Newcastle United moved out of the bottom three of the Premier League after second-half goals from Sammy Ameobi and Ayoze Perez secured a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
It was Newcastle’s first away win since March and came a week after they recorded their first league victory of the season to ease the pressure on under-fire manager Alan Pardew.
Emmanuel Adebayor had given Tottenham an 18th minute lead but the game was transformed six seconds into the second half when Ameobi, introduced as a half-time substitute, struck the equaliser and Perez sealed the win in the 58th minute with his first goal since arriving from Tenerife during the last transfer window.
For Tottenham, the euphoria surrounding Erik Lamela’s ‘rabona’ wonder-goal in the midweek 5-1 Europa League win over Asteras Tripolis was quickly forgotten and the home supporters greeted the final whistle with a chorus of boos after Mauricio Pochettino’s side suffered a third home league defeat of the season.
Pochettino acknowledged before the game Newcastle would arrive at White Hart Lane with their confidence boosted by last weekend’s victory over Leicester City.
However, the loss of Papiss Cisse, Newcastle’s leading scorer, to injury deflated the mood of the north-east side with Cheick Tiote and Emmanuel Riviere also failing to recover in time to make the trip to London.
Tottenham, who started the day in 10th spot, have suffered from inconsistency throughout the opening weeks of the campaign but they came into this game having won their last three games at White Hart Lane and maintained the fluency they showed midweek as they quickly took control on Sunday.
– Half-time changes –
Christian Eriksen flashed an early shot across the face of goal and Jan Vertonghen blasted a long range shot over the bar in a one-sided opening.
Newcastle’s Jack Colback met Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris’s unconvincing punched clearance from Moussa Sissoko’s cross but could only slice his shot wide.
And that miss looked as it would prove costly when moments later Adebayor headed Tottenham into the lead.
He started the move, playing in Nacer Chadli who worked his way into the Newcastle penalty area before seeing his shot blocked.
Eriksen latched on to the loose ball and also saw his effort deflect away towards Ryan Mason whose measured cross picked out Adebayor at the far post where the Togo international rose unmarked to head back across goal and inside the far post.
That should have been the springboard for Tottenham to put the game out of the visitors’ reach but while they continued to dominate possession, they failed to test Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul frequently enough.
And their faltering efforts in front of goal were summed up when Eriksen picked out Chadli, unmarked on the left of the box, with a precise chipped free-kick only for the Belgium international to volley high into the stands.
Newcastle’s first-half display had been dismal and Pardew responded by introducing Ameobi and Remy Cabella for the ineffective Gabriel Obertan and Vurnon Anita.
And the impact of the changes was felt immediately from the kick-off with Colback’s excellent pass inside Spurs defender Eric Dier allowing Ameobi to surge into the box and finish past Lloris.
Pochettino’s side appeared stunned while a rejuvenated Newcastle were transformed.
And they found a way through the home defence a second time in the 58th minute when Sissoko pressed forward from midfield and found Cabella, whose cross was headed in by Perez.
From then on Newcastle looked more likely to score than Spurs equalise, with the Magpies enjoying back-to-back league wins for the first time in nearly eight months. – Agence France-Presse
