Flashback Friday - Spurs 0-1 Newcastle Utd, 25 August 2019
Premier League, 25 August 2019.
TOTTENHAM 0, NEWCASTLE 1 (Joelinton 27).
TOTTENHAM: Lloris, Rose (Davies 88), Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, Walker-Peters (Lo Celso 62), Son Heung-Min, Winks, Lamela (Eriksen 62), Sissoko, Lucas Moura, Kane.
NEWCASTLE : Dúbravka, Dummett, Schar, Lascelles (Fernandez 82), Ritchie, Krafth, Saint-Maximin (Atsu 17), Hayden, Sean Longstaff, Almirón, Joelinton (Muto 88).
Att 59,245
Tottenham away. It's either a feast or famine.
We've had cup defeats with 14,000 away fans in dangerously Hillsborough-like conditions. We've had hammerings like in the league cup in 2014 and in the league when we were four down in 34 minutes in 2012, but we've actually had a decent amount of joy at both White Hart Lane or the Tottenham Stadium in the last thirty years.
We won three games in a row there unexpectedly a decade or so ago and injury time winners from Beardsley and Jenas were unforgettable. The one I'm going with though was completely out of the blue, typical Newcastle and the culmination of a sporting day of romance and pleasure that will take some beating.
As an NUFC supporter under Bruce and an England cricket supporter, you are used to kicks in the balls. It's the hope that kills you, whether you are standing drenched in an away end or lying listening to crackling radio as the Ashes gets away from us in bed at three in the morning.
Newcastle were two games in under Bruce, the first game saw a boycott (not Geoff), the second a honking defeat at Norwich. Already unloved, he wasn't helping himself. Over at Headingley, England (out for 67 in the first innings, which gets forgotten) were 286-9 chasing 362 to keep the Ashes alive.
Both were as hopeless causes as you can get.
Step forward Ben Stokes who hit 135 sensational runs in one of the all time great innings along with number 11 Jack Leach who stayed with him against the odds and cleaned his glasses in between to add to the craziness. The hairs on the back of my neck stood rigid when he hit the winning runs. Only a Newcastle goal could better it.
This was happening around an hour and a half before we kicked off in sweltering conditions on a Bank Holiday Sunday. The day was set up to be completely spoiled by Newcastle United.
Sporting an orange strip we had a game plan. Honestly. Get at them early and stay in the game. Longstaff had a shot clawed away by Loris very early on, but with two unmarked in the middle it wasn't the best option and another cross flew just wide. None of us seem convinced this could go on, especially when Saint Maximin went off after pulling up chasing an overhit Ritchie pass.
On came the dearly missed Christian Atsu and he immediately set up new £40m man Joelinton to put us ahead. Taking a Ritchie pass, Atsu chipped over the defender and Joe got ahead of his marker and slammed into the bottom corner for a really good finish which was out of character for his first few years here.
We couldn't could we?
Already buoyed by the fact this was more than we expected, our fans were magnificent, filling the air of that new stadium with unnerving backing which still brings a shudder of joy when I think back.
Five of the players starting were available for Old Trafford last Monday with two currently injured. This was before covid, it surely points out to any of us how we've got our money's worth out of this crop and how well Howe has managed them.
On this day we had less than twenty percent possession, but Tottenham had just two shots on target. Son was twice denied but our blanket defence snuffed out pantomime villains Kane (he had the fewest touches of all Spurs players) and Sissoko. Kane was unloved for a tackle on Lejeune and the latter for just being Sissoko.
We were disciplined, we worked our proverbials off (even Joelinton, who eventually went off with cramp ) and we got within touching distance until ten minutes from time when Lascelles brushed Kane and it went to VAR. This was still very very new and we expected the establishment club to get the penalty. To our shock, it rightly went our way. On we went.
The last few minutes were shockingly easy and despite an awful lot of injury time we held on for our first win against ‘Big six’ (dtop laughing!) opponents in fifteen matches.
This was some win. Newcastle were probably the same odds to win as England were when Leach came to the crease. What a result.
All was well in the world and though it was the falsest of dawns (Australia retained the Ashes and Newcastle were morbid for a few years yet) no one can ever take this day away.
The fact that within a few months I couldn't see the people I was at the match with, makes me think of this with even more rose tinted glasses. Nothing wrong with rose tinted glasses though.
One more thing that makes sport really way down the list in the big scheme of things was what happened to Atsu four years after he was darting around the Tottenham stadium.
A shocking end to life and one which gets some real perspective. Christian Atsu RIP.
Scott Robson
Loved that sunny day, I was there to see it all happen in glorious technicolour, with young Gids. I still think Billy Joel tripped the ball into the net, as he was in awful form.