Hugo Lloris saw two mistakes punished as Newcastle United beat Tottenham 2-1 on Sunday to move up to fourth in the Premier League.
Antonio Conte s men hoped to bounce back at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after a chastening defeat to Manchester United in midweek, but Newcastle were good value for the win – even if they had a helping hand.
Decent chances fell to Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, but two errors from Lloris helped Callum Wilson and the in-form Miguel Almiron put Eddie Howe s side 2-0 up and leave Spurs stunned.
Kane pulled one back early in the second half, yet Newcastle ensured it was only a consolation as they moved to within two points of their third-placed hosts.
5/61 Miguel Almirón has scored five goals in his last five Premier League appearances, with his previous five goals in the competition being spread across 61 matches. Energised.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
A purposeful start saw Spurs go close three times through Son early on, with Nick Pope twice denying him and also producing a smart stop to thwart Kane.
But Newcastle looked dangerous when going direct, and one such situation spawned the opener.
Lloris met Fabian Schar s long pass and collided with Wilson, who turned and lofted into the empty net from 30 yards with Spurs given no VAR reprieve.
Their captain was suspect again just before half-time.
His pass was cut out by Sean Longstaff, who headed on to Almiron, and he squeezed a shot under Lloris after breezing past Clement Lenglet.
Newcastle threatened at the start of the second half as well, but a Spurs counter led to a corner and Lenglet s flick-on was nodded in by Kane at the back post.
That was hardly the precursor to a dramatic turnaround, however.
Spurs created precious little as an attacking force thereafter, with Newcastle seeing out a something of a statement win in north London.
What does it mean? Magpies flying high
Spurs had won each of their previous eight home games in the Premier League, a run they had only ever bettered once before in the competition.
That should tell you all you need to know about what a statement victory this was for Newcastle, whose ability to remain so defensively assured and composed after Kane s goal is worthy of praise in itself.
However, it is fair to say Spurs find themselves in a bit of a slump – they remain third in the table but have now lost three of their past five league games.
Played like Almiron
The classless comment Jack Grealish made during Manchester City s title celebrations has been mocked a lot lately, and that does not look like changing anytime soon.
That is because Almiron is in such a rich vein of form, his wonderful goal here making it five in as many Premier League appearances – his previous five took 61 games to tally.
Son made to rue misses
Most of Son s five attempts were half-chances really, but he should have scored when one-on-one with Pope in the first half. His ultimately feeble effort prevented Spurs taking the lead, and looking back, that proved rather crucial.
Key Opta Facts
– Newcastle will end the day in fourth position in the Premier League – it is the first time they’ve been in the top four of the table with as many as 12 games played since April 2012 (fourth after 35 games).
– No team have lost fewer games than Newcastle (one) in the Premier League this season. Indeed, this is the joint-fewest defeats the Magpies have had after 12 games of a Premier League campaign, along with 1994-95, 1995-96 and 2011-12 – they finished in the top six in each of the previous three instances.
– It has taken Kane only 12 games to reach 10 goals for Spurs in the Premier League this season, with this the soonest he has done so in his career. In 2021-22, Kane did not score his 10th league goal until his 25th game of the season.
– Kane has scored in each of his last five home games in the Premier League, netting exactly once in each match. This is his longest scoring streak in home games for Spurs in the competition.
– Wilson s opener for Newcastle was his first Premier League goal from outside the box since January 2019 (for Bournemouth v West Ham). Indeed, only two of his 65 goals in the competition have been scored from outside the box.
What s next?
Spurs now turn their attention to the Champions League as Sporting CP visit on Wednesday. Newcastle return to action on Saturday when they host Aston Villa.
