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Tottenham Hotspur did not survive their first real League Cup test on Wednesday night, as they were soundly knocked out of the competition by another Champions League side, Newcastle United, falling 2-0 to the Magpies in another offensive drought.

It was a disappointing performance for Spurs after a 3-0 win against Everton over the weekend that was seemingly a bounce back result, but anyone raising panic alarms must realize that the actual performance on the pitch was better than the scoreline suggests.

Compounding that, Spurs were without a few key players in this game. They rested superstar center back Micky van de Ven, while Cristian Romero was wisely held out with an injury ahead of an even bigger fixture this coming weekend against rivals and Premier League title challengers Chelsea.

Speaking of that game, Spurs fans were concerned that star goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario could be out for the club against the Blues. Vicario had just proved to the world that he is a top keeper with an insane Champions League night against Monaco to gift Spurs a point when they should have lost at least 3-0.

Tottenham won't miss their star vs. Chelsea

Vicario, however, didn't play against Newcastle, and for as many Spurs fans wanted young Antonin Kinsky to start over him, the Italian international was sorely missed. Thankfully, Frank told fans after the game, via The Spurs Express, that there is nothing to worry about on the Vicario front. The veteran shot-stopper will be back in time to face Chelsea over the weekend.

The Vicario injury news is a huge relief for Tottenham, who are already hurting with injuries to must-starts on the back line in Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero. Those guys were missed again by Spurs on Wednesday in the shutout loss to Newcastle, but, of course, Vicario was the biggest talking point after watching how uncomfortable Kinsky looked as a shot-stopper, notably on the two goals allowed.

Of course, Vicario has mistakes in him, too, which is why that whole conversation even started in the first place, but he makes saves that few goalkeepers on this planet have any business making. After this performance from Kinsky and Vicario's own against Monaco, it will indeed be a huge relief to have him back against Chelsea, with the Blues coming off an offenisve romping in their own League cup fixture at mid-week, which ended up being a thriller of a 4-3 victory over Wolves.

Once again, after seemingly taking a step forward, Tottenham Hotspur took two giants leap backwards, falling 2-0 to Newcastle United in the League Cup, punching their ticket out of the competition early.

It was another poor, lethargic performance from an attack that has yet to truly get ticking under Thomas Frank. Recall that even over the weekend when Tottenham seemingly bounced back with three goals on the Everton defense, two of those goals were scored by superstar center back Micky van de Ven.

Without either VDV or Cristian Romero out there, Spurs struggled on both ends of the pitch, but it's the alarming nature of their consistent attacking struggles that has Tottenham supporters most concerned going forward.

Richarlison drew the start at striker again, and he was, once again, horrendous. In fact, he was so bad that in the press conference after the game, via The Spurs Express, the diplomatic Frank didn't hesitate to call Richy out directly, “We created some big chances. Sometimes Richarlison arrived too late.”

A horrible individual performance

Now, that's not exactly biting criticism or an earth-shattering callout, but for a manager who is rarely critical, these little drops in the press conference are basically akin to Antonio Conte or Jose Mourinho shouting someone down.

Richarlison has been awful since the first few weeks of the 2025/26 campaign, and he hit a new low on Wednesday night with a truly abysmal performance. Honestly, Spurs didn't play all that badly as a team, so had they received competent play from their striker, maybe they would have gotten the win.

The funniest part about Frank's criticism of Richarlison is that a lot of Spurs fans would argue that the Brazilian international simply didn't even arrive at all. Far from being on the same wavelength as his teammates, Richy often appears to be playing in his own game with no regard for what is happening around him.

Though nobody could ever criticize Richarilson for not working hard, a lot of that work simply isn't effective and takes him out of the equation from actually scoring goals. And even then, Spurs were able to create a handful of good chances for the striker on Wednesday, and yet he still flubbed them all with poor finishing. At this point, even Frank may be regretting his decision to keep Richarlison over the summer transfer window when Spurs probably could have sold him, even if it were for a modest fee.

Tottenham's woes at St. James' Park continued on Wednesday night, as they exited the Carabao Cup by a 2-0 scoreline.

Thomas Frank unsurprisingly tinkered with his starting XI as we made the long trip north, with the Dane making five changes from the team that downed Everton 3-0 at the weekend. Among those to drop to the bench was Micky van de Ven, so Pedro Porro donned the armband on Tyneside.

Newcastle will inevitably enjoy periods of strong momentum under the lights on home soil, and they were the better side in the opening exchanges. In truth, Spurs had struggled to gain a foothold before Fabian Schär headed home from an avoidable corner, but Frank's men burst into life in the aftermath.

There were some lovely build-up sequences, with Frank's deployment of a 3-2-4-1 structure in settled possession supplying our attack with balance. There was central progression and some sumptuous one-touch play. On another day, Richarlison could've had three, and Xavi Simons' growth into the first half was encouraging.

Hopes of a second-half revival were dented by an Antonín Kinsky misjudgement, which allowed Nick Woltemade to head into an empty net. A killer blow.

Aaron Ramsdale was at least to a pair of fine stops from Pape Matar Sarr and Richarlison in the aftermath, but that was as good as it got for Spurs in the second half. Newcastle were able to see out their victory with relative ease, reducing our chances of a Wembley day out in 2026.

Here are the Spurs player ratings.

Newcastle 2-0 Tottenham Carabao Cup player ratings

Goalkeeper & Defenders

Antonín Kinsky (GK): 4/10 – Boy, does he look good with the ball at his feet. Shame about his hands tonight, though. Big error of judgment for Newcastle's second.

Pedro Porro (RB): 6/10 – The skipper produced some lovely nods back to Kinsky, which relieved pressure, and was a useful playmaker from deep. Good battle with Harvey Barnes.

João Palhinha (CB): 7/10 – Did as well as he could in defence, and has looked more dynamic in possession from this role in his two games there compared to when he's stationed in midfield.

Kevin Danso (CB): 6/10 – Not great for both goals, although he would've expected Kinsky to punch away before Woltemade added a second. Had issues dealing with balls in from the left for much of the night.

Djed Spence (LB): 7.5/10 – It's a tough role for Spence, but he escaped pressure brilliantly with some neat touches and lively surges from his position. Lost a bit of aura with the boot mishap before Schär headed in Newcastle's opener.

Continued on the next slide...

I thought the injuries were supposed to fade after getting rid of Ange Postecoglou?

The Australian's two years in charge were marred by multiple availability crises, although some suggested that Spurs' litany of fitness setbacks came as a by-product of the demanding framework Ange installed in north London.

The arrival of the more pragmatic and less idealistic Thomas Frank was projected to ease the physical burden upon the squad the Dane inherited, but that hasn't proven true so far.

Spurs' current list of injury absentees has crept into double digits after news surfaced on social media leading into the Newcastle game on Wednesday night that a potential breakout star had picked up a knock in training that will keep them out of action for a month.

Archie Gray set for two months out with muscle injury

The stricken starlet is Archie Gray, who, according to The Sun's Jake Sanders, has picked up a calf injury.

Sanders initially reported that the versatile teenager was poised to be sidelined for two months, but his most recent update offered a more positive outlook. Spurs are supposedly hopeful that Gray will miss just four weeks, meaning he could return soon after the November international break.

However, he's certain to miss Wednesday's Carabao Cup fourth-round tie at St. James' Park, as well as upcoming fixtures against Chelsea, Copenhagen and Manchester United. The North London Derby is pencilled in for 23 November.

Gray hasn't played a major role for Frank this season, notching just three starts in all competitions, but many have cried out for the manager to place a little more faith in the young Englishman. Gray has often impressed when he's taken to the field, showing immense promise as a dynamic midfield operator in games against Doncaster Rovers and Bodø/Glimt. He also performed well from left-back during the recent stalemate with Monaco.

Thus, his setback comes at a time when he was poised to enjoy an uptick in minutes. Gray was a shoo-in to start on Wednesday night, and there could've been an opportunity to for him to impress in the Champions League next week.

The teenager's absence means Spurs are now down to 15 fit outfielders for what's arguably their most daunting period of the season. James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Kota Takai and Radu Drăgușin have been out since the summer, while Dominic Solanke, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Yves Bissouma have all picked up their injuries since our 2025/26 campaing got underway.

With multiple competitions to juggle and fewer bodies available for action, Frank's squad management will decide the extent of Spurs' success this season.

A tough midweek test is on the horizon for Thomas Frank's Tottenham, as they travel to St. James' Park and face holders Newcastle in the Carabao Cup fourth round.

A 3-0 victory over League One Doncaster Rovers last month saw us advance, but there's no denying that we were handed one of the shorter straws in the subsequent draw. Nuno Espírito Santo was the last Tottenham manager to win on Tyneside back in 2021, with Tanguy Ndombélé starring in a 3-2 victory.

Those were the days.

Spurs have since succumbed to 4-0 and 6-1 batterings at Newcastle's fortress, and the Magpies completed the double over Ange Postecoglou's Europa League winners last season.

Both teams enter this fixture off the back of Premier League victories at the weekend, with Frank's Lilywhites set-piecing their way to a 3-0 win at Everton, while Newcastle edged past Fulham thanks to a late Bruno Guimarães winner. They beat Bradford City in the previous round.

Here's our preview of Wednesday's Carabao Cup fourth-round tie.

Newcastle vs Tottenham: Preview, Prediction & Lineups

What time does Newcastle vs Tottenham kick off?

Newcastle vs Tottenham kicks off on Wednesday 29 October at 20:00 BST.

When is kick off? Wednesday 29 October 2025

What time is kick off? 20:00 BST

Where is it played? St. James' Park, Newcastle

Referee:Â Chris Kavanagh

Newcastle vs Tottenham head-to-head record (last five games)

How to watch Newcastle vs Tottenham on TV & live stream

Newcastle team news

Yoane Wissa has been sidelined with a knee injury since joining Newcastle towards the end of the summer transfer window, and Frank's former striker is expected to make his comeback next month.

Full-backs Valentino Livramento and Lewis Hall are also out for the hosts, while Sven Botman is a doubt due to the knock he took to the head against Fulham.

Fabian Schär is poised to replace Botman if he isn't deemed fit, and there could be recalls for the likes of Anthony Elanga, William Osula, Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes.

Newcastle predicted lineup vs Tottenham: Ramsdale; Krafth, Thiaw, Schär, Burn; Guimarães, Tonali, Ramsey; Elanga, Osula, Barnes.

Tottenham team news

There's not much change on the injury front for Spurs since Sunday's win on Merseyside. Frank has provided positive updates on the recoveries of Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie and Dominic Solanke, but none will return to action in midweek.

There's hope that Romero and Udogie will be back for Saturday's London derby with Chelsea, but Kevin Danso performed superbly in the former's absence at the weekend.

I suspect the boss will make a few changes from Sunday's team, with the likes of Mohammed Kudus, Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven earning rests. João Palhinha may start alongside Danso at centre-back, while Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert could earn recalls.

Ben Davies, Kota Takai, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Drăgușin all remain sidelined.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Newcastle: Kinsky; Spence, Danso, Palhinha, Gray; Bentancur, Bergvall; Johnson, Sarr, Odobert; Tel.

Newcastle vs Tottenham score prediction

I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to this one.

While our newfound resilience means Newcastle are unlikely to run away with the cup tie, I can only enivsage misery on Tyneside. Perhaps I'm blinded by those recent drubbings, but it's going to be a big ask for Frank's boys to go up there and get a result on Wednesday night.

Win, and well, we can start planning another parade.

Tottenham Hotspur made quite the statement on Sunday afternoon to cap off the Premier League weekend, decimating a third opponent this season with a 3-0 scoreline. Coming into the game, Everton had one of the best attacks in the Premier League with veteran signing Jack Grealish, but Spurs completely neutralized it.

And they did so without captain Cristian Romero, one of the best in the Premier League, as he has been out since the previous weekend with a late scratch against Aston Villa. Micky van de Ven was the star of the night with two goals, but it was actually the third center back who stole Tottenham hearts.

Kevin Danso has proven to be quite the 20 million euro coup for Spurs since joining the Lilywhites in the January 2025 transfer window from Lens, because whenever he's been called upon to shore up the back, the Austrian international has risen to the challenge every time.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank is certainly taking notice of Danso's performances and importance to the team, and a press conference ahead of Wednesday's huge League Cup clash against fellow Champions League side Newcastle, the Danish manager offered high praise for the third choice center back for Spurs.

A huge key to victory for Tottenham vs. Everton

Frank said, via The Spurs Web, "He deserves praise. Every coach will love him, great character and personality. He was good and calm on the ball. Some strong battles with Beto, from crosses and set pieces he had a magnet head. He did well."

Danso absolutely did well. He did more than well against Everton, completely neutralizing Beto from the game and taking the entire Everton attack out of the equation. The 27-year-old center half was totally no nonsense in his approach, shutting down passing lanes and scarcely needing to put a tackle in, such was the efficacy of his marking.

With Romero still returning from injury and unlikely to play against Newcastle while being questionable for the weekend clash against rivals Chelsea near the top of the Premier League table, Danso will remain crucial for Spurs and an expected starter.

Frank seems to trust Danso fully when needed in the starting lineup, and there's only been a drop off from an attacking perspective without Romero's progression. But even that gap was bridged a bit against Everton via better play from the midfield. Plus, Danso is a nifty passer in his own right and has the added weapon of Rory Delap-esque long throws.

Tottenham Hotspur finally had a great showing again, thoroughly dismantling an otherwise decent opponent Everton by a score of 3-0 to rectify two putrid performances after the October international break against Aston Villa and Monaco.

It was a defensive monsterclass by Tottenham, even without superstar center back Cristian Romero, and the midfield played much better than they did in previous games. While there are still attacking question marks to be answered by Thomas Frank, it was a decidedly better performance all around by Spurs on Sunday.

That said, one player in both the midfield and attack struggled a bit to make his imprint on the game, and it's now been a concerning run of games in which new star signing Xavi Simons has failed to make an impact on the team.

Even though manager Thomas Frank admitted that he continues to be a fan of Simons and backed the young Dutchman to find his best form in a Spurs shirt relatively soon, he was not shy to be a bit constructively critical of the former RB Leipzig standout.

Thomas Frank offers words of guidance

Frank said at the press conference prior to Wednesday's big fourth round League Cup battle against Newcastle United, via the official website, "I like Xavi. I think he found some good positions. Maybe the final top actions are still missing, but I think still there was good actions. He just needs to keep going, keep building and keep working on it."

Just 22 years old, Simons is expected to be one of the future building blocks of Tottenham Hotspur, who spent a record fee to bring him in over rivals Chelsea. Simons was one of the best players in the Bundesliga as a creator, scorer, progressive threat, and even winning ball winner for Leipzig.

But we've yet to see any of that for Spurs. Frank's comment about missing "final top actions" is honestly a very nice, diplomatic way - per Frank's usual - of admitted that Simons has been a bit of a ghost since joining Tottenham.

It's now been six starts and nearly ten total appearances between the Champions League and Premier League for Simons, who has mostly been able to start as a No. 10. But regardless of where he plays, Simons hasn't scored a goal or contributed to more than one assist.

The creative is there in glimpses, and the ball progression is absolutely there from a work rate perspective. But the quality of the final ball, the dribble, and the overall goal threat are still well below where Simons and Tottenham would like him to be at.

As per usual, Tottenham Hotspur have been ravaged by injuries to start the 2025/26 Premier League and Champions League seasons, and they actually came into the campaign with a trio of significant long-term absences in striker Dominic Solanke, winger Dejan Kulusevski, and attacking midfielder James Maddison.

Along the way, new signing Randal Kolo Muani was slow to get started with a dead leg, Cristian Romero recently picked up an injury, and star left back Destiny Udogie has been in and out with issues of his own, too.

Tottenham are still waiting for Solanke to round into form, while Romero missed both of the last two games against Monaco and Everton with a knock after pulling up with an injury in the pregame warmups last weekend before a horrid loss to Aston Villa.

According to Thomas Frank, via Spurs Global, all is improving on the injury front. Solanke and Romero are taking steps towards their returns, while Udogie is also making progress from his own recent injury woes that have forced Djes Spence back into the lineup.

Frank said, “Dom stepped forward, step by step. Cuti on the pitch today, not a timeframe. Destiny on the pitch as well today. Three steps forward.”

Tottenham need Destiny Udogie back

Tottenham will face Newcastle on Wednesday in the League Cup before a massive battle with Chelsea at the weekend in another fiery London derby between two teams that are darkhorse Premier League title contenders behind the likes of Arsenal and a suddenly struggling Liverpool.

It's entirely unclear if these three players will be back in time for the Chelsea game, but Spurs fans will cross their fingers that captain Romero and Udogie can both be out there. Funnily enough, with how well Micky van de Ven and Kevin Danso played last weekend in the 3-0 drubbing of Everton, Udogie may be the most important start of the three against the Blues and their electrifying right side of Reece James and Estevao Willian.

As for Solanke, we've yet to see him this season, and the all-around No. 9 figures to be an easy upgrade over Richarlison. But if Randal Kolo Muani balls out and draws the start in either the Newcastle or Chelsea game this week, then perhaps Solanke may not even get his job back as he works his way back from this injury.

Overall, these are three mildly encouraging updates on the injury front from Frank, who is getting more and more tight-lipped about returns. Which is, technically speaking, a good thing for Tottenham fans. You don't want to give it all away to Chelsea early.

Cristian Romero's absence at the Hill Dickinson Stadium didn't hurt Tottenham on Sunday afternoon thanks to the stellar performance of Kevin Danso alongside Micky van de Ven.

While the Dutchman garnered plenty of plaudits for his first-half brace, which put Thomas Frank's set-piece deviants into a commanding position, Danso's display shouldn't go under the radar.

Frank was once again without his captain due to a minor issue that the Dane believes will only sideline Romero for a brief period. Spurs suffered in his absence during the defeat to Aston Villa and the goalless draw with Monaco, but the difference in game state meant the drop-off in quality in possession wasn't so distinct on Merseyside.

Van de Ven nodded Spurs into a 19th-minute lead, which placed less onus on the visitors to take the game to an Everton team that were yet to be beaten at their impressive new stadium. The doubling of our advantage on the stroke of half-time thrust Frank's side into contain mode, and that's when Big Kev came to the fore for the Lilywhites.

Kevin Danso set a 2025/26 Premier League record in Everton win

While he's only played a sporadic role since joining the club earlier this year, Danso has emerged as a fan favourite in N17. A tremendous character with a smile capable of lighting up the London Borough of Enfield, the Austrian international is an excellent option to have when Romero is sidelined, even if no one can replace the Argentine's outstanding passing ability.

Danso, though, is an excellent recovery defender who excels when tasked with defending his box. Everton asked many questions of Spurs' defence on Sunday, forcing Guglielmo Vicario into two remarkable saves in the second half.

The full-backs had a few issues against the Toffees' dynamic operators out wide, but the centre-backs were brilliant. By the end of the game, Danso, according to Squawka, recorded a Premier League season-high 18 clearances in Sunday's win—the most in a single game by a Spurs defender since Jan Vertonghen's 21 against Burnley in 2016.

The former Lens defender also won all six of his duels and failed to commit a foul on Merseyside. It was an exemplary performance, and one that should reassert some faith within the fanbase that we won't collapse in Romero's absence.

Third centre-backs don't come much better than Danso, who's understanding of his role within the squad means he can function as the heart and soul of Frank's dressing room.

Sunday's 3-0 victory over Everton was one Thomas Frank desperately needed after a deflating week, although Spurs were once again reliant on set-pieces to get the job done.

The dead ball has seemingly never been so important in the Premier League. Arsenal's brilliance from such situations and their rise to the top of the division this season has seemingly placed a newfound emphasis and reliance on set plays. It's the new meta.

Frank has long been an set-piece advocate, unlike predecessor Ange Postecoglou, with his Brentford teams bridging the gap between themselves and the resource havens that surrounded them in the top flight by maximising every opportunity they got to wreak havoc in the opposition's box.

This was no spectacular Spurs performance, but there were positive changes from the Aston Villa defeat and Monaco draw. Randal Kolo Muani's first start was encouraging, and we saw Mohammed Kudus perform a slightly different role in tandem with Brennan Johnson.

Still, Spurs sought a unique route to victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Tottenham's unique route to comprehensive Everton victory

For the first time since March 2008, Spurs scored three headed goals in a Premier League match. Juande Ramos was in charge when we thumped West Ham 4-0 in our previous header-fest, with Dimitar Berbatov scoring twice against the ten-man Hammers.

Alan Hutton, Pascal Chimbonda and Didier Zokora were in Ramos’ starting XI that day, while club legend Gilberto scored his only goal in Lilywhite off the bench. We were a month removed from our Carling Cup final triumph over Chelsea at Wembley.

Spurs' production on Merseyside didn't exclusively arrive from set-pieces, but Micky van de Ven's first-half brace came courtesy of two wicked dead-ball routines and deliveries. The Dutchman first headed home from Rodrigo Bentancur's back post win before outmuscling Jordan Pickford to finish a pinpoint Pedro Porro inswinger on the stroke of half-time.

After Guglielmo Vicario resisted Everton's second-half advances, Pape Matar Sarr completed Spurs' Sunday of headers (this time from open play) after some good work from Richarlison.

The poets and romantacists are currently weeping at the state of the English top-flight, but its one that Frank's Spurs are seemingly built to thrive in. Inflicting the first defeat upon Everton at their impressive new home means the Lilywhites are up to third with the joint-best scoring record in the division. Who'd have thunk it?!

Complaining over the nature of such victories feels somewhat entitled, especially when we were without our captain, most dynamic left-back and multiple creative bodies at the weekend. Let Frank's set-piece army roll on!