Rampant Newcastle United hit Tottenham Hotspur for six to go third in EPL
LONDON – Newcastle United obliterated Premier League top-four rivals Tottenham Hotspur with a five-goal salvo in the opening 21 minutes on the way to a 6-1 rout at a rocking St James’ Park on Sunday.
Magpies manager Eddie Howe said: “That’s the reaction we wanted (after the defeat by Aston Villa) and an incredible start. The crowd were incredible for us.
“Not really (expecting that). You don’t expect that. The quality of our finishing was incredible. They weren’t stick-on goals. We were lethal in front of goal.
“Everything about our first half an hour was where we want to be.”
A game billed as a crucial six-pointer in the race to secure Champions League qualification was effectively all over before the clock had reached 10 minutes as fifth-placed Tottenham collapsed like a pack of cards.
Jacob Murphy got the scoreboard ticking in the second minute after Hugo Lloris spilled a Joelinton shot and, four minutes later, Joelinton rounded Lloris to slot in his side’s second goal.
Murphy then belted in Newcastle’s third from long range after Tottenham conceded possession and there was a sense of disbelief in the stadium as Alexander Isak produced two clinical finishes in the space of two minutes to make it 5-0.
It was the second-earliest a team had taken a five-goal lead in Premier League history after Manchester City scored five in the opening 18 minutes against Watford in 2019.
Tottenham’s fans high in the Leazes Stand had no stomach for any more humiliation, with many heading for the exits and the long journey back home long before half-time.
Spurs captain Lloris said on Sky Sports: “It’s very embarrassing. We should apologise to the fans. We didn’t show a good face and we could not match the performance of the Newcastle players.
“We were late in all aspects of the game and we completely missed the first part of the game. The second half is a different story but it’s really painful.
“It is not even about tactics, we just could not fight... You can get punched once or twice, but it was like we could not even react or bounce back.”
The only question left was whether Newcastle would claim their biggest Premier League victory and whether Tottenham could avoid their heaviest top-flight defeat.
Tottenham improved after the break, although it was hard not to, with Harry Kane slotting in a consolation goal four minutes into the second half, but Callum Wilson scored Newcastle’s sixth one minute after coming off the bench.
It was the perfect response by Newcastle to last week’s 3-0 defeat at Villa and took them a big step closer to a return to the Champions League for the first time for 20 years.
Newcastle moved above Manchester United into third place on goal difference with 59 points, six more than fifth-placed Tottenham, who have also played a game more and whose hopes of a top-four finish now look to be all but over.
At the Vitality Stadium, a pair of quick-fire goals by Michail Antonio and Lucas Paqueta and an acrobatic scorpion strike from Pablo Fornals helped West Ham United to a 4-0 away win over Bournemouth on Sunday that moves them further away from the Premier League relegation zone.
The Hammers are in 13th spot on 34 points, six ahead of 18th-placed Everton and 10 clear of bottom side Southampton, while Bournemouth’s shambolic defensive performance sees them slip one place to 15th on 33 points. - REUTERS
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