Newcastle inflicted further misery on injury-deprived Tottenham, claiming a hard-fought 2-1 victory on Saturday, with Aleksandar Isak extending his Premier League scoring streak to seven games in a row.
The match was dramatic, with both teams finding the back of the net within the first six minutes. Tottenham’s Dominic Solanke scored from Pedro Porro’s cross to give Spurs an early lead in the fourth minute.
However, Newcastle hit back just two minutes later, as Anthony Gordon controversially equalised. A handball by Joelinton, which led to Gordon’s goal, was reviewed by VAR but ruled unintentional, allowing the goal to stand.
Isk then scored the decisive goal in the 38th minute to take over the team. Jacob Murphy’s low cross was deflected by Rado Dragosin and landed perfectly for Isak, who scored his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.
Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon scores the first goal against Tottenham Hotspur’s Brendan Austin. Photo: Reuters
The goal marked the seventh successive Premier League match with a goal, helping Newcastle to a sixth straight win in all competitions.
Spurs, struggling with a number of injuries, were without several key players including goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, defenders Mikey van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destinee Udogi, and Ben Davies, and the suspended Rodrigo Bentanker.
With stand-in goalkeeper Fraser Forster also sidelined through illness, manager Ange Postecoglou was forced to give 24-year-old Brendan 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 carry the momentum.
However, Gordon’s controversial draw left him reeling. In the second half, the absence of key defenders was evident as Spurs continued to push forward. They created several chances, including Brennan Johnson’s shot hitting the post after Pep Sar’s effort was parried by Martin Dubravka.
With Spurs pushing for an equaliser, Postecoglou brought Son Heung-min and James Maddison off the bench. Maddison came close, firing just wide, while Johnson and Sergio Reguilon both had low efforts on goal. But despite the pressure, Newcastle held firm and claimed all three points.
The win pushed Newcastle up to fifth, level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea, 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 looks set to unravel as they face the prospect of sinking further down the table.
For Newcastle, it was another impressive performance to cap off a gloriously festive period under manager Eddie Howe, as the club continue to battle for a return to Europe’s elite competition next season.