Newcastle United emerged victorious against Tottenham Hotspur tonight with a narrow 2-1 win, with two players standing out despite starting on the bench.
Despite high hopes for an exciting encounter, the two teams played out a fairly drab first half. On balance, Newcastle United probably had the better chances in the first 45, but neither side looked like taking the lead.
The second half started a lot brighter for Eddie Howe’s team, with the Magpies laying siege to the Spurs penalty area for a positive ten-minute spell.
Late HEARTBREAK 😫 Who was your Newcastle MOTM against Tottenham?👏🏻
Still, despite a slightly more urgent feel to the game after the break, neither team looked like scoring. That is, until Bruno Guimaraes produced a moment of magic to rifle home past the Spurs goalkeeper.
Tottenham did reply eventually, though. Cristian Romero, of all people, popping up in the box with a great header to level the scores with just over ten minutes to go.
A controversial penalty was then given late in the game after Dan Burn was adjudged to have been fouled in the box. Up stepped Anthony Gordon, of all people, to slot away what he thought was the winner…
Cristian Romero had something to say about that again, firing home an overhead kick to level in injury time and break Newcastle hearts.
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Newcastle United player ratings
Aaron Ramsdale – 4
Will be disappointed with his distribution, which is normally such a strong point for Aaron Ramsdale. Had very little to do in terms of keeping Tottenham out but maybe should have done better with the Romero header. Was even worse when allowing the second Romero goal past him, reacting incredibly slowly to the overhead kick.
Tino Livramento – 7
Had very little to do defensively but pushed forward plenty and put some enticing deliveries into the box. Looked composed and carried the ball really well.
Malick Thiaw – 6
A very quiet evening for the man who made so much noise at the weekend. That’s largely because Tottenham gave him very little to worry about, though.
Dan Burn – 6
Was arguably the more impressive of the two centre-halves, offering more going forward and managing to keep Spurs quiet, too. But, his stock dropped when he allowed Cristian Romero an inch of space to get in front of him and head home the equaliser.
Lewis Hall – 7
Like his colleague on the other side, Lewis Hall was able to carry the ball forward regularly and caused plenty of problems for Pedro Porro. Will be frustrated that he let the cross in for Tottenham’s goal, but other than that, a really solid night for the full-back.
Lewis Miley – 7
Lewis Miley getting the start was a surprise, but he was a real livewire in the first 45 minutes. Had the best chance of the opening half. Disappeared a bit in the second half, but never really put a foot wrong.
Sandro Tonali – 6
Brought back into the starting line-up after being benched at the weekend but only lasted 45 minutes here. Good, solid passing, but had little chance to make a real impact in the middle of the park.
Joelinton – 6
Did the dirty work quietly, as always, but never quite took his game to second gear at all. In fairness, the game was not really contested in the central areas, though.
Jacob Murphy – 6
Looked to be outmuscled a few times and wasn’t quite with the pace of the game from the get-go. Will be really disappointed given the fact he was handed the start, and ultimately failed to repay that faith.
Harvey Barnes – 7
Opened the second half with an incisive run down the flank but was unable to steer his shot past Guglielmo Vicario. Definitely looked like the most likely Newcastle man to make a difference, but was unable to get past Pedro Porro.
Nick Woltemade – 7
Showed once again how good he can be with his feet in and around the box. Had a header cleared off the line. Held the line really well, bringing others into the game – clearly enjoyed having players running off him and around him more.
Substitutes make the difference for Newcastle
Bruno Guimaraes – 9
On for Tonali at half-time. Played one sublime pass through for Woltemade but sadly it led to nothing. Proved that Howe was wrong to drop him, coming on and spraying the ball around beautifully. Scored a wonderful goal to separate the two teams.
Anthony Gordon – 8
Replaced Harvey Barnes with 25 minutes to go. Gordon may have fallen down the pecking order right now, but he came on and made a nearly instant impact by driving forward and creating the opportunity for Guimaraes (via Woltemade). Stepped up and scored the decisive penalty, too, which shows he’s not about to shy away from his poor form.
Anthony Elanga – 6
On for Jacob Murphy at the same time as Gordon, with Howe switching up his wingers completely. Didn’t have much luck down the right.
Fabian Schar – N/A
Came on really late as Newcastle looked to shut up shop. Wouldn’t be fair to judge him based on a five-minute cameo.