Loic Remy grabbed the winner as Newcastle survived a second half onslaught from hosts Spurs at White Hart Lane to go level on points with Manchester United. Tim Krul in the visiting goal made more than a dozen saves to preserve another famous win.
Team News
Hotspur head coach Andre Villas-Boas made five changes from the Europa League win over Sheriff Tiraspol in midweek. Etienne Capoue, Jermain Defoe, Younes Kaboul, Erik Lamela and Kyle Naughton dropped out.
Vlad Chiriches, Michael Dawson, Paulinho, Roberto Soldado and Andros Townsend came in. Brad Friedel continued to deputise in goal for Hugo Lloris, who suffered a concussion against Everton in the last league outing.
Magpies manager Alan Pardew meanwhile named the same XI that beat Chelsea at home last weekend. Captain Fabricio Coloccini was back on the bench after injury.
Match Report
A strong Spurs star subsided into visiting pressure. Soldado headed a right wing corner over after good work by Eriksen. Chiriches then came across brilliantly and closed Loic Remy down as Newcastle’s top scorer got in behind the hosts on the counter.
Friedel saved Mathieu Debuchy’s long range effort and from Yohan Cabaye with the follow-up, but Tottenham fell behind as this flurry of opposition attacks caught them out. Holding midfielders Mousa Dembele and Paulinho lost and failed to regain possession, Yoan Gouffran slipped in Remy and he rounded the keeper for a tap in.
Signs of response from Spurs were slow in coming. Jan Vertonghen blasted a free kick narrowly wide from way out. Soldado then drew a super save from Krul with a flicked header after another Eriksen delivery.
Denmark playmaker Eriksen later stung the palms of Krul and Paulinho worked the Magpies number one too, but Tottenham went in behind. AVB made changes at the break bringing off an out of sorts Dembele and Chiriches after the defender took a blow to the face.
Defensive changes with the introduction of Sandro and Kaboul ironically injected more urgency into Hotspur. Only the trailing left leg of Krul denied the hosts an equaliser as Soldado dummied a low Townsend centre for Eriksen.
The latest in a string of fine saves for Krul came when he readjusted superbly to keep out a deflected Gylfi Sigurdsson free kick. Newcastle even survived the goalmouth scramble that followed. Moussa Sissoko then drew a near post stop from Friedel with a visiting foray into the hosts’ half.
Pardew brought on Vurnon Anita in reaction to the Tottenham pressure, but the hosts continued to pepper Krul’s goal with efforts. The keeper later made a double stop from Paulinho and Vertonghen after Jermain Defoe came on for the home side.
The bar also came to the Magpies’ rescue late on when Vertonghen nodded a back post corner against the woodwork. Everything including the kitchen sink was seemingly thrown at Newcastle by Spurs in this second half but to no avail.
AVB may need to look at how he uses his wide players tactically as they made little impact. Lamela, who delivered so well in midweek, was an unused sub here. Storm clouds that had gathered around Pardew in the wake of the Tyne-Wear derby defeat have now been replaced by early winter sunshine.
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Match Stats
- Spurs: 24 Brad Friedel, 2 Kyle Walker, 20 Michael Dawson (c), 6 Vlad Chiriches (4 Youne Kaboul 46’), 5 Jan Vertonghen, 8 Paulinho, 19 Mousa Dembele (30 Sandro 46’), 17 Andros Townsend, 23 Christian Eriksen, 22 Gylfi Sigurdsson (18 Jermain Defoe 69’), 9 Roberto Soldado 4-2-3-1
- Newcastle: 1 Tim Krul, 26 Mathieu Debuchy, 6 Mike Williamson, 13 Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, 3 Davide Santon, 7 Moussa Sissoko, 4 Yohan Cabaye, 24 Cheick Tiote (c), 11 Yoan Gouffran (25 Gabriel Obertan 85’), 23 Shola Ameobi (8 Vurnon Anita 60’), 14 Loic Remy (9 Papiss Cisse 75’) 4-4-2
- Goals: Loic Remy 13’