Newcastle brushed off a disappointing UEFA Champions League (UCL) defeat to Marseille with an emphatic 4-1 win at Everton at the weekend, and started this match in that same vein.
There was lively play from the likes of Lewis Hall and Harvey Barnes, and Lewis Miley registered the hosts’ first shot on target after receiving it on the edge of the area, but he couldn’t place it either side of Guglielmo Vicario.
The home team only grew stronger as the half went on, and they were just inches away from the opener when Joelinton broke through and dragged his shot onto the far post from a tight angle.
Spurs responded well though, and were just as close to going ahead themselves as Lucas Bergvall’s inventive backheel from Mohammed Kudus’ cross brushed the top of the crossbar on its way over.
That was about it for the first half, but Eddie Howe’s side flew out of the blocks after half-time and went their closest yet. Barnes burst through and forced a strong save out of Vicario, but Kevin Danso’s clearance on the line to keep out Nick Woltemade’s subsequent header was even more crucial.
Newcastle were by far the better team and kept plugging away, finally getting their reward when Bruno Guimaraes pounced on a loose clearance, opened up his body and brilliantly placed into the bottom corner with 20 minutes to go.
They remained on the front foot, but were left stunned when their opponents eked out an equaliser seven minutes later with their first shot on target, as skipper Cristian Romero dived in front of Dan Burn to meet Kudus’ cross, finding the net with a thumping header.
But the late drama wasn’t over. There were questions over whether Rodrigo Bentancur’s hold on Burn was enough for a penalty, but VAR deemed it so, and Anthony Gordon stepped up to smash into the top corner – his first goal in the PL this season.
Then, deep into stoppage time, Romero audaciously produced an overhead kick after a corner was only half-cleared and saw it bounce past Aaron Ramsdale to earn Spurs an unlikely point.
They are still winless in five, but will be pleased with their perseverance. Meanwhile, Newcastle see a six-match winning home run evaporate at the final moment.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)
