Breaking News: Newcastle United Manager Eddie Howe Has Agreed To Give Joelinton Loan To………………….read more.
Alexander Isak scored the decisive goal for Newcastle United with a simple tap-in, helping them secure a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in a lively Premier League match at St James’ Park on Sunday.
Newcastle initially took the lead with Harvey Barnes’ first-half goal, but a Dan Burn own goal after the break brought Tottenham level. Despite dominating the second half and creating multiple chances, Spurs were undone by a rapid counter-attack from Newcastle. Joelinton’s perfectly timed pass split the defense, allowing Jacob Murphy to draw out goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario before setting up Isak for the winning goal.
Adding to Newcastle’s triumph, Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali made his first league appearance since receiving a 10-month ban for breaching betting regulations and was warmly welcomed by the home crowd.
This win marks Newcastle’s second consecutive home victory of the season, and they remain unbeaten at St James’ Park since January. The victory also propels them to fourth place in the league, while Tottenham drops to 10th.
Lads, it’s Spurs. Except it isn’t, well it sort of is, but actually we just expect to beat them. But not today. Not when the club has been through a weird inertia, nobody is allowed to question the process, and football is just supposed to carry on. Yasir was here as he was for Spurs in the first game post takeover, as he was for the drubbing we gave them to secure Champions League. It felt like he was here today to steady the ship and tell the directors what he expected in 2024/25. The club is moving, but in terms of direction and in terms of speed, it appears different from 2021.
Having spent the last few months brushing up on my knowledge of European back waters, which is now useless as Man U won the FA Cup, this felt like an opportunity to be the Newcastle of old. To have Eddie’s Mags getting in the faces, bloodying the nose of one of the big boys, trying to find a route into the top five by hook or by crook. Nobody epitomises this more than Joelinton. He will kick the opposition, the ball, and sometimes it feels like himself, to get what he wants, three points for NUFC.
Today was a day for minimal changes. Longstaff the penalty hero was back in the starting eleven, as was Bruno. A back four that saw one major change, Kelly for Hall, seemed more based on shoring up the backline and the managers’ doubts about the young left back, than a desire to increase our attacking output.
Yet, our goal came from Kelly. He was excellent at moving off a throw in, ball into the box, and Harvey Barnes tore them apart but with a finish that was sensational. Jack Grealish can’t score goals like that. We need more of that this season.
Frustration was rife because the ref had lost control of the midfield kicking and shoving, as well as the fact that James Maddison has that infuriating ability to get away with murder. Not literally obviously, but he is the Craig Bellamy of the current Premier League (both played for Coventry and Norwich – I’m sure that is a coincidence).
Spurs had a lot of the ball first half, but struggled to do anything worthwhile with it. Nick Pope had one or two saves to make, Dan Burn was heading a few things away but actually we were largely untroubled. At half time I was happy to turn to others and say, these aren’t that good. But honestly mean it. Like they aren’t, they’re not very good.
Ange made one change at half time. Pape Sarr, who had been booked for an awful challenge on Kelly that I haven’t seen it back but looked like an orange, was replaced by Brennan Johnson. Kulusevski dropped into midfield and for twenty to twenty five minutes, Spurs were all over us.
