Tottenham Hotspur hosted Newcastle United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In this match, Son Heung-Min’s return after suspension and Giovani Lo Celso debut were two notable changes. However, despite these two stars, Spurs fell to a well-drilled and disciplined Newcastle side.
Line-Ups
Tottenham
Hugo Lloris (c), Kyle Walker-Peters, Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sánchez, Danny Rose, Moussa Sissoko, Harry Winks, Lucas Moura, Erik Lamela, Heung-Min Son, Harry Kane.
Newcastle United
Martin Dubravka, Emil Krafth, Fabian Schär, Jamaal Lascelles (c), Paul Dummett, Matt Ritchie, Miguel Almirón, Isaac Hayden, Sean Longstaff, Allan Saint-Maximin, Joelinton Cássio Apolinário de Lira.
Match Recap
First Half
Tottenham Hotspur dominated early on in possession, with Steve Bruce’s Newcastle on the back foot. Allan Saint-Maximin suffered an injury and in his stead came Christian Atsu. There was some pressure building but otherwise little clear cut chances in the opening twenty minutes.
A potential penalty incident occurred after the twentieth minute. But, Mike Dean deemed that Fabian Schar dispossessed Son legally.
Hugo Lloris flew into action making a strong save from Sean Longstaff’s well-driven strike.
Joelinton broke the deadlock in the 27th minute. He found himself in too much space, before finishing well past Lloris. There was a massive gap between Davinson Sanchez and Danny Rose, which Atsu exploited with a chipped pass.
There were a string of chances at around the 35th minute, Son forcing Dubravka into a save and Moura couldn’t quite meet a cross. It was a good response from the hosts, who pressed hard to make a response.
Spurs’ best chance fell to Moura in the final moment of the first half. The goal was gaping but the Brazilian had to take an awkward shot under the close attention of the defender.
Second Half
The pattern of the game was more or less the same. Whilst Spurs continued to attack, Newcastle remained steadfast in defence. There were few real clear cut chances, but instead plenty of blocks and clearances.
Pochettino made the bold move of bringing on creative players Christian Eriksen and Giovani Lo Celso. After their introductions, the team pushed on even stronger.
After a VAR decision, another fantastic chance fell to Moura. Sissoko fired a ball across the box, but Moura blasted the ball over the bar.
A final chance was squandered by a jaded Kane. He knew he should have done better after yet another great cross from Sissoko.
Son Heung-Min Returns
It was a quiet first half for Son on his return. He completed a few dribbles but his final balls were not decisive enough with his final ball. He had a few shots but none were quite at his usual marksman standard. After his two-game suspension, he can excuse himself for not quite getting back into the match rhythm.
Lamela Rewarded With Another Start
Lamela started yet another game for Spurs. Initially, his performance was quite typical; aggressive, hardworking. However, for all his graft, he lacked any clinical precision. Arguably, his position out on the right-wing wasn’t ideal. This is since he is so reliant on his left foot and is thus always forced to cut inside.
He swapped over with Son in periods of the match to allow both players to try different dimensions to attack from. The Argentinian was naturally less selfish here. He was subbed on the 61st minute.
Giovani Lo Celso Debut
Lo Celso played a conservative role in the game, keeping his play simple. He slid in Kane for a great chance, who was felled by a slipping Jamaal Lascelles. VAR deemed that there was no penalty, though. It was a promising bit of play and vision from the debutant.
Verdict
Tottenham were far from clinical and even when creating a few good chances, a multitude of players could not capitalise. Newcastle, meanwhile, played out a good game plan after seizing upon Spurs’ blunders in defence.
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