. However, due to a few deflections, the ball nicely fell for [player 997] who has the easiest finish to get his side back in the game.
Spurs looked a much better side since Newcastle scored and now were controlling the ball in Newcastle’s half. Four minutes after the equalizer, [player 99148] collected the ball in between the lines and played a world-class pass to Kane whose finished it off. Tottenham responded strongly and found themselves ahead going into the dressing room at half-time.
Second-Half
Jose made a halftime change bringing on Son in place of [player 463153] in the hopes of killing the game quickly. However, Spurs didn’t start the second half with the intensity of the first half and found themselves on the back foot.
Sanchez made another error, this time a misplayed header which awarded Newcastle a chance but Lloris did well to save. Newcastle were doing well to stop the supply into Spurs’s attackers. However, they were struggling to attack themselves and needed more effort from their attacking players.
Spurs then almost scored against in the 67th minute. [player 80889] cleared the initial ball before [player 540290] powered the header on target. Incredibly, it was cleared off the line and somehow, Newcastle were still in the game. [player 32508] came in for Gayle to provide the guile and pace that Newcastle were lacking all over the place.
Spurs kept creating some fine chances but were unable to capitalize. In the 85th minute, Spurs had a counter-attack chance after a clearance from a Newcastle corner. [player 941] led the attack before passing it to Kane who struck the near post. This moment turned out to be a critical one as Newcastle equalized from their next attack.
A cross into the Tottenham box led to miscommunication between the defenders. The ball fell into the path of [team 19] loanee [player 1494447] who hit it and got Newcastle back on level terms. Tottenham once again concede late and throw away crucial points. They had a great chance to get into the top four but another sloppy display has left them frustrated.
Fixture Details: [fixture 16943104]
