The Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United draw may well be the final straw for some fans as Jose Mourinho’s side conceded late on again.
Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United Share Points
Newcastle Pile Pressure on Tottenham
Early pressure from Spurs led to a free kick on the edge of the box being hit straight at the wall by Harry Kane. Kane then showed all of his strength to work a shooting position, but his shot was well saved by Martin Dubravka. Emil Krafth then took some of the pressure off his team with a strong run and shot that was deflected behind for a corner, which started to give Newcastle some hope and gain more possession.
Newcastle and Dwight Gayle should have been ahead when Jonjo Shelvey delivered a cross from the right and Hugo Lloris pulled off an incredible save from Gayle’s header. The ball fell back to Gayle but his second effort was weak and caught Lloris before hitting the post- allowing the Frenchman to safely gather the ball.
Tottenham Hotspur Show Calamitous Defending and Powers of Recovery Against Newcastle
Newcastle did take a deserved lead when more calamitous Tottenham defending allowed Joelinton to slot home. Japhet Tanganga played a poor ball forward which Matt Ritchie intercepted- leaving Sean Longstaff to play a simple ball and it was 1-0. What Steve Bruce wanted was for his players to remain concentrated. They did the exact opposite, however, and allowed Spurs to level immediately through Kane. The look on Bruce’s face said it all.
There was a touch of fortune about how the ball ricocheted back into Kane’s path for the equaliser, but his second was all about sheer finishing class. Tanguy Ndombele played a neat reverse pass to Kane who stayed onside and finished with precision- giving Dubravka no chance. Kane has scored more goals this season than the entire Newcastle team and that is a damning stat. It shows the lack of quality in their front line. Injuries to Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson have certainly not helped the cause either.
The one thing on Bruce’s mind at half time, 2-1 down, would have been just how open the Spurs defence was and his team were certainly still in the game. Some of the passing from Newcastle in the final third was dreadful and must be so frustrating for a manager when chances that are there for the taking are just thrown away, especially against Tottenham Hotspur.
Newcastle Profligacy in Front of Goal Continues
Tottenham Hotspur continued to leave space at the back but Newcastle could not profit, with Joelinton, in particular, missing a golden opportunity from six yards out. The Spurs back line all stood and watched as the ball fell to the Brazilian. All he had to do was knock the ball past a flat footed Lloris. somehow, all he managed to do was poke the ball wide of the far post.
Miguel Almiron had also gone close with a curling left footed shot but Lloris stretched to get fingertips to the ball to leave Newcastle frustrated once more against Tottenham Hotspur.
The introduction of Saint-Maximin from the bench gave added impetus to Newcastle, but the final ball and final touch continued to be elusive. At the other end, there was a near perfect counter attack from Spurs as Erik Lamela strode out with the ball following a Newcastle corner kick before releasing Kane, who looked certain for a hat trick. His shot could only find the post, however, allowing the home side to breathe and finally get a much deserved equaliser.
Arsenal Loanee Rescues Point
Joe Willock, on loan from Arsenal finally scored a deserved equaliser for Newcastle after more lax defending from Spurs. Almiron headed toward goal and the ball spilled out and just needed a composed defender to put their foot through the ball and clear the danger. Once again there was ball watching at the back and Willock was not waiting as he powered the ball into the back of the Tottenham Hotspur net to rescue a much deserved point for Steve Bruce and Newcastle.
Top Four Chasing Tottenham Must Sort Defence
Newcastle United are now three points ahead of Fulham in what is fast becoming a tense and tight relegation fight.
For a top four chasing Tottenham, this was a huge chance to move back into the top four after Chelsea’s shock defeat to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, but they missed the chance with a lacklustre performance and Jose Mourinho needs to sort out his ailing defence. The simple tasks of clearing the ball and being aware of your surroundings are not being achieved and Davinson Sanchez was once again guilty of another poor performance for his club.
Newcastle continue to look nervously over their shoulder whilst Spurs continue to flatter to deceive. Both teams could easily end this season in chaos.
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