Tottenham 1-2 Newcastle: Depleted Spurs' struggles continue in narrow home defeat
Tottenham’s dismal run of form and ongoing selection crisis both worsened again as they blew another home lead to lose narrowly 2-1 to Newcastle.
In their first Premier League fixture of 2025, struggling Spurs delivered a spirited second-half display against one of the division’s most in-form sides but were unable to prevent another demoralising defeat after Dominic Solanke’s early header was cancelled out quickly and controversially by Anthony Gordon, with Alexander Isak then striking what proved to be the winning goal before half-time.
Spurs have now won just one of their last eight league games to pile more pressure on under-fire manager Ange Postecoglou, while a sixth successive win for Newcastle across all competitions - their best run of form under Eddie Howe - moved them up to fourth and level on points in the Champions League race with Chelsea before the Blues drew at Crystal Palace later in the day.
Despite a rare week off, Tottenham’s selection crisis had only deepened on Saturday with a sickness bug compounding their ever-lengthening injury list that will now include Destiny Udogie again for the next six weeks after a hamstring issue sustained in the chaotic 2-2 draw with Wolves last weekend.
Third-choice goalkeeper Brandon Austin made a long-awaited competitive debut for the club nine years after joining with No2 option Fraser Forster ill and No1 Guglielmo Vicario still sidelined, while Timo Werner was given his first start since being hooked at half-time and publicly criticised by Postecoglou during last month’s Europa League draw at Rangers.
Captain Heung-min Son, James Maddison and Yves Bissouma were all surprisingly left on the bench ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg tie against Liverpool, while Rodrigo Bentancur was suspended again as Djed Spence, back from his own ban, Pape Matar Sarr and teenager Lucas Bergvall were also drafted in and Dejan Kulusevski handed the skipper’s armband.
For Newcastle, the fit-again Sven Botman made his first appearance since last March after a long-term knee injury, starting in place of the suspended Fabian Schar as former Spurs defender Kieran Trippier made way for Tino Livramento at right-back.
It was a wildly open start to the game, as is so often the case with Postecoglou’s Tottenham, who were ahead after only four minutes when Solanke beat Botman to guide a fine diving header into the bottom corner after a brilliant cross from Pedro Porro.
But it took just 140 seconds for Newcastle to equalise, another England hopeful getting on the scoresheet in front of watching new Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel as Gordon rifled low pass Austin on the angle after being picked out by Bruno Guimaraes.
Spurs and Postecoglou - who said afterwards that he was the angriest he had ever been in his career - were furious and wanted handball given against Joelinton after Bergvall’s attempted pass out had clearly hit him on the hand, but referee Andy Madley did not give it and VAR Chris Kavanagh deemed that the Brazilian’s arm was down by his side, in a natural position and that the contact was accidental.
Botman made a vital block to deny Solanke a second goal before Newcastle began to take control against their weakened opponents, with Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali increasingly influential in midfield.
Austin denied Gordon and Isak nudged wide from close range, though the in-form Swede did score seven minutes before half-time when he tapped in after Jacob Murphy’s low cross had been touched into his path by Radu Dragusin.
It was a seventh straight Premier League game with a goal for Isak, joining club icon Alan Shearer and current team-mate Joe Willock as the only players to achieve that feat for the Toon.
Tottenham were dealt yet another fitness blow at the interval, running out of available senior centre-backs as Dragusin - who, along with Archie Gray, had also struggled with illness this week - was replaced by forgotten man Sergio Reguilon and full-back Spence was called upon to partner midfielder Gray in the most makeshift of central defensive partnerships.
Spurs defied their significant absentee list to deliver a spirited showing in the second period and did not concede again despite those defensive injuries, with Brennan Johnson smashing against the post from a difficult angle after Martin Dubravka had got down well to deny Sarr.
Gray made a pivotal block to thwart Tonali and Gordon fired over before being left bloodied and needing treatment after colliding with the shoulder of Kulusevski inside the Spurs box.
Son, Maddison and Bissouma were all sent on past the hour mark as Tottenham grew in confidence in search of an equaliser, with Austin then having the wind taken out of him following another in a series of confident claims under the high ball that marked a solid debut and saw him take man-of-the-match honours.
Fourth-choice goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman was not needed in the end and Spurs went closest to a second-half leveller when Maddison whipped a glorious effort agonisingly wide of the far post after a short-corner routine.
Johnson and Reguilon both fired across the six-yard box as the Tottenham pressure ramped up once more, albeit without really testing Dubravka.
Botman limped off on his return for Newcastle with what manager Howe later described as cramp, with Solanke twice going close with headed efforts in 10 minutes of stoppage time and Austin saving from substitute Harvey Barnes as the visitors - also in Carabao Cup semi-final action in midweek against Arsenal - held on for another valuable win in their resurgence.
