Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United. Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur StadiumAttendance57,553.
Match report and free highlights as unlikely goalscorers Ben Davies, Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal help Tottenham to a comeback win over Newcastle; Heung-min Son and sub Steven Bergwijn also hit the net for third straight victory; Fabian Schar free-kick had given Newcastle the lead
Monday 4 April 2022 08:13, UK
Tottenham moved up to fourth in the Premier League table and piled the pressure on rivals Arsenal with a thumping 5-1 comeback win at home to Newcastle.
Goals from Ben Davies and Matt Doherty either side of half-time turned the game around after Fabian Schar's free-kick flew past Hugo Lloris, and Spurs kept their foot on the pedal for a big win which boosts their belief for the run-in.
Heung-min Son finished a fine move started by the excellent Harry Kane to give Spurs the two-goal cushion they needed to move above their north London rivals.
It was a man of the match display from Kane, despite being a surprise absentee from the scoresheet. Instead Emerson Royal added a fourth with his first goal for the club, and sub Steven Bergwijn raced through the centre of a suddenly exposed Newcastle defence to complete the rout.
It's the first time Spurs have been in the Champions League qualifying spots since September and - with three Premier League wins on the spin - Antonio Conte's previously painfully inconsistent side look like they're hitting form at just the right time.
Arsenal - who now have two games in hand - can reclaim their top-four spot if they pick up a point at Crystal Palace on Monday Night Football, but the yet-to-be-rearranged postponed derby between the two rivals is shaping up to be potentially decisive.
As for Newcastle, what appeared to be an ideal away day performance for 43 minutes fell away badly, with boss Eddie Howe regretting how his side "chased the game in a very aggressive way" when they fell 2-1 down. They've now lost their last three but remain nine points clear of the relegation zone.
This game marked three years since the first Tottenham match at their new stadium and in that time only Manchester City and Liverpool have won more points on their own patch. That home advantage was clear early on, with Tottenham dominating possession and having as much as 83 per cent of the ball in the first 15 minutes.
But Newcastle boast a good away record at Spurs, having won four of their previous seven and gone unbeaten in their two trips to the new arena, and they did well to limit Spurs to a deflected shot from Rodrigo Bentancur, a Kane shot wide, and an off-target Eric Dier free-kick in the early stages.
Newcastle carried a threat when they did have the ball, too, with Cristian Romero excellent in halting Allan Saint-Maximin and then pulling off a crucial block to deny Joe Willock from seven yards out.
And it was Howe's side who struck first on 39 minutes - thanks to a helping hand from Son, who crashed into Willock on the edge of the box, and goalkeeper Lloris who should have done better with Schar's drive towards the bottom corner.
However, Son atoned for his error just three minutes later, bending in a beautiful cross for Davies to head in his first Premier League goal since 2017.
Tensions were running high moments before the half-time whistle sounded, with Joelinton, Bentancur and Saint-Maximin all booked after some pushing by the touchline, but Spurs applied their energy more positively three minutes after the restart, with Doherty - playing in an unfamiliar left wing-back role - darting in to head home at the back post from Kane's excellent centre.
Son fittingly got on the scoresheet on 54 minutes to pull his side out of sight - he now has 27 Premier League goals at this ground, more than any other player. The latest was wonderfully crafted, with Kane releasing Dejan Kulusevski to pick out the South Korean in the box.
Schar desperately blocked to keep out Kane soon after but on an afternoon when Son was joined by some unexpected goalscorers, Emerson got himself into the six-yard box to add that fourth from Doherty's cross with just 63 minutes on the clock.
Son was kicking himself for shooting wide from a good opening and sub Harry Winks bent an effort over the bar as Spurs continued to pile on the pressure against an increasingly ragged Newcastle, and it wasn't a surprise to see a fifth go in, with Lucas Moura bundling through the middle of the park before playing in Bergwijn for a cool finish.
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte: "The space between games so we can work and not play every three days is helping us. When you come in during the season you have to prepare for game, game, game. To have more days to work with my players is helpful to us as I have more time to transfer my philosophies on football to my players. This is very important. We can improve. This performance and the last few performances have given us great confidence but in England this league is difficult. To play against us is difficult at the moment."
Conte on Kane's form: "His performance was amazing. I said to him it was a shame he didn't score but he played in a fantastic way. To have a player like him in your team makes you strong. To know we have him in our side is very important because we he can score and create to chances.
"First of all I like the person. Some players with talent don't want to work hard. I have found a player who is a great man. He set the example from the very first day. This isn't normal because usually when you are top player you can work less, sometimes you are a bit lazy. He is a big example for his teammates. I have seen his desire to be competitive in every competition."
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe: "We produced a very good performance up until the moment Fabian scored. I was hugely disappointed to go in at 1-1. Bar a few nervy moments at the start I thought we'd controlled them.
"The key goal is the second goal - the manner of it from our perspective, we needed to feel our way into second half. Then we chased the game in a very aggressive way and played in a way we shouldn't have done. We were far too open but it was in our desire to chase the game.
"We became expansive, took risks with the ball and then got punished by a top-level team. Some of the goals they scored on transitions were very good. We didn't manage that part of the game at all.
"It's a massive period coming up for us. We're aware this run of games we've just exited out of was difficult for us, a lot of away games, and we're pleased to return home where our form has been good. We need the crowd and stadium united to make that atmosphere as intense as we can for our opponents. This is going to be a massive spell which will go a long way to dictate our fate this season.
"This is a little jolt and reminder we can't get ahead of ourselves. We have to fight and battle for every point. We have to use the pain of today in our next games and get the stadium absolutely rocking."
Tottenham travel to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday, April 9 live on Sky Sports; kick-off 5.30pm.
Up next for Newcastle is a home match against Wolves on Friday, April 8 also live on Sky Sports; kick-off 8pm.
