Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur drew 2-2 in the Premier League on Tuesday evening.
In the first half, not much really happened in terms of goalmouth action and clear-cut chances, but Newcastle were definitely looking the more threatening of the two sides. The hosts were finding success, especially down the wings through Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy and were also threatening from long throws and crosses into the box to their big defenders and, of course, Nick Woltemade.
Joelinton and Lewis Miley had the best opportunities of the first half, with the Brazilian hitting the woodwork from a tight angle and the youngster testing Guglielmo Vicario from just inside the box, but Tottenham still carried somewhat of a threat going forward. Although Spurs had several talented attackers such as Mohammed Kudus, Brennan Johnson and Randal Kolo Muani on the pitch, Lucas Bergvall was by far their biggest threat going forward.
The first half came to a close with the sides level at 0-0.
In the 71st minute, the deadlock was finally broken, and it was broken by the hosts. Bruno Guimaraes, who was brought on at half-time, scored the goal, and it was a wonderfully placed finish into the bottom right corner. Anthony Gordon produced some brilliant play down the left wing to get the ball into the box, and Kevin Danso's interception on Nick Woltemade fell straight to the Brazilian, who made no mistake with his finish to make it 1-0.
Newcastle's lead lasted just eight minutes, as Cristian Romero scored a brilliant equaliser for Spurs. Mohammed Kudus put a good cross into the box, and the Argentinian was there to meet it with a fantastic diving header, which was guided right into the bottom corner. Lewis Hall and Daniel Burn could've done more to stop the goal, as Hall could've closed down Kudus better and Burn could've got on the correct side of Romero to stop him from getting contact on the ball.
In the 86th minute, Newcastle regained the lead. Rodrigo Bentancur gave away the controversial penalty after holding Newcastle player Burn in the penalty area, and Anthony Gordon stepped up to successfully convert his penalty past Vicario and put Newcastle in a 2-1 lead.
The dramatic end to the match continued, as in the 95th minute, Spurs equalised to make it 2-2. It was Romero with the goal again, and if you thought his diving header was good, this was even better. The centre-back produced a superb overhead kick, which nestled into the bottom corner, despite not being hit with much power.
Romero's overhead kick was the last action of the match, and the points were shared at St James' Park.
Match Highlights
Newcastle United Player Ratings
GK: Aaron Ramsdale - 5.5/10
Hardly had a single thing to do all evening until the goals. Spurs only managed two shots on target, so Ramsdale will be disappointed to let in two, espeically the second.
RB: Valentino Livramento - 7.5/10
Saw plenty of the ball and was very efficient in possession. Livramento was also defensively sound whilst managing to remain a threat going forward.
CB: Malick Thiaw - 7.5/10
Saw more of the ball than any other player on the pitch. Thiaw didn't put a foot wrong when playing the ball out from the back and was never really defensively challenged.
CB: Daniel Burn - 6.5/10
The big defender won pretty much everything in the air and headed lots of crosses away, but he seemed to struggle against the pace and power of Kolo Muani at times. Burn also got caught on the wrong side of Romero when he scored his headed goal to equalise for Spurs.
LB: Lewis Hall - 6.5/10
Played with plenty of energy up and down the right flank, but could've done better for Spurs' equalising goal, as he didn't even attempt to close down Kudus.
CM: Sandro Tonali - 7/10
Put in a pretty good first-half performance, but was substituted at half-time. The Italian not only worked hard and pressed well but also had several moments of quality, especially with his passing, which sometimes left the opposition's midfield struggling.
CM: Joelinton - 6.5/10
Worked hard in midfield, but didn't really do much in possession.
CM: Lewis Miley - 7/10
Had a good opportunity to score in the first half but squandered it. The youngster worked his socks off and showed real quality when in possession.
RW: Jacob Murphy - 6/10
Didn't really contribute anything to the match outside of his energy and work rate. Murphy only ever really put crosses into the box, which became quite easy for Spurs to defend against.
ST: Nick Woltemade - 7/10
Had a really poor first half, but redeemed himself in the second. The big striker looked very immobile in the first half, but he majorly improved in the second with his hold-up and link-up play.
LW: Harvey Barnes - 6/10
Had a promising first half showing where he had several bright moments down the left wing, but was almost anonymous in the second half as Porro seemed to suss him out.
SUB: Bruno Guimaraes - 8.5/10
Completely changed the game for Newcastle. Guimaraes not only scored a fantastic goal, but he fought hard and had plenty of moments of quality in the final third.
SUB: Anthony Gordon - 8.5/10
Had parts to play in both of Newcastle's goals, converting the second and producing some brilliant wing play to create the first.
SUB: Anthony Elanga - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Fabian Schar - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings
GK: Guglielmo Vicario - 6.5/10
Made a few important saves during the match to keep the scoreline low, and couldn't have really done anything to stop Newcastle's goals.
RB: Pedro Porro - 7.5/10
Defensively dealt with Barnes very well and was also a threat in the final third, especially with his crossing and balls into the box.
CB: Cristian Romero - 9.5/10 (Man of the Match)
The most important player on the pitch. Not only did Romero keep Woltemade pretty quiet throughout the match, he also scored a phenomenal brace, netting a diving header and an overhead kick.
CB: Kevin Danso - 7/10
Like Romero, Danso also did very well up against Woltemade, but was arguably partially at fault for Guimaraes' goal, as he cleared the ball right to him.
LB: Destiny Udogie - 6.5/10
Put in a defensively solid performance up against Murphy, but didn't really offer anything going forward.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur - 4.5/10
Although it was harsh, the Uruguayan gave away a penalty for his side. As for being in possession, Bentancur was quite sloppy and didn't take many risks despite his side chasing the match for most of it.
CM: Pape Sarr - 6.5/10
Played with a lot of energy, but was quite sloppy in possession and struggled to deal with the quality in Newcastle's midfield at times.
CM: Lucas Bergvall - 8/10
A shining light for Spurs. Although his side really struggled to produce anything going forward, Bergvall always tried to make things happen when he got on the ball. The youngster played with plenty of energy and had some very tidy moments where he made bursting runs to get Spurs up the pitch.
RW: Mohammed Kudus - 7.5/10
Did very well up against Hall. Kudus didn't see that much of the ball in wide areas, but when he did, he was good in one-on-one situations and provided a really good assist for Romero's goal.
ST: Randal Kolo Muani - 7.5/10
The Frenchman may not have had a single shot on goal during the match, but his all-around performance was actually very good. Kolo Muani caused the Newcastle defence plenty of problems with his pace and power going forward and was a real handful to deal with.
LW: Brennan Johnson - 4/10
An evening to forget for the Welshman. Johnson didn't really have a single ounce of success in the final third and had some moments where he was really sloppy and wasteful in possession of the ball.
SUB: Mathys Tel - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Xavi Simons - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Richarlison - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Archie Gray - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Wilson Odobert - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.