Louise Taylor’s match report:
That’s it from me – thanks ever so much for your company, and remember to join Scott for Arsenal v Liverpool!
Spurs are seventh, a point behind Wolves, although Sheffield United can overtake both with a win at Leicester tomorrow night. That Europa League dash is going right to the wire, mark my words.
Now Mourinho speaks too: “I think the players were extraordinary. Really tired, even before the game I could feel it, during the game I was obviously feeling it more. I spoke to their hearts and their pride, asking them to find energy in the only place they can still find energy, which is in here [points to head]. In their legs there was no more. They were phenomenal.”
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Matchwinner Kane speaks! “Massive, tough away game and our away form hasn’t been great so it was very important to get the three points. We probably didn’t play as well as we could have but we managed to get three points in the end. [The 200-goal mark] is not bad but, as always, try to improve on it. It’s obviously a nice milestone bit obviously the three points are most important. We’ve been saying before the game today to win all three games so I think we’ve got a very good chance of getting to the Europa League.”
Sounds like he was happy with three points.
My word, we’re spoiling you with football tonight. Stay here for some reaction for Newcastle v Spurs, but also please join master of the form Scott Murray for Arsenal v Liverpool:
Burnley have equalised against Wolves with a late, late, late, late Chris Wood penalty! That’s further good news for Spurs. Elsewhere, Manchester City have spluttered – well, all things are relative – past Bournemouth with a 2-1 victory.
Full-time: Newcastle 1-3 Spurs
That’s it! A big, big win to take Spurs seventh. That’s 10 points from 12, who said Jose wasn’t the man?! In truth Newcastle forced the issue for most of this and on the balance of play deserved a draw. But Tottenham were clinical, and had the proper poacher in Harry Kane, so fair play to them.
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90+4 min: Schar walks off cradling his arm, which does not look in a good way. A sad end for him and Newcastle.
90+3 min: Schar’s latest injury, sustained after landing badly from a Lamela tackle, looks painful. He has the physio on again.
90+1 min: Kane, who really has had the classic “done nothing except score” game (and I don’t mean that negatively as he’s won them the game with two) is replaced by Vertonghen.
Goal! Newcastle 1-3 Spurs (Kane 90)
That’ll do it. Kane sets Lamela away and he doesn’t really have the pace to get clear, but still manages to evade two defenders and get a shot away. Dubravka parries well, but Kane dives in – via a knock for his troubles – to head in and put this one to bed.
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88 min: Shelvey can’t reach a ball up the left. Newcastle are running out of time ...
86 min: Davies is yellow carded for fouling Saint-Maximin, who is absolutely everywhere. If he could finish regularly he’d be worth zillions, he is just magical to watch. He’ll be joined on the pitch by Matty Longstaff, who replaces Bentaleb.
84 min: Bentaleb nudges it forward to Saint-Maximin but his blast from range is wayward.
82 min: Saint-Maximin yet again shows lightning feet but his low cross is cut out just before Joelinton can get there. Then he claims a free-kick on the right, but Spurs are instead awarded a throw-in and can clear their lines.
81 min: Newcastle probe patiently but the move falls down at Joelinton’s feet. They need precision at this point; time is of the essence.
79 min: Wolves lead at Burnley, which makes a win here for Spurs all the more important.
77 min: Treatment for Schar now. Not sure if that relates to the earlier knock from Kane.
75 min: Saint-Maximin lofts in a cross-shot that seems a little optimistic, and Lloris catches.
74 min: Lovely tight footwork from Shelvey in the box to work space for a shot, but unfortunately it’s down the throat of Lloris. Now Kane is booked for a foul on Schar – in fact he connected unintentionally with a stray elbow. It remains the case that Newcastle do not deserve to be behind.
72 min: Close from Lazaro! Found by Saint-Maximin, the sub right-back appears deep in the areas and smashes one into the side netting. He’s been lively since his arrival.
71 min: Almiron earns a corner. Can Newcastle hit back now? It’s a good delivery from Ritchie but Joelinton’s header – a very difficult one – loops over.
69 min: Heeeeeeeeeeere’s Joelinton. He replaces Gayle, who has played well and been unlucky not to score.
68 min: We now take more drinks. Newcastle will be cursing themselves at switching off just when, after equalising, you’d have fancied them on this performance.
65 min: Shelvey is booked for a foul on the lively, impactful Bergwijn.
64 min: Almiron sees a shot charged down by Sanchez. Can Newcastle go again?
62 min: Another Spurs change – Lamela for Lo Celso. That goal was so, so beautifully timed for them, and from Kane’s first sniff of the game.
Goal! Newcastle 1-2 Spurs (Kane, 60)
It’s the 200th club goal of his career, and parity did not last long! Bergwijn instantly delivers a fantastic deep cross from the right and Kane, given far too much space by Newcastle’s centre-backs, has time to direct a trademark header past a static Dubravka and, if we are honest, bail Tottenham out a bit.
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58 min: Bergwijn replaces the struggling Moura. Spurs now find themselves with a problem.
Goal! Newcastle 1-1 Spurs (Ritchie 56)
They deserve that! It comes after an enterprising sashay upfield from the recent sub Lazaro, who is ushered away by Sissoko before Aurier slashes badly in attempting to clear the danger. He can only direct the ball to Ritchie, on the left of the box, and we know what that left peg of his can do. He cracks a venomous effort across Lloris and onto the corner!
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55 min: Moura seems to be OK for now but Newcastle make a change, Lazaro coming on for Yedlin.
54 min: Moura has a problem and will take treatment. He has worked like a Trojan out there today!
53 min: Saint-Maximin makes his Nth promising run of the evening but doesn’t quite find the right angle to let fly after reaching the edge of the area.
51 min: A good move from Newcastle now, though, and Winks belts away a Ritchie cross before Shelvey can steam onto it. Kane then messes up a decent Spurs counter.
49 min: Aurier overlaps and plays a tantalising low ball across only to find nobody rushing in to convert. Spurs look bright early on in the second half.
47 min: Good work from Aurier and Moura sees the quiet Kane slipped in at a very tight angle in the right of the box. He tries to cut back sharply for a teammate but a defender hacks it behind, and the Moura can’t quite connect with a flying header from the corner.
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Peeeep! The second half is upon us!
Newcastle get us started this time.
I didn’t realise this, but they have just told me on The Telly that Mourinho has never won a match at Newcastle. He’s not far off doing it now, even if there has been enough to suggest it’s far from done.
And for some half-time reading, the Fiver is here!
Other half-times: Burnley 0-0 Wolves; Man City 2-0 Bournemouth.
Half-time: Newcastle 0-1 Spurs
Spurs lead through that fine Son finish, and it’s that five-minute spell after the drinks break that has really earned the advantage. Otherwise Newcastle have carried more threat and were unlucky when Gayle hit the post. It’s not been a bad half and Bruce’s side are certainly having a go. Will Spurs cling onto the three points, or even cut loose? Or will they be pegged back? We’ll find out soon enough.
45 min: Saint-Maximin tries to get things going again but overcomplicates in midfield, and Newcastle may be going in behind.
42 min: Gayle hits the post! Shelvey whips in a dream of a ball, flat and fizzing, from the right and Gayle glances it on intelligently after making a good run to the near post. But his header pings off the far upright!
40 min: But they keep the pressure up and Lloris fingertips wide a fizzing 20-yarder from Saint-Maximin, which was probably bound to hit the post. The corner is cleared but Newcastle have found a bit of their earlier zest.
39 min: And another good move from Newcastle sees Ritchie, who maybe snatches at his shot a bit, see an effort deflect off Aurier and past the near post of a relieved Lloris. Newcastle appeal for a handball from the resulting corner as the ball bobbles about but I don’t think there is much doing.
37 min: That’s better from Newcastle, mainly because Saint-Maximin slices through the middle and changes the tempo again, but Moura is working incredibly hard out there and tracks all the way back to snuff out the danger.
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35 min: A scrappy spell, but that Spurs goal has very much changed the feel of this and Newcastle have not seriously threatened since. The hosts pick up a booking, too, as Fernandez is late on Lo Celso.
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32 min: Shelvey tries to volley a Ritchie cross that comes down out of the sky but, with a defender in close attendance, can’t make the right contact.
31 min: Alderweireld is booked for a bit of a charge on Ritchie. Fair call.
30 min: Son nearly does it again, this time with a swirling and slightly deflected 25-yarder that a full-stretch Dubravka paws out of his top corner!
Goal! Newcastle 0-1 Spurs (Son, 27)
It’s a lovely finish after Moura wins possession back and Lo Celso, sliding in tenaciously, feeds Son inside the left edge of the area. He cuts onto his right foot and drills low, accurately, inside Dubravka’s near post – and it could be a huge goal in their season. More proof, too, of how a drinks break can tip the scales?
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27 min: We are back underway, and Schar does well to cut out Aurier’s cross delivered from near the byline, but then ...
24 min: A Spurs corner isn’t quite dealt with at first but Newcastle survive. And now we take drinks.
22 min: A sweeping Newcastle move ends with Saint-Maximin making Lloris save to his left with a shot from 22 yards, using the outside of his foot. It was a pretty regulation one though, all told.
20 min: So of course Spurs string a very slick move together as I write that, but Yedlin gets ahead of Davies before he can shoot. Then Shelvey releases Gayle at the other end and for a split second he’s in ... but the ball *just* runs past him and the chance is gone.
19 min: Little on offer from Spurs at this point, really. They don’t seem especially inclined to dominate the ball.
16 min: Chance for Shelvey! And he should probably score. Newcastle work it to Ritchie on the left and he bends in a superb right-footed delivery for the onrushing midfielder, who cannons a header over from 10 yards. That was a real opportunity.
15 min: I’d say Newcastle have started the better here, without necessarily looking as if they know what to do when allowed this much of the ball.
14 min: I believe Man City are a goal up against Bournemouth, through David Silva.
12 min: Newcastle knock it around and then Saint-Maximin goes through the gears, giving the move some life by driving through midfield and seeing a shot deflecting off Alderweireld and wide. He is so good to watch; so urgent and positive. Can they make anything of this corner? Nope.
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9 min: Shelvey tries an ambitious 35-yard free-kick but Loris saves with ease. At the other end, Lo Celso sees an effort deflected off target. Maybe I’m wrong, because this has been a reasonable start.
7 min: Spurs quite like to counter but Newcastle aren’t necessarily a side that throws men forward in sufficient number to counter upon. We’ve seen that in one thwarted break from the visitors so far. Does that mean stalemate? Maybe not – because Newcastle nearly make me eat my words with a well-constructed attack that leads to Almiron, 15 yards out, flashing in a shot that is deflected just wide. From the corner, Almiron has another go from a low training-ground delivery to an area nearer the penalty spot, but blazes over!
4 min: Newcastle get settled into some decent possession now. They might as well have a nice go at this, the season is done and Spurs are perfectly beatable.
2 min: Lucas Moura makes a tenacious run down the right early on but is yanked down by Bentaleb. Spurs rather rush the free-kick and lose possession.
Peeeeeep! We're off!
Spurs, in light blue and going from left to right, get us underway after a collective taking of the knee.
“Not an Aurier fan but huge respect to him, RIP Christopher Aurier. Predicting 2-1 to Spurs with Harry Kane double. COYS,” writes Yash Gupta.
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The teams are out on the pitch! So we’re really not very far at all from the get-go ...
Shaun Wilkinson writes:
“A season or two ago, I wrote you an email during an MBM of Crystal Palace vs Newcastle where I dared to suggest that the job Rafa Benitez was doing at Newcastle was a tad overrated, and that my fellow Toon fans were possibly guilty of falling for the Cult of Rafa a little too easily. Needless to say I got pelters. Anyway, here we are with Steve Bruce, a less than celebrated manager, getting roughly the same points and finishing in roughly the same position as Benitez. I would take that not necessarily as evidence that Bruce is a better manager than previously thought, rather that the ‘working miracles with a Championship squad’ thrown up around Rafa was wildly over the top. I would argue both Rafa and Bruce have done decent jobs under difficult circumstances – how some Newcastle fans can still claim Rafa did an amazing job and Bruce is merely lucky is just baffling to me. Thoughts?”
I’d be interested to pass that one onto other Toon fans but, broadly, I think you might be onto something ...
Mourinho speaks: “Of course, fantastic, the most important thing was three points against Arsenal kept us in the fight for the Europa League. Of course it was a good feeling but we have three matches to play to try and get the Europa League position. I think we are a Champions League club but this season went in the wrong direction from day one for lots of different reasons.
“We would always support Serge’s decision. If he decided not to play until the end of the season we would respect that. He asked to play and then to go to France tomorrow which we are of course supporting.
So does Bruce: “We’re without six or seven but you can’t use an excuse, that’s why we’ve got a squad as big as we have and it gives people an opportunity.”
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More on that team news: Spurs are unchanged, which means Serge Aurier – whose brother sadly died two days ago – starts at right-back. Newcastle miss the injured Jamaal Lascelles so Fabian Schar drops back into defence. Emil Krafth replaces Danny Rose, who can’t play against his parent club, while Nabil Bentaleb is in for Javier Manquillo.
If you would like to keep in touch during this evening’s proceedings, don’t be shy! Drop me a line using one of the addresses at the top of the page.
Because we are nothing if not good to you, we can offer two (TWO) more MBMs operating simultaneously to this one. Sharpen up your multitasking skills with these ...
Man City v Bournemouth, with the one and only Simon Burnton:
Burnley v Wolves, avec the great Paul Doyle:
Teams
Newcastle: Dubravka; Krafth, Fernandez, Schar, Yedlin; Shelvey, Bentaleb, Almiron; Ritchie, Gayle, Saint-Maximin. Subs: Darlow, Joelinton, Muto, Manquillo, Lazaro, Atsu, M Longstaff, Allan, Young.
Spurs: Lloris; Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Davies; Winks, Sissoko; Lo Celso, Lucas, Son; Kane. Subs: Gazzaniga, Tanganga, Vertonghen, White, Sessegnon, Skipp, Gedson, Lamela, Bergwijn.
Hi everyone!
Welcome to the first of two pretty significant games in the chase for Europa League spots. Arsenal v Liverpool is later, but first of all let’s see if Spurs can really hammer home their recent spot of moderately improved form and move up to seventh – or sixth if they can win and Wolves lose at Burnley.
It’s all slightly cold comfort given last year’s Champions League exploits, but finishing in that top six or seven would at least suggest some minor momentum is brewing under Jose Mourinho. That victory over Arsenal on Sunday was huge, really, and there’s a fair chance they’ll be five points clear of their north London rivals (the current gap is two) by the time today is out. Provided Jose is off the phone to his mate Pep, and they’ve hashed out the nuances of FFP, he’ll see this as a massive opportunity to further silence the haterz and the doubterz.
Not that it’s a given he’ll manage that today. Newcastle might have been ideal opponents for teams that *need* a win in recent years but, fair play to Steve Bruce, he’s got them well clear of relegation this time and they certainly aren’t the least watchable team in the league either. They’re off the back of two defeats but have the giddy heights of 11th in their sights with the “W” – as I think they say nowadays, which makes little sense to me as it takes longer to say than “win” – here.
My hunch, as you didn’t ask for it? Might not be a classic but it should be close, and genuinely interesting. Will Spurs keep on looking upwards, or will they will be glancing nervously back towards mid-table come full-time? Stay with us to find out!
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