Newcastle United Stun Tottenham With Vital Away Win

Newcastle United delivered a gutsy and much-needed 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday night, snapping a five-match winless streak and easing some of the mounting pressure on manager Eddie Howe. In a match that had both teams’ managers under the microscope, it was the Magpies who seized the moment, climbing back into the Premier League’s top half while deepening Spurs’ woes and sending their fans home with more questions than answers.

Heading into Matchday 26, Newcastle’s situation looked dire. The Magpies had just suffered a 3-2 defeat at home to Brentford—their third consecutive Premier League loss and fifth straight match without a win in all competitions. Injuries had ravaged Howe’s squad, with key players like Joelinton, Emil Krafth, Anthony Gordon, Tino Livramento, and Fabian Schar all unavailable. Lewis Miley was a game-time decision but ultimately did not return in time. The team’s away form had been equally troubling, with Newcastle scoring more than once in just two league matches on the road all season.

Spurs, meanwhile, weren’t faring much better. Sitting just above Newcastle prior to kickoff, they were coming off a 2-0 defeat at Manchester United and missing suspended captain Cristian Romero, along with a laundry list of defensive injuries. The pressure was mounting on manager Thomas Frank, whose side had failed to win any of their last seven league games, and the tension inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was palpable from the first whistle.

Both managers were candid about the stakes. Howe, speaking to NUFC.co.uk before the match, acknowledged the magnitude of the moment: "I think (it is) any time when you’re not getting the results that you want. I don’t think performances have been particularly bad – statistically we’re still pretty strong in every game, but the results certainly haven’t matched that. It’s been a difficult run of games, it will continue to be a difficult run of games for us, but that’s where we all need to show our strength of character, resolve, resilience and our feeling of how important this is to us. That needs to show, most importantly, on the pitch."

Howe also emphasized the need for unity: "I think if you don’t have that, you lose everything. At the moment we still have that, and that’s the most important thing. The supporters, even on Saturday, again were incredible for us. That’s never taken for granted – that’s never, from our side, expected. We have to earn it."

When the action got underway, it was Newcastle who looked the hungrier side, despite fielding a lineup without a recognized striker. The Magpies dominated much of the first half, creating a flurry of chances and nearly taking the lead in the 44th minute when Joe Willock found the net, only for VAR to rule him narrowly offside after a lengthy review. It was a sign of things to come, as Newcastle’s pressure finally paid off in first-half stoppage time. Defender Malick Thiaw, an unlikely scorer, reacted quickest after his initial header from Anthony Elanga’s cross was parried by Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Thiaw stabbed the rebound past both Pape Matar Sarr and Archie Gray, sending the traveling fans into raptures and giving Newcastle a deserved lead at the break.

Tottenham, to their credit, responded after halftime. The hosts drew level in the 64th minute from their first corner of the night, with Xavi Simons delivering a dangerous ball that Sarr headed back across goal. Archie Gray was on hand to hook the ball into the net, and for a brief moment, the stadium erupted as Frank punched the air in relief. But the joy was short-lived. Just four minutes later, Anthony Gordon—who had been a doubt before the match but passed a late fitness test—danced into the Spurs box and set up Jacob Ramsey. The summer signing from Aston Villa made no mistake, sweeping a clever first-time finish into the bottom corner for his first goal in Newcastle colors.

Spurs tried to muster a response, but their efforts fizzled out as Newcastle held firm, showing a resilience that had been lacking in recent weeks. The Magpies, who had thrown away more points from winning positions than any other Premier League side this season, refused to let this one slip. By the time the fourth official’s board went up, thousands of Spurs supporters had already filed out, and those who remained made their feelings clear with a chorus of boos and chants of "You’re getting sacked in the morning" directed at Frank.

After the final whistle, Howe’s relief was evident. He took the acclaim of the away end, pushed forward by Kieran Trippier to soak in the applause from the buoyant traveling support. Howe’s bold lineup choices—recalling Ramsey, giving Elanga a start, and sticking with Thiaw—paid off handsomely. Newcastle’s summer signings, often under scrutiny, stepped up when it mattered most.

For Spurs, the defeat was another damaging blow in a season that’s quickly unraveling. Frank, who only took charge last summer and had guided the team to automatic qualification for the Champions League knockout stages, now finds himself facing mounting pressure as Tottenham slip to 16th in the table, just five points clear of the relegation zone. Their winless run in the league has now stretched to eight games, their worst such streak since 2008.

The match wasn’t without its drama beyond the goals. Tottenham’s Wilson Odobert, a rare bright spot in recent weeks, hobbled off after a lengthy knee assessment in the first half, adding to Spurs’ growing list of absentees. The atmosphere inside the stadium was tense throughout, with the crowd’s frustration boiling over at the final whistle.

Looking ahead, both teams face crucial fixtures. Spurs will host bitter rivals Arsenal on Sunday, February 22, in a North London derby that could have massive implications for their survival hopes and Frank’s future. Newcastle, meanwhile, travel to Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Saturday, February 14, before flying to Azerbaijan for a Champions League clash with Qarabag on Wednesday, February 18.

On a night when both teams desperately needed a spark, it was Newcastle who found theirs. The Magpies’ rare away triumph not only lifts them to 10th in the Premier League but also gives Howe and his squad a platform to build on as they look to salvage their season. For Spurs and Frank, the search for answers—and a long-overdue league win—continues.