Spurs 1-2 Newcastle

A second half comeback from Newcastle United saw them overturn Emmanuel Adebayor’s early goal to win 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Sunday afternoon.

Adebayor opened the scoring during a first half in which we were totally dominant, but the visitors levelled just eight seconds into the second period through Sammy Ameobi and went on to grab the winner just before the hour mark from Ayoze Perez.

On the day the Club celebrated the life of the legendary Bill Nicholson 10 years after he passed away, there was a minute’s applause prior to kick-off in memory of the great man. His daughters Jean and Linda and other members of the Nicholson family were joined pitchside by a host of Spurs Legends including Cliff Jones, Pat Jennings, Alan Gilzean, Martin Chivers, Graham Roberts and Darren Anderton as the Lane paid tribute to Bill Nick.

Team News

As for the team news, Mauricio Pochettino made five changes to Thursday’s side which enjoyed a 5-1 defeat of Asteras Tripolis in the Europa League, with Danny Rose, Younes Kaboul, Nacer Chadli, Christian Eriksen and Ryan Mason coming into the team.

Key action

There was a cracking atmosphere inside the stadium and we made a bright start to the game, although the early efforts on goal all came from distance. First up was Jan Vertonghen, whose 30-yard drive cleared the crossbar by some distance, before Eriksen stepped onto a volley from the edge of the area but dragged it wide of Tim Krul’s far post.

Ryan Mason was next to have a go from far out but his effort was well over and even Newcastle got in on the act, Paul Dummett never troubling Hugo Lloris from 30-yards after Yoan Gouffrann’s free-kick was headed clear on 15 minutes.

Just a minute later, the visitors had a great chance to open the scoring when Lloris could only palm away Moussa Sissoko’s cross as far as Jack Colback, but the Magpies’ midfielder couldn’t divert his volley goalwards.

We went ahead on 18 minutes with a well-worked goal. Erik Lamela played a ball in to Adebayor and, as he was challenged, it ran loose to Nacer Chadli. His effort was blocked by Steven Taylor, Eriksen then tried his luck before Mason collected the rebound and when it looked like he was going to shoot, he instead clipped a delicious cross to the back post where Adebayor headed back across goal into the corner of Krul’s net.

It was no more than we deserved as we were dominating possession, the statistics showing we had 70 per cent of the ball at that stage, and we almost extended our lead on 22 minutes when another superb build-up involving Adebayor, Lamela and Eriksen ended with Danny Rose drilling over from the left-corner of the area.

There was a lull in proceedings as half-time approached, neither side creating anything in terms of goal scoring opportunities, but a minute before the break, Chadli found himself completely unmarked on the end of Eriksen’s free-kick, but he volleyed over when he had more time than he probably realised.

Newcastle made two changes at the break with Sammy Ameobi and Remy Cabella replacing Gabriel Obertan and Vurnon Anita and incredibly, Ameobi scored just eight seconds after kick-off. Colback received the ball from the restart, sent a long ball over Eric Dier which Ameobi latched onto and drilled left-footed past Lloris into the far corner.

It was a real setback but we quickly tried to regain the lead and almost did so a few minutes later when Eriksen collected Rose’s low cross from the left and sent a shot heading for the bottom corner but it flicked off Fabricio Coloccini for a corner.

However it was the visitors who found the target next to go in front on 58 minutes, when Sissoko broke away down the left and found Cabella, who centred for Perez to glance a header past Lloris. And Newcastle went close again six minutes later as Cabella got to the byline and tried a shot from a tight angle but only found the side netting.

At the other end, Eriksen’s 20-yard drive flicked off a Newcastle defender and looped just over the bar and from the resulting corner, the Dane whipped in a cross which hit Krul on the chest and went in, but his centre was adjudged to have curled out and back into play, so the goal was ruled out.

Just prior to that, Thursday’s hat-trick hero Harry Kane was introduced for Etienne Capoue. He was quickly into the action, sending Rose’s cross goalwards but it was comfortable for Krul. And Eriksen saw another effort deflect for a corner moments later as we stepped up our search for an equaliser.

We made two changes with Aaron Lennon and Roberto Soldado coming on for Lamela and Adebayor in a final throw of the dice for the closing stages. And Lennon went close on 84 minutes when Eriksen’s corner was cleared to him 20 yards out but his volley went over the bar.

There was a chance late on to snatch a draw when Soldado laid the ball off to Kane down the left channel of the area and he sent in a low centre which fizzed across the six yard box, but nobody was on hand to touch the ball home.

Mauricio Pochettino said

“We’re very disappointed and upset,” said Mauricio.

“The first half was very good. We deserved more, to score three or four goals, but that’s football and it was unacceptable how we started the second half.

“The goal changed everything. It changed the energy, changed us and changed them. They started to believe and play their game.

“It was difficult because our heads had gone and everything we spoke about in the dressing room was lost.

“We need to improve tactically and in our mentality and we need to be stronger.

“Now we need to be focused for Wednesday.”

Match data

Spurs (4-2-3-1): Lloris, Dier, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Rose, Capoue (Kane 67), Mason, Lamela (Lennon 78), Eriksen, Chadli, Adebayor (Soldado 83). Substitutes (not used): Vorm, Davies, Chiriches, Dembele.

Newcastle (4-4-2): Krul, Dummett, Coloccini, Taylor, Janmaat, Gouffran, Colback, Anita (Cabella 46), Obertan (Ameobi 46), Sissoko, Perez (Haidara 79). Substitutes (not used): Elliot, Taylor, Ferreyra, Armstrong.

Goals: Spurs - Adebayor 18; Newcastle – Ameobi 46, Perez 58.

Yellows: Spurs – Capoue, Rose; Newcastle – Gouffran, Krul.

Referee: Anthony Taylor.

Attendance: 35,658.