Tottenham Hotspur’s 14-game unbeaten run in the Premier League was wiped out on Sunday as Newcastle United won 2-1 at White Hart Lane.
Spurs were thoroughly dominant in the first half and went into the interval deservedly ahead thanks to Eric Dier’s third goal of the season.
However, Mauricio Pochettino’s side took their foot off the gas in the second period and were stung by goals from two substitutes, including this stoppage-time winner from Ayoze Perez…
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Aleksandar Mitrovic scored Newcastle’s equaliser 20 minutes before Perez’s winner.
Mitrovic’s leveller came out of the blue, but it served Spurs right for underestimating the Magpies, which they surely did after such an easy first half.
The result sees Spurs stay fifth in the table, missing out on an opportunity to replace Manchester United in the top four.
Spurs remain three points behind the Red Devils and only two points above ninth-placed Liverpool, despite Jurgen Klopp’s side being held to a 2-2 draw by West Bromwich Albion at Anfield.
Newcastle climb out of the relegation zone and rise to 15th, but we are going to focus on Spurs in this article. Check out our Tottenham player ratings below.
GK: Hugo Lloris – 5/10
Didn’t have a single save to make until the 74th minute, when he got down low to thwart Chancel Mbemba, only for Mitrovic to tap home the rebound.
Lloris can count himself unlucky for Mitrovic’s goal, but he was clearly at fault for Perez’s late winner, which skidded under his body from a tight angle.
RB: Kyle Walker – 5/10
A pedometer would tell you that Walker was very busy. And he certainly covered plenty of ground up and down the Spurs right.
However, he added little to Tottenham’s attack, while his defending constantly left fans on edge.
LB: Danny Rose – 7/10
Took a heavy knock in a challenge with Moussa Sissoko early on, but battled on for the entire 90 minutes.
Rose made six tackles – more than any other player on either side.
CB: Toby Alderweireld – 7/10
Strengthened his bid for the Premier League’s ‘signing of the season’ award with another pleasing display.
Alderweireld was generally good defensively. He also looked great on the ball and worried Newcastle with his vision and long-range passing on a couple of occasions.
CB: Jan Vertonghen – 7/10
Made a brilliant slide tackle to prevent Perez getting a shot away in the six-yard box when Newcastle were pressing for a winner.
Vertonghen also managed to usher Perez wide in stoppage time, but his sound positioning was in vain as he was let down by his goalkeeper.
CM: Eric Dier – 8/10
After worrying Spurs fans by limping off against Monaco on Thursday night, Dier’s return was greeted by a big cheer when the teams were announced before kick off at White Hart Lane. The cheering was even louder when Dier headed home from a Christian Eriksen corner to break the deadlock on 39 minutes.
Aside from his goal, Dier anchored Tottenham’s midfield superbly, just as he has done all season.
CM: Tom Carroll – 6/10
More than three years after making his Premier League debut, Carroll made his first start.
Building on his impressive midweek performance in the 4-1 Europa League win over Monaco, the Watford-born 23-year-old helped Spurs win the midfield battle convincingly in the first half. However, he struggled in the second.
Carroll picked up a yellow card for a tactical foul on 67 minutes, moments before he was replaced by Son Heung-Min (6/10).
AM: Erik Lamela – 6/10
Thursday’s hat-trick hero continued to win over some of this doubters, impressing with his work-rate and persistent closing down, but not so much his famous on-the-ball flair, which was slightly lacking.
Lamela came close to scoring twice in the first half, but was denied by excellent saves from Magpies goalkeeper Rob Elliot on both occasions.
The Argentine made way for Nacer Chadli (5/10) with five minutes remaining.
AM: Dele Alli – 5/10
Some have called him the next Steven Gerrard, which may not be as ridiculous as it sounds.
However, Alli didn’t live up to his hype in this match.
AM: Christian Eriksen – 7/10
Lined up on the left side of Tottenham’s three-man attacking midfield unit, but he drifted around a lot, frequently coming deep to instigate attacks, while Alli and Lamela pushed forward to support Kane. However, when Eriksen did get in and around Newcastle’s penalty area, he looked a real threat – both with his shots and incisive passes.
Eriksen supplied an excellent delivery for Dier’s goal.
ST: Harry Kane – 6/10
Having been fully rested for the first time all season in midweek, Kane looked incredibly fresh early on. It took him less than 60 seconds to force Elliot into the game’s first save. He had the Newcastle goalkeeper at full stretch in the second half too.
Kane spent much of the game in the no.10 position, strengthening calls for Spurs to invest in another central striker to play ahead of him when the transfer window reopens in January.
He seemed to be trying too hard to make something happen as the game wore on.
Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane look crushed after the final whistle blows with the score Tottenham 1-2 Newcastle.