Second-half goals seal win for Magpies

Despite the feelgood factor of a Spurs debut for new signing Omar Marmoush and an impressive first-half performance in which we created plenty of chances but couldn’t convert them into goals, the visitors struck twice in 10 minutes through Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa to make it back-to-back losses for us to open the league campaign.

That made it four wins on their last five visits to N17 for Newcastle and also ensured this fixture still hasn’t seen a goalless draw in the 63 times it has been played in the Premier League.

The visitors were almost off the mark in the opening minute, Elanga getting in behind and lifting a ball over Antonin Kinsky towards the back post but it bounced just wide. For the next quarter-of-an-hour, not a great deal happened with both sides feeling their way into the game, but once we started to find our rhythm, we created a whole host of chances for the remainder of the half.

The first came in the 15th minute following an excellent ball through lines from Jan Paul van Hecke in to Marmoush, he played it wide left to Mathys Tel who cut inside Amar Dedic and hit a curling drive which Lukas Hornicek saved well diving to his left. And, just moments later, Sandro Tonali’s mis-hit shot landed at the feet of Pedro Porro eight yards out only for his effort to be diverted the bar by Lewis Hall. Our Spanish World Cup winner was then a whisker over the bar with a rare left-footed volley from 20 yards out.

A deep Andy Robertson corner in the 33rd minute found Marmoush, who had peeled away at the back post but side-footed a volley into the side-netting, before the pair linked up again three minutes later, Marmoush with a clever reverse pass for the left-back, whose angled shot was pushed away by Hornicek. From the corner, the Magpies’ keeper made an excellent save to keep out van Hecke’s header.

We continued to play on the front foot in the lead-up to the interval, however we just couldn’t find that telling move to break the deadlock and we went in goalless at half-time but with plenty of cause for optimism. Just two minutes into the second period, we had big shouts for a penalty after Marmoush appeared to be caught by Malick Thiaw in the box but referee Peter Bankes waved away our appeals and VAR agreed with him. At the other end, a couple of opportunities for the visitors as Hall cracked a shot just over the bar and Sven Botman’s long-ranger flicked off Rodrigo Bentancur but flew a couple of yards wide.

The Magpies were starting to work their way into the game more but Marmoush attempted to stoke up our fans again with a wonderful nutmeg on Nico Gonzalez on half-way before hitting a 30-yard effort that drifted just wide. Unfortunately though, seconds later Dedic won a header from a long diagonal ball, Elanga latched onto it and his shot-on-the-turn hit the far post before rolling across the line to give Newcastle the lead.

We made a triple switch soon after going behind, Mohammed Kudus off the bench to make his first appearance since early January, and he was joined on the pitch by Destiny Udogie and Mikey Moore with Tel, Roberton and Archie Gray making way, only for us to concede again with 18 minutes remaining. A corner was knocked down by Nick Woltemade and Wissa scooped the ball over his head and past Kinsky.

It was a goal which really deflated us and the atmosphere and, while the closing stages were spent with the ball mostly in the visitors’ half, there wasn’t a great deal to concern the Newcastle defence. Hornicek was called into action once, in the 87th minute, after good work from Mateus Fernandes to win the ball back and deliver a deep cross which Marmoush met on the volley but was denied by the Czech keeper. Hall then cleared off the line from Dominic Solanke in stoppage time – it just wasn’t our day.

Line-ups

Spurs (4-2-3-1): Kinsky, Gray (Moore 68), van Hecke, van de Ven (c), Robertson (Udogie 68), Bentancur, Tonali (Solanke 75), Pedro Porro, M Fernandes, Tel (Kudus 68), Marmoush. Substitutes (not used): Dubravka, Senesi, Davies, Gallagher, Bergvall.

Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): Hornicek, Dedic, Botman, Thiaw (c), Hall, Gonzalez (Steur 71), L Miley, Elanga (Murphy 82), Willock (Woltemade 71), Barnes (Toure 90+2), Wissa (Ramsey 82). Substitutes (not used): Jaouen, Schar, Bamba, Shahar.

Match data

Goals: Newcastle – Elanga 62, Wissa 72.

Yellow cards: Spurs – van de Ven; Newcastle – Gonzalez, Botman.

Referee: Peter Bankes.

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Weather: Light cloud, gentle breeze, 16 degrees.

Attendance: 61,025.