Newcastle piled more misery on injury-hit Tottenham with a 2-1 victory on Saturday, extending Alexander Isak’s Premier League scoring streak.
Both teams were quick to score within the first six minutes, with Anthony Gordon equalizing Dominic Solanke’s early goal for Spurs. Isak then found the net for the seventh consecutive league game, securing Newcastle’s sixth straight win in all competitions.
The Magpies remain in fifth place but are now level on points with Chelsea in fourth, intensifying the battle for a Champions League spot next season.
Tottenham’s hopes of a top-four finish seem to be slipping away, as they have won just once in their last eight league games, following a stunning 4-0 victory over Manchester City. Spurs sit 11th, and could drop to 14th by the end of the weekend, piling pressure on manager Ange Postecoglou.
Despite being stretched with injuries, Tottenham put in a spirited performance but were left clinging to hope in the closing moments. Spurs were without key players including goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and defenders Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, and Ben Davies, as well as suspended Rodrigo Bentancur. With Fraser Forster also unavailable due to illness, Postecoglou was forced to hand a debut to Brandon Austin.
Spurs began the match brightly, with Solanke scoring a header from Pedro Porro’s cross in the fourth minute, impressing new England manager Thomas Tuchel. However, Newcastle responded swiftly with a controversial equalizer. A handball by Joelinton led to Bruno Guimaraes assisting Gordon for the goal. After a VAR review, the goal stood as it was ruled that the handball was not intentional.
Isak continued his fine form, scoring just before halftime. A deflection off Radu Dragusin allowed Jacob Murphy’s low cross to fall to Isak, who netted his 14th goal of the season. The situation worsened for Spurs when Dragusin, already dealing with illness, was substituted at halftime, leaving Postecoglou without a natural center-back.
Despite being thin at the back, Spurs pressed in the second half, with Brennan Johnson hitting the post and Martin Dubravka saving Pape Sarr’s shot. Spurs introduced Son Heung-min and James Maddison to try and find an equalizer, but Newcastle held firm. Maddison’s curling shot narrowly missed, and Johnson and Sergio Reguilon both had efforts go across goal.
The victory capped a successful festive period for Eddie Howe’s side, putting them in strong contention for a Champions League return.
