The Independent

Normal service resumes on Saturday as the Premier League returns with an early kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Newcastle United are the visitors (12.30pm, TNT Sports and Discovery+ app).

Spurs will be hoping 2025 starts better than 2024 ended when they picked up just one Premier League win from their last seven matches and that came against the league’s bottom side Southampton, when they won 5-0 and bought an end to Russell Martin’s time in charge at St Mary’s.

Newcastle on the other hand have won their last four matches, beating Leicester, Ipswich, Aston Villa and Manchester United, scoring 13 and not conceding once!

So, on paper, you’d have to go for an away win, but the joy of the Premier League this season is that anything can happen! Add in to the mix the early kick-off and the busy Christmas period then anything is on the table.

Betting sites have Newcastle as the favourites at 13/10 just ahead of the home side at 39/20 or you can get 3/1 on a draw.

Tottenham’s defensive issues have been the biggest problem for boss Ange Postecoglou who is without Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies as well as first-choice keeper Guglielmo Vicario.

They are unlikely to have any new faces in the squad before Saturday’s game so 18-year-old Archie Gray will continue in the heart of defence, up against one of the most in-form strikers at the moment Alexander Isak.

The Swedish striker has scored eight goals in his last six league games, including a hat-trick in the 4-0 away win against Ipswich and he has three goals in his last two appearances against Spurs.

He finished 2024 with 25 Premier League goals for Newcastle, with only Alan Shearer scoring more in a single year for the club when he netted 27 times in 2002.

Football betting sites have him at 9/2 to score first or 17/4 to score last or you can get 21/20 on him scoring anytime and considering he’s scored 13 in 20 appearances so far they are pretty good odds.

Spurs aren’t bad in front of goal either, with 41 goals from their 19 games, which puts them second in the scoring charts behind Liverpool and some 11 head of Newcastle.

They have only failed to score at home once this season when they were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal back in September while the Magpies have conceded 13 from their 10 away games. They did keep clean sheets in their last two matches on the road though, against Ipswich and Manchester United, but Spurs are way more dangerous in attack.

You can get just 4/11 on both teams to score and over 2.5 goals scored on some betting apps but it’s slightly better if you also back a winner.

Tottenham vs Newcastle prediction: Newcastle to win & BTTS - 11/5 Bet365

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Thomas Tuchel will attend his first match as England‘s new head coach on Saturday lunchtime when Tottenham host Newcastle.

The 51-year-old German, whose contract officially started on New Year’s Day, will then attend further games across the Premier League weekend alongside his assistant Anthony Barry.

The match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will give him the opportunity to see the likes of James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Anthony Gordon and Lewis Hall in action.

He and his support team are then due to visit the training base at St George’s Park for the first time next week.

The complex in Staffordshire will be Tuchel and his team’s main place of work, and they plan to hold a series of introductory meetings with relevant members of staff across the course of next week.

Tuchel has already indicated his eagerness to meet with Lee Carsley, who led England on an interim basis through the Nations League matches in the autumn. Carsley has now returned to his role as head coach of the Under-21s, as have others like Ashley Cole who supported Carsley during his time with the senior team.

Other members of Tuchel’s support team are also starting work this week.

They include goalkeeping coach Henrique Hilario, who had occupied the same position with Chelsea since 2016. Nicolas Mayer, who worked with Tuchel at Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich, will be the performance coach and Tuchel is also linking up again with analyst James Melbourne, having crossed paths at Chelsea.

Tuchel’s first matches in charge will be the World Cup qualifiers against Albania on 21 March and Latvia three days later, with his contract running through to the finals of that tournament in the summer of 2026.

Tuchel has promised to make contact with Arsenal defender Ben White over the possibility of a return to the England set-up.

The German told reporters at December’s World Cup qualifying draw in Zurich: “I will reach out to him. It should be a clean start and a clear narrative.

“I will be in the stadiums from January. I will also not distract the players and they should just know: ‘Okay, the boss is there from January’.”

White has played four times for England at senior level, making his debut in a Euro 2020 warm-up match against Austria.

He was included in the squads for Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup under Tuchel’s predecessor Sir Gareth Southgate, but did not feature in either tournament.

He is currently sidelined after undergoing a minor knee operation last year.

PA

Nottingham Forest continued their remarkable form and soared to second in the Premier League table thanks to a 2-0 success against Everton.

Forest top scorer Chris Wood lobbed Jordan Pickford in the 15th minute at Goodison Park to claim his 11th goal of the season. Morgan Gibbs-White then sealed a fifth consecutive win for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side by finishing a pass from Wood just after the hour mark.

The result means Nuno’s side leapfrog Chelsea and Arsenal after a fifth successive win. Not since October 1994 have the two-time European champions been this high in the table and while the two London clubs can respond over the next couple of days, the visiting fans afforded themselves a tongue-in-cheek ‘We’re going to win the league’ chant having defeated both Merseyside clubs this season.

Elsewhere Tottenham Hotspur failed to ease pressure on manager Ange Postecoglou after Jorgen Strand Larsen struck in the 87th minute to earn Wolves a 2-2 draw in north London.

Spurs were on course for only a second win in seven league outings after goals from Rodrigo Bentancur and Brennan Johnson, either side of Son Heung-min’s penalty miss, overturned Hwang Hee-Chan’s seventh-minute opener.

But Larsen pounced late on to maintain Vitor Pereira’s unbeaten start as Wolves boss following wins over Leicester and Manchester United, while Spurs were booed off by a discontented home crowd.

Bottom club Southampton were denied a maiden victory under new manager Ivan Juric after Crystal Palace battled back to win 2-1 at Selhurst Park.

Goals either side of half-time from Trevoh Chalobah and Eberechi Eze turned the contest in Palace’s favour following Tyler Dibling’s 14th-minute opener.

While the comeback eased the Eagles’ relegation fears, Saints slipped 10 points from safety and remained with just one league win all season.

Ange Postecoglou watched Tottenham lose more ground in the Premier League after Jorgen Strand Larsen struck in the 87th minute to earn Wolves a 2-2 draw and continue Vitor Pereira’s unbeaten start.

A torrid month of December with poor results matched by a growing injury list had seen Spurs slip down the table, but they looked on track to finish 2024 with a win after a strong finish to the first half.

After Rodrigo Bentancur had cancelled out Hwang Hee-chan’s fine opener for Wolves, Brennan Johnson scored in first-half stoppage time after Son Heung-min had a penalty saved by Jose Sa to put the hosts’ in control.

Postecoglou’s depleted side could not add a third or hold on though as Wolves substitute Strand Larsen smashed home with three minutes left to ensure the spoils were shared in north London.

New Wolves boss Pereira had overseen two wins from two since he replaced Gary O’Neil and had faced Postecoglou before during the 2020 AFC Champions League.

Spurs were boosted by Radu Dragusin – their only fit centre-back – being able to start, but Wolves went ahead after only seven minutes.

A smart short free-kick routine saw Rayan Ait-Nouri tee up the unmarked Hwang and he curled into the bottom corner to mark his first league start since August with a goal.

It rocked the hosts but they found an almost instant reply when Bentancur powered home a header from Pedro Porro’s near-post corner in the 11th-minute.

Another set-piece almost provided Tottenham’s second but Dragusin nodded wide from Porro’s latest fine delivery.

Chances remained few and far between before the offside flag sparred the blushes of Spurs team-mates Dominic Solanke and Bentancur after they got in each others way from a Dejan Kulusevski cut back.

The in-form Matheus Cunha smashed a long-range effort wide soon after before Postecoglou’s side finished the half strongly.

After Yves Bissouma blazed over, Kulusevski combined with Johnson, who was caught inside the penalty area by Andre and referee Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot.

Spurs captain Son picked up the ball but after he took an age to take his kick, Wolves goalkeeper Sa dived the right way to produce a fine save after 43 minutes.

The hosts would go in at the break in front, though, thanks to more excellent play from Kulusevski, who twisted and turned inside the area before he set up Johnson to curl home for his 11th goal of the season.

Pereira made a double substitution at half-time, but was forced to bring off talisman Cunha before the injury curse struck Spurs again as Destiny Udogie limped off.

Another stoppage occurred in the 53rd minute when Wolves captain Nelson Semedo got a whack to the face and required treatment.

The second half continued at a stop-start pace but Porro was forced to make a brave block to thwart Ait-Nouri before Postecoglou brought on fresh legs not long after the hour mark.

One of Spurs’ substitutes were immediately involved but James Maddison could only fire over before Wolves’ Andre become the latest casualty.

While Wolves dominated possession as the seconds ticked away, Tottenham remain a threat on the break and not long after Timo Werner flashed a ball across goal, Kulusevski was sent clear but failed to direct his shot on target after he rounded Sa.

It would prove costly as with three minutes left Pereira watched Strand Larsen rescue a point after he controlled Ait-Nouri’s brilliant through ball and drilled high into the roof of the net past Fraser Forster.

Follow live coverage as Tottenham Hotspur face Wolverhampton Wanderers today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.

The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool will be chasing Pep Guardiola's side, but just as fascinating will be the race for Champions League places, with more teams than ever before having designs on top-four finishes. Chelsea remain big-spending, Manchester United's latest rebuild continues and both Tottenham and Newcastle will expect improvements this year - yet it was Aston Villa who snared fourth last term.

Meanwhile, it's Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town who made it back to the elite after promotion last year and each will have hope they can make it more than a one-year stay. Follow the latest live action from the Premier League below:

Follow live coverage as Tottenham face Wolves today in the Premier League.

It’s been another inconsistent season for Spurs, who have followed up a three-game unbeaten run in all competitions with back-to-back Premier League defeats, losing 6-3 at home to Liverpool before being beaten 1-0 at Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day. They remain in the bottom half of the division, though a victory here could take them 10th depending on other results.

Wolves have enjoyed a ‘new manager bounce’ since Gary O’Neil’s sacking and Vitor Pereira’s arrival, taking maximum points from their new boss’ opening two games with a thumping 3-0 victory at Leicester City before a 2-0 triumph over Manchester United last time out. Those wins lifted them out of the relegation zone, though they remain just a point above the bottom three.

Follow live updates in the match blog, below

Follow live coverage as Nottingham Forest face Tottenham Hotspur today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.

The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool will be chasing Pep Guardiola's side, but just as fascinating will be the race for Champions League places, with more teams than ever before having designs on top-four finishes. Chelsea remain big-spending, Manchester United's latest rebuild continues and both Tottenham and Newcastle will expect improvements this year - yet it was Aston Villa who snared fourth last term.

Meanwhile, it's Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town who made it back to the elite after promotion last year and each will have hope they can make it more than a one-year stay. Follow the latest live action from the Premier League below:

Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski has called on Spurs to “learn” and take more control in games after the 6-3 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.

Spurs were thrashed by the Premier League leaders on Sunday and Kulusevski accepted they could have handled the bigger moments better amid a defensive injury crisis.

Ange Postecoglou’s side were without first-choice defenders Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie, as well as goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, and made no changes from Thursday’s 4-3 win over Manchester United.

Postecoglou has come in for criticism for not adapting his attacking strategy during a busy run of games – with the Australian doubling down on his principles – and Kulusevksi said Tottenham need to be better.

The Sweden international, who did not give up the fight against Liverpool and has scored in five successive games for Spurs, said: “You have to improve, you have to find ways.

“Maybe today we should maybe let them have the ball more, but you know, that’s not how we play. So we went out, we gave everything. It didn’t work, maybe we [will] learn for the next time.

“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.

“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.”

Postecoglou accepted that Liverpool’s energy levels were higher after Spurs reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Thursday and had one less day to prepare for the match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But he also clashed with reporters and said he was growing impatient at being asked the “same questions” as he insisted that injury issues are to blame for his side’s defensive frailties.

“I have massive admiration for the efforts these players are putting in for this club at the moment,” Postecoglou said. “We know what a difficult situation it is and that’s not going to change in the short term. We’ve just got to push on.”

James Maddison rallied around Tottenham’s depleted squad and insisted they will stick together.

“To concede six goals at home obviously hurts,” Maddison told SpursPlay. “To manage to score another three against arguably the best team in the world at the minute, there is positives there but hard to look at, at the minute.

“I am proud of the lads who kept going. It can be very easy to sit back and not let any more chances or keep a scoreline to a minimal, especially when they get the fifth.

“To be fair to the lads, they kept going, we scored another couple and we’ll keep going and dig in.

“We had a great night, a brilliant night here on Thursday and a really difficult one (against Liverpool). The good and the bad, you’ve got to stick together.”

Are you not entertained? After the seven-goal thriller came the excitement of nine goals. Tottenham found a way to go two better, but also significantly worse. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has witnessed 16 goals in four days, Spurs have veered from winning 4-3 to losing 6-3. Angeball can veer from the brilliant to the ridiculous, but rarely quite to this extent. And in reply to Ange Postecoglou’s question on Thursday: it was hugely entertaining, but this time too much of the entertainment came at Tottenham’s expense.

Even as Liverpool’s previously impressive defensive record took another dent – it is now eight goals conceded in three league games – they suggested they had a better balance. They have excelled at winning under Arne Slot but have rarely run riot. This time they did both, scoring six in a game for the first time under the Dutchman. “It was very good, maybe it was our best performance away from home,” said Slot, bracketing it with the 3-0 win at Manchester United.

It was certainly their most explosive attacking display, spearheaded – with a certain inevitability – by Mohamed Salah. He ended his afternoon with two goals, two assists and a sense he was too good for Djed Spence, the makeshift left-back luckless enough to be his immediate opponent. Luis Diaz, the stand-in centre-forward who has proved hugely effective there, added a double to his hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen.

“Mo and Lucho stood out with two goals but we would not do justice to Dom’s performance if we did not name him as well,” added Slot. And Dominik Szoboszlai was terrific: if there are questions over whether he is productive enough, the Hungary captain ended with a goal and two assists to reward his relentless running. Salah has long excelled at the numbers game and became the first player to both score and create 10 Premier League goals in a season before Christmas. He has gone past Billy Liddell to become the fourth-highest scorer in Liverpool’s history, 229 and counting. “Wherever I am going to end my career, I am happy about it,” he said, in the latest hint about his future.

Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose contract expires on the same day as Salah’s, was outstanding, his magnificent cross for the opener underlining that few can strike a ball with such an intoxicating blend of whip and precision. Liverpool had the irresistible combination of individuals playing wonderfully and a team implementing a strategy.

Because it was all underpinned by Slot’s blueprint. He spent Friday morning praising Postecoglou and Sunday afternoon exploiting Spurs’ shortcomings. If they were killed with kindness, Tottenham were unlocked by Liverpool’s intelligence and incision. Spurs, unfortunate to be missing their first-choice centre-backs, with their preferred left-back only fit enough to be on the bench and minus their best goalkeeper, appeared a shambles at the back if – characteristically – capable of scoring three goals in attack.

So the north Londoners are in the bottom half at Christmas, Liverpool top of the tree. “Of course it means something,” said Slot. More importantly, his side gave plenty of indications they will still be there in May. Even amid the chaos that is a feature of Tottenham’s games, much of it felt planned. Spurs’ capacity to concede from corners under Postecoglou has been an issue. They floundered here under a different form of aerial attack, two headers from crosses in open play. They also struggled to track runners from midfield, a factor in the second and third goals. Their high line was exploited for the fifth. It felt as though Slot had noted their weaknesses and then set about capitalising on them.

“A painful day,” said Postecoglou. “It was a bridge too far for us.” The damage could have been worse. “We could have scored more,” Slot noted. Salah, who had five shots in the first 18 minutes alone, rifled one against the bar. Szoboszlai rounded Fraser Forster but only found the side-netting. Alexander-Arnold drew a wonderful save from the goalkeeper with a vicious effort from long range. Diaz lobbed the goalkeeper, stranded in no man’s land, but found the roof of the net.

And, not for the first time, Spurs were their own worst enemies. The tone was set when Forster passed straight to Salah in the second minute. He was reprieved when the Egyptian shot into the side-netting. Parity did not last long.

Diaz had a goal controversially disallowed away at Tottenham last season. He bookended the scoring here with a brace, ending his seven-game goal drought and rewarding Slot’s decision to use a winger as a striker. He delivered a typical No 9’s goal with a diving header from Alexander-Arnold’s wonderful cross, eluding Radu Dragusin and Pedro Porro. His second was a more familiar Diaz goal, driven in from Salah’s pass.

Liverpool’s second was notable because two of their central midfielders emerged unchecked within a few yards of Tottenham’s goal. It paid off. When Andy Robertson crossed, Szoboszlai won the first header and Alexis Mac Allister, who had gone unnoticed on a burst from deep, headed in. It was a run that was testament to the Argentinian’s footballing intelligence. But the rampant Szoboszlai was similarly unmarked when he ran onto Salah’s pass to score the third.

Slot’s unusually emphatic celebration may have signified that he felt the game was over. Far from it. Despite two blocks by Archie Gray, Salah was able to add the fourth after Cody Gakpo’s low cross. Then he had a tap-in, supplied by Szoboszlai.

“Until 60-65 minutes, I really, really, really enjoyed what I saw,” said Slot, even though Spurs had reduced the deficit before half time when James Maddison curled in a shot from 20 yards. “At 5-1, we thought it was enough but Tottenham have far too much quality. We know Tottenham, they always keep on going.” The indefatigable Dejan Kulusevski volleyed in his fifth goal in as many games from Son Heung-min’s pass. The former Liverpool forward Dominic Solanke conjured a close-range finish from Brennan Johnson’s header.

Diaz ensured there was no astonishing comeback, no 5-5 draw. He scored Liverpool’s sixth goal on a day when he and Salah had seven shots apiece and Szoboszlai six. There was entertainment aplenty. It was Angeball in its flawed glory. Though, admittedly, very flawed.

Are you not entertained? After the seven-goal thriller came the excitement of nine goals. Tottenham found a way to go two better, but also significantly worse. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has witnessed 16 goals in four days, Spurs have veered from winning 4-3 to losing 6-3. Angeball can veer from the brilliant to the ridiculous, but rarely quite to this extent. And in reply to Ange Postecoglou’s question on Thursday: it was hugely entertaining, but this time too much of the entertainment came at Tottenham’s expense.

Even as Liverpool’s previously impressive defensive record took another dent – it is now eight goals conceded in three league games – they suggested they had a better balance. They have excelled at winning under Arne Slot but have rarely run riot. This time they did both, scoring six in a game for the first time under the Dutchman. It was their most explosive attacking performance, spearheaded – with a certain inevitability – by Mohamed Salah. He ended his afternoon with two goals, two assists and a sense he was too good for Djed Spence, the makeshift left-back who was his immediate opponent.

Liverpool had the irresistible combination of individuals playing wonderfully and a team implementing a strategy. Trent Alexander-Arnold was outstanding, his magnificent cross for the opener underlining that few can strike a ball with such an intoxicating blend of whip and precision. Dominik Szoboszlai was terrific: if there are questions if he is productive enough, the Hungary captain ended with a goal and two assists to reward his relentless running. Salah has long excelled at the numbers game and has now been directly involved in 26 Premier League goals this season.

It was all underpinned by Slot’s blueprint. He spent Friday morning praising Postecoglou and Sunday afternoon exploiting Spurs’ shortcomings. If they were killed with kindness, Tottenham were unlocked by Liverpool’s intelligence and incision. Spurs, unfortunate to be missing their first-choice centre-backs, with their preferred left-back only fit enough to be on the bench and minus their best goalkeeper, appeared a shambles at the back if – characteristically – capable of scoring three goals in attack.

So Spurs are in the bottom half at Christmas, Liverpool top of the tree. More importantly, they gave plenty of indications they will still be there in May. Even amid the chaos that is a feature of Tottenham’s games, much of it felt planned. Spurs’ capacity to concede from corners under Postecoglou has been an issue. They floundered here under a different form of aerial attack, two headers from crosses in open play. They also struggled to track runners from midfield, a factor in the second and third goals. Their high line was exploited for the fifth. It felt as though Slot had noted their weaknesses and then set about capitalising on them.

Tottenham may reflect the damage could have been worse. Salah, who had five shots in the first 18 minutes alone, rifled one against the bar. Szoboszlai rounded Fraser Forster but only finding the side-netting. Alexander-Arnold drew a wonderful save from the goalkeeper with a vicious effort from long range. Diaz lobbed the goalkeeper, stranded in no-man’s land, but found the roof of the net.

And, not for the first time, Spurs felt their own worst enemies. The tone was set when Forster passed straight to Salah in the second minute. He was reprieved when the Egyptian shot into the side-netting. Parity did not last long.

Diaz had a goal controversially disallowed away at Tottenham last season. He bookended the scoring here with a brace, ending his seven-game goal drought, rewarding Slot’s decision to use a winger as a striker. He delivered a typical No 9’s goal with a diving header from Alexander-Arnold’s wonderful cross, eluding Radu Dragusin and Pedro Porro. His second was a more familiar Diaz goal, driven in from Salah’s pass.

Liverpool’s second was notable because two of their central midfielders emerged unchecked within a few yards of Tottenham’s goal. It paid off. When Andy Robertson crossed, Szoboszlai won the first header and Alexis Mac Allister, who had gone unchecked on a burst from deep, headed in. It was a run that was testament to the Argentinian’s footballing intelligence. But the rampant Szoboszlai was similarly unmarked when he ran on to Salah’s pass to score the third.

Slot’s unusually emphatic celebration may have signified that he felt the game was over. Far from it. Despite two blocks by Archie Gray, Salah was able to add the fourth after Cody Gakpo’s low cross. Then he had a tap-in, supplied by Szoboszlai.

But Spurs had reduced the deficit before half-time when James Maddison curled in a shot from 20 yards. Then they mustered a late double. The indefatigable Dejan Kulusevski volleyed in from Son Heung-min’s pass. The former Liverpool forward Dominic Solanke conjured a close-range finish from Brennan Johnson’s header.

Diaz ensured there was no astonishing comeback, no 5-5 draw. He scored Liverpool’s sixth goal on a day when he and Salah had seven shots apiece and Szoboszlai six. There was entertainment aplenty. It was Angeball in its flawed glory. Though, admittedly, very flawed.