Magpies stoppage time Victory at Spurs
Written By: Robert Halter
Newcastle United looked to end a run of just one win in their last fourteen away games in the Premier League and move out of the relegation zone with the visit to Tottenham Hotspur, mid December, In the opening minute, from an assist by Danny Rose, a low drive by Harry Kane was turned away by the Geordies shot stopper, Rob Elliot, at full stretch. But on four minutes, Siem De Jong, had the miss fortune of blasting his shot at his own Newcastle team mate, Papiss Cisse, who blocked the path to goal. In the sixteenth minute, from a pass by Erik Lamela, a curling effort from Christian Eriksen, bent away from the right post. Four minutes later, a Dele Alli header from the centre of the box was missed to the right from a ball over from Kyle Walker. After a good spell from Spurs, the play returned to the Magpies in the thirty second minute, when Paul Dummett’s left wing cross was met with a cushioned header by Cisse, which drifted wide of the left post. But three minutes later, after build up play down the left with Tom Carroll and Rose, the ball found Lamela, whose looping strike was kept out by the acrobatics of Elliot, as he dived to his left and palmed away the strike with his outstretched right hand. Then on thirty seven minutes, when Kane’s knock on found Lamela, who broke through on goal, his rising effort required Elliot, to produce a double handed block, to push the ball over the upright. Although from the resulting corner by Eriksen, a rasping header by Eric Dier, crashed into the right side of the net, to give Spurs the lead within a minute of play. In the forty third minute, a shot by Eriksen cannoned off Magpies captain, Fabricio Coloccini, before a low strike from Rose, brushed past the face of the goal. A minute into the second half, a floating cross by Lamela on the right, was too far over for Kane, as the ball whistled wide of the target. But on fifty one minutes, a threaded pass from Moussa Sissoko, put Cisse free on the left, but his low drive, drifted past the right post. In the next minute, Walker spread the ball out to Kane, whose long distance strike required Elliot, to spring into action and avert the danger. Spurs pressed again during the next thirty seconds when from Alli’s cross, a header by Toby Alderwiereld, missed to the right in the centre of the area. On sixty one minutes, a ball over the top by Sissoko was met with a cushioned header by Cisse but the ball fell comfortably into the reach of the Spurs goalkeeper and captain, Hugo Lloris. The Magpies made the first change of Ayoze Perez for De Jong and Spurs then took off Carroll for Heung-Min Son. After Alli was appended by Perez, a bending free kick from Eriksen, was easily caught by Elliot, in the sixty ninth minute. Newcastle then replaced Cisse with Aleksandar Mitrovic. But the Lilywhites free flowing football continued as from Son’s pass, a snap shot by Eriksen was kept out by Elliot, on seventy one minutes. Although two minutes later, after a handball by Rose from a strike by Daryl Janmaat, from the resulting free kick on the right, Janmaat put a cross over to Coloccini, whose header resulted in a goal mouth scramble, when Chancel Mbemba’s nod down was saved by Lloris but the path was left open for Mitrovic, who squeezed the ball over the line from very close range, to bring the game back at level pegging. A late change was made by Tottenham as Lamela made way for Nacer Chadli. After Elliot pulled off a save from Alli in the eighty ninth minute from a pass by Eriksen, the tide turned Newcastle’s way at the end as they pressed for victory and went close as Sissoko whipped in a right wing cross which drifted past Mitrovic, who could not apply a connection. After Yoan Gouffran replaced Vurnon Anita, the game extended into stoppage time, and Newcastle completed their comeback with a late winner as Perez raced through and Lloris could only fumble the ball into his net as Perez latched onto a headed pass from Mitrovic from a ball over by Georginio Wijnaldum as the Magpies win moved them up to fifteenth place in the table.