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Alexander Isak scored the winner as Newcastle United completed a battling 2-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon.

An injury-hit Spurs were forced to play a side with an average age of under 24 – the youngest Tottenham line-up in 10 years.

Despite also having illness in their squad, it was Ange Postecoglou’s side who snatched a fourth-minute lead.

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Dominic Solanke ghosted around his marker before meeting Pedro Porro’s inviting cross with a diving header.

Just two minutes later, The Magpies were level with a controversial goal amid claims the ball deflected off Joelinton’s hand in the build-up before Anthony Gordon netted.

Newcastle commanded the first half, and the winner came on 20 minutes with Isak in the right place to tap home Jacob Murphy’s inviting ball.

Spurs threw everything at their visitors in the second half, and Solanke went close twice with headed efforts.

Meanwhile, Newcastle will hope to cement a top-four position with home games against Wolves and then Bournemouth.

Talking Point - Injury-hit Spurs rue dropped points at home

Postecoglou will be proud of his young Tottenham side, who arguably deserved a point against Newcastle.

Spurs started perfectly and then felt aggrieved that Gordon’s equaliser was allowed to stand after controversy around Joelinton’s handball in the build-up.

After Isak put Newcastle ahead, Spurs looked on the ropes and could have been torn apart further by the confident Magpies.

Despite sickness around their camp and fielding a young side, Tottenham responded and threw everything forward in search of an equaliser.

Maddison was only denied by the posts, while Solanke will feel he should have scored with his headed efforts.

However, Spurs have now lost seven of their last nine Premier League matches and have a daunting trip to Arsenal on the horizon.

Player of the Match - Pedro Porro (Tottenham)

The Tottenham wing-back was a real asset to his team in defence and driving forward.

The Spaniard sent inviting balls into the Newcastle box all afternoon which were difficult to deal with.

Porro provided the assist for Solanke’s opener and then causes chaos inside the Newcastle box with a second cross in the first half.

The 25-year-old provided two further crosses for Solanke headers in the second half as Spurs threw everything at an equaliser.

Player Ratings

Tottenham Hotspur: Austin 7, Porro 8, Dragusin 6, Gray 7, Spence 6, Sarr 7, Bergvall 7, Johnson 6, Kulusevski 6, Werner 6, Solanke 7. Subs: Bissouma 6, Maddison 7, Reguilon 6, Son Heung-Min 7.

Newcastle United: Dubravka 7, Livramento 6, Botman 7, Burn 7, Hall 6, Guimaraes 7, Tonali 6, Joelinton 7, Murphy 7, Isak 7, Gordon 7. Subs: Barnes 6, Kelly 6, Longstaff 6.

Match Highlights

Key Stats

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TNT Sports pundit Ally McCoist has branded Alexander Isak as "the best all-around centre forward" in the Premier League currently.

The Newcastle forward has found his scoring on Tyneside, netting 12 goals in the league so far this season, behind only Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland.

The Swede has scored in six consecutive games, including in an away win against Manchester United at the end of 2024 and a hat-trick against Ipswich nine days before that.

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His performances have been key in Eddie Howe's side storming to fifth in the table, just three points shy of Chelsea in the top four.

Speaking alongside Les Ferdinand ahead of The Magpies' visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, McCoist said that Isak is the current Premier League striker he would most like to partner with.

"Isak. I’ll take it a step further, I think Isak might be the best all-around centre forward in the league at this moment," the Scotsman declared.

"I just like the style of his play. I think he gets in behind. I think he’s all-around, I think he holds the ball up well. He gets all sorts of finishes. I think he can come short; he spins in behind. He’s just a very, very intelligent player."

McCoist added that the Newcastle talisman's ability to involve himself in build-up play and his variation of finishing sets him aside from Manchester City star Haaland.

"You look at somebody like Haaland, if he doesn’t get service, sometimes he’s anonymous. Whereas Isak will always give you something. Haaland can finish as well as anybody, if not the best on the planet, but in an all-round game, Isak is unstoppable. And the variation in the goals he’s scored, he scores tap-ins, he’ll run through.

"He’s one of those centre forwards at this moment in time, if you see him go one-on-one with the goalkeeper, you fancy him."

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Ferdinand agreed and offered his thoughts on why the 25-year-old has become so essential for Eddie Howe's side this season, as their chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League have drastically improved.

"I think he's now settled," said Ferdinand, who scored 50 goals in 84 games for Newcastle.

"He's had some time in the Premier League and when he first came in there were a few injury issues, in and out of the side.

"But this season he's managed to get in the side and stay in it, and now we’re seeing the goals. We always knew he was a quality player, it was just about adapting to the Premier League.

"I think he's done that and Newcastle are reaping the rewards of that now."

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Spurs welcome a Newcastle side on a tear to north London as Ange Postecoglou's team sit 11th in the table.

They have won just once since their 4-0 decimation of Manchester City on November 23 and will be ripe for Isak and Newcastle to pick up yet another win.

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Chelsea were stunned by local rivals Fulham at Stamford Bridge as Tottenham slumped to defeat at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Boxing Day.

Cole Palmer was on the mark yet again in the first half to put Enzo Maresca’s side ahead, and it looked like The Blues would hold on for all three points only for Harry Wilson and Rodrigo Muniz to strike late.

The result leaves Chelsea four points behind Liverpool, who have two games in hand, while Fulham sit eighth.

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Further north, pressure mounted on Ange Postecoglou with a 1-0 loss at the City Ground.

Former Manchester United wideman Anthony Elanga struck on 28 minutes to finish a fine counter-attacking move, and the away side were unable to find a response.

Defeat was compounded by Djed Spence picking up a second bookable offence in second-half stoppage time.

The win moves Nottingham Forest into third spot, while Spurs are 11th.

Newcastle were winners at St James’ Park after an early goal helped them beat 10-man Aston Villa 3-0.

Anthony Gordon gave Newcastle the lead in the second minute, but things went from bad to worse for Unai Emery’s men just after the half-hour mark when Jhon Duran was sent off for appearing to tread on Fabian Schar.

Alexander Isak scored on 59 minutes to ensure there was no way back for Villa, and Joelinton added a third in injury time.

Newcastle are now four points behind Arsenal, one spot above them in fourth, though Arsenal have a game in hand, at home to Ipswich on Friday.

Jarrod Bowen did manager Julen Lopetegui’s hopes of surviving into the next year no harm when the West Ham striker scored from Niclas Fullkrug’s knockdown on 59 minutes to give his side a 1-0 win over Southampton.

The three points could prove vital for the away side after they clinched a victory that lifted them above Manchester United having played a game more.

West Ham are in 13th place as their season looks to have stabilised, with Southampton rock bottom on six points.

Crystal Palace's 0-0 draw at Bournemouth sees Oliver Glasner's side stay 16th, and Bournemouth remain sixth.

In the early kick-off, Manchester City drew 1-1 at home to Everton to continue their awful run of form. Iliman Ndiaye’s fine equaliser gave Sean Dyche’s side a share of the points after Bernardo Silva scored first, and Erling Haaland later missed a second-half penalty.

City are in danger of missing out on Europa League football in seventh spot, while Everton are 15th.

The early evening kick-off saw Manchester United lose 2-0 at Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Bruno Fernandes sent off for a second yellow card shortly after the restart.

Matheus Cunha then scored direct from a corner, before Hwang Hee-chan made it two deep into added time.

Ruben Amorim's side are left languishing in 14th position, seven points shy of fifth-place Newcastle, while Wolves are up to 17th spot and out of the relegation zone.

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Dejan Kulusevski has said that Tottenham Hotspur "have to learn" and "change for the better" after they suffered another bruising defeat at home.

Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah were all on target for Liverpool as Arne Slot's side beat Spurs 6-3 in north London on Sunday.

Spurs have conceded nine goals in their last two matches – which included a 4-3 EFL Cup win against Manchester United – and earlier this month, shipped four at home in a defeat to Chelsea.

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Asked whether Spurs need more control in their performances, Kulusevski said: "If you want to get a result, maybe yeah.

"You have to think about how are we physically? Who’s playing? How many games have we played in the last week? Who are we playing? Have they rested for one week or something? You have to put everything in because it is like life – it’s not just black and white. It’s a lot of factors going into it."

He added: "No, maybe [Spurs' approach is] not [sustainable]. But you have to improve, you have to find ways. Maybe we should have let them have the ball more, but that’s not how we play. We went out, we gave everything. It didn’t work. Maybe we learn for the next time.

"We have to learn because we conceded six goals. I can’t sit here and say that we’re doing something perfectly. We’re not. We have to change a little bit for the better, always try to change for the better."

After a run of just two wins in seven games, Spurs have slumped to 11th in the Premier League.

Kulusevski also revealed that when Spurs pulled two goals back against Liverpool – including his strike in the 72nd minute – to reduce Liverpool's deficit to 5-3, he thought "something special" could be on the cards.

But Diaz delivered the final dagger to restore the away side's three-goal advantage late on, putting the game out of reach for Tottenham.

"I said to myself [when trailing 5-1]: ‘If you want to play, play now'," the Swede explained.

"It’s easy to play when you’re winning. It’s easy to play when everything is going good. If you want to be a man, step up now and do your best. And that’s what we did.

"Honestly, at 5-3, I said that we’re going to do it. It was so frustrating to see the ball go in [from Diaz] for 6-3, and after that, the game is over.

"I really thought that it could happen, something special."

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TWO-GOAL DOMINIC SOLANKE: "For sure(he feels relief). Obviously being 3-0 up we could have dealt with the game better, we killed ourselves a bit at times and made it harder but the most important thing was the win and we are through to the next round, so we are happy with that," he told Sky Sports post match.

ON FORSTER’S ERRORS: "That’s football sometimes. We stick together. Mistakes happen and they are a part of football. But we dig in. We showed spirit to make sure we stayed in the game even when we were going through a difficult period and we got the job done."

DEJAN KULUSEVSKI ON THE ERRORS AND THROWING AWAY A 3-0 LEAD: "It’s life. Sometimes it doesn’t go straight, but the important thing is that we win. We go through, but Sunday we go again against a good team (Liverpool) so I’m very happy for the win."

Asked what it would mean to win a trophy with Spurs, he added: "It would mean everything. That’s why we work (hard). We will try to win and we have got to keep going, get better and stay hungry."

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SPURS EDGE SEVEN-GOAL THRILLER AS SOLANKE STARS AND FORSTER ENSURES A NIGHTMARE

Dominic Solanke struck twice as Tottenham survived a self-inflicted scare to book a spot in the EFL Cup semi-finals with a rollercoaster 4-3 victory over Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The England striker netted for the fourth game in a row against The Red Devils when he flashed home a rebound on 15 minutes before Dejan Kulusevski doubled the hosts’ lead a minute into the second half.

Solanke then added his second of the night to put Spurs 3-0 up on 54 minutes, but two howlers from goalkeeper Fraser Forster set up a nervy finale with substitutes Joshua Zirkzee and Amad Diallo both netting.

Son Heung-Min’s left-wing corner flew directly into the net to give Spurs breathing space two minutes from time, with Jonny Evans' header deep into stoppage time not enough to complete a comeback for the away side in a bonkers cup tie.

Tottenham will now meet either Liverpool, Arsenal or Newcastle in a two-legged semi-final to be played in January.

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Southampton - Tottenham Hotspur Live - Premier League: Football Scores & Highlights - 15/12/2024  TNT Sports

Southampton manager Russell Martin has defended struggling Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou ahead of Southampton's clash with Spurs, claiming he has "a lot of respect" for the Australian.

Postecoglou has been subjected to increasing criticism in recent weeks as his Spurs side have picked up just two wins in their last eight games, albeit with emphatic wins against Manchester City and Aston Villa respectively.

Tottenham battled to a 1-1 draw away at Rangers in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, while in their previous game they let a two-goal lead slip against London rivals Chelsea to eventually lose 4-3, conceding two sloppy penalties in the process.

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Postecoglou’s staunch commitment to his tactical approach has come under scrutiny in the aftermath of Spurs' recent failures.

But Martin took a different viewpoint, insisting Postecoglou’s Spurs team is "brave" and "aggressive", while acknowledging that they have also been "unfortunate with injuries".

The Southampton head coach highlighted Postecoglou’s Celtic team as an example of what the Australian is capable of if given time.

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The 59-year-old managed Celtic between June 2021 and June 2023, winning two leagues, two Scottish League Cups and a Scottish Cup.

"There was so much praise for being so aggressive, so brave, relentless restarts, energy… he did a great job," Martin said.

"So, when results are good no one questions the style or his conviction or belief system and the minute it starts faltering it’s always down to that."

Southampton's struggles

Martin has also been criticised for his tactical stubbornness as his newly promoted Southampton side sit rock bottom of the Premier League with just one win and only five points from 15 games.

"If you believe in something, and it’s taken you a certain way in life and on a certain pathway and journey, to deviate too far from that I think is crazy," Martin said in defence of his principles.

Southampton manager Russell Martin looks dejected after his side's 1-0 Premier League defeat against Aston Villa at Villa Park on December 7, 2024

Image credit: Getty Images

"I can’t speak for him [Postecoglou] but we are adapting. We adapt shape, we adapt approach, we adapt personnel but with the same consistency in what’s really important, with the same concept of the game so we can’t deviate too far from that otherwise we become nothing really.

"Everyone is just quick to criticise these days and I have a lot of respect for him."

Southampton have lost four of their last five games and are already eight points adrift of safety in the Premier League.

Tottenham, meanwhile, have lost their last two league games and have not won in the league since their 4-0 thrashing of Manchester City in late November.

The two out-of-form sides meet on Sunday at 19:00 UK time, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

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Southampton v Tottenham will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 with coverage from 18:00 UK time on Sunday, December 15, ahead of a 20:00 kick-off.

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