Tottenham needed to win this game and did so in a manner that suggests the battle for fourth place, or better, is nowhere near cut and dried. They enter the Champions League places, at least until Arsenal visit Crystal Palace on Monday night, and it was no mean feat that they contrived Newcastle’s biggest defeat of the season.
A different outcome had seemed likely when Fabian Schär put the visitors, who had looked the more competent for most of the first half, ahead but Ben Davies leveled quickly and Spurs blew Newcastle away after the break. Matt Doherty, Son Heung-min, Emerson Royal and the substitute Steven Bergwijn all scored superbly worked goals and, from appearing stodgy, Antonio Conte’s team offered a reminder that they are an exhilarating proposition when in full flow.
Eddie Howe’s reign has generally been hallmarked by a clarity rarely associated with modern-day Newcastle. The trend continued early on: they were set up neither to defend in depth nor flood forward, but instead picked their moments to probe. They could point to the first sniff of a big chance in the 22nd minute, when Jonjo Shelvey’s optimistic drive ricocheted into the air and was brought down sublimely by Joe Willock, who had just about worked himself a clear shot when Cristian Romero sped in from nowhere .
Spurs had been left lop-sided by an injury to Sergio Reguilón, which meant Doherty was obliged to continue his renaissance out of position on the left. It turned out that there would be no reason whatsoever to rue their wing-back rejig but the opening half-hour had little zip. Opportunities, such as they were, arrived infrequently.
Rodrigo Bentancur’s sixth-minute curler was repelled by the head of Schär while Harry Kane, bringing a bobbling ball under his spell, briefly looked as if he might do better than rifle wide. Eric Dier curled a free-kick wide from the kind of position his centre-forward might have fancied, although this would quickly become a profitable day for defenders in such situations, and Martin Dubravka was only worked when Son twisted into a half-space and shot into his midriff.
Newcastle’s initial incursions had been based on Alain Saint-Maximin’s eagerness to commit opponents but, having weathered what counted as Spurs’ opening storm, they found diverse ways to express themselves. Chris Wood saw a stooping header blocked shortly after Willock’s close call; that happened in the aftermath of a Matt Targett free-kick that had been clumsily conceded by Kane, who watched in relief as the ball fizzed across the goalmouth.
It was quite the afternoon for gauche forwards’ challenges. Schär was able to size up his opportunity when Son mistimed a nibble at Willock two yards outside the area; he took just one step up to the ball but whipped it around the wall and into the corner via the hand of Hugo Lloris, who appeared to see it late and might have done better. Howe and Jason Tindall slapped hands; the goal survived a VAR check for a spurious suggestion of handball by Wood in the wall, and Newcastle served their lead by this point.
They squandered it within four minutes. Perhaps Son was on a mission after his part of him in the opener: he won a corner after a 50-yard sprint up the left and then, after his first center had been returned to him by Dier, swung a second attempt across. Davies was on hand to glance at a smart header across Dubravka and, from mediocrity, the game had suddenly produced two goals.
There was now enough life for a flashpoint before the interval, when Bentancur appeared to move his head into that of Saint-Maximin; the two were booked, along with Joelinton, and there was a palpable edge as the teams disappeared down the tunnel.
Spurs’ belatedly discovered sharpness had won them the game within nine minutes of re-emerging. They initially took control via a marvelous piece of skill from Kane, who showed strength to pull off from Newcastle’s central defenders in the middle before pulling out to the right, initially at what seemed a meander, and weighing up a deep cross. Saint-Maximin was back too late to close him down and his delivery of him was a dream: it just evaded Son, who dabbed out a leg, and bounced for Doherty to showcase his attacking instincts with a difficult, well-angled header past Dubravka .
It was an excellent goal but Spurs, looking slick now spaces were opening up, soon topped it. A passing move from the back stepped up a gear when Dejan Kulusevski played a give and go with Kane, who floated the ball into his run down the right. The Swede’s cross was perfect and Son, controlling it right-footed before finishing with his left, converted it consummately.
Conte leapt into a mass embrace with his staff; it seemed a crucial strike.
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Given the manner in which Spurs had started, the surprise was not inconsiderable. It went up several nights when Emerson, without a goal in a patchy first season here, found himself on the six-yard line when Doherty cleverly checked inside and crossed. Emerson lunged in and made just enough contact to squeeze Tottenham’s fourth inside the post. Wing-back to wing-back; it was Conte’s kind of goal.
They missed a clear chance to make it five but, just after Conte had returned the crowd’s acclaim, Bergwijn ran on to his fellow replacement Lucas Moura’s pass to finish well. Tottenham are still in the hunt, and then some.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism