It regarded as if historical past was about to repeat itself.
Spurs have suffered some painful defeats at St James’ Park lately and it felt as if this was the newest after Anthony Gordon put Newcastle United again in entrance late on.
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“It is occurring once more,” Newcastle supporters chanted after their facet took a 2-1 lead within the Premier League on Tuesday. “Tottenham Hotspur – it is occurring once more!”
However there could be a really totally different sense of deja vu contained in the stadium at full-time after Spurs captain Cristian Romero scored a dramatic Ninety fifth-minute overhead kick.
Simply as towards Liverpool in August and Arsenal in September, Newcastle conceded a stoppage-time sucker punch towards a member of the established order at dwelling.
No different facet have thrown away extra factors – 11 – from profitable positions within the Premier League this season than Eddie Howe’s crew.
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Soccer isn’t so easy, after all, however Newcastle could be loads greater than thirteenth place within the desk had they managed to recover from the road after taking the lead towards Spurs – not to mention towards Brentford, West Ham and Arsenal.
Remarkably, Newcastle could be high if that they had they seen out these 4 video games – as a substitute they sit 11 factors behind leaders Arsenal, who they gave up three factors to.
“It is an actual unusual one,” Howe mentioned. “Typically this stuff go in cycles and occur, and you’ll fairly work them out, like our away type. That is one other one.
“Traditionally we’ve got been superb at seeing video games out and navigating robust conditions, managing the sport. We have now obtained to attempt to re-find that shortly as a result of it is costing us necessary factors.”
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Wounded Spurs given encouragement
But Newcastle appeared to have shaken off these points on dwelling soil, a minimum of.
After one way or the other dropping to Arsenal in September, regardless of nonetheless being forward within the 83rd minute, Howe’s facet gained six straight dwelling video games in all competitions.
No surprise, then, in his programme notes earlier than the Spurs recreation, defender Dan Burn declared: “Beneath the lights at St James’, I all the time fancy our probabilities.”
Not least towards a weak Spurs facet who had gained simply certainly one of their earlier seven video games.
However whereas Newcastle discovered a remedy for his or her journey illness with a 4-1 win at Everton on Saturday – their first away league victory since April – their profitable run at dwelling was halted.
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Substitutes Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon had made essential contributions – the Newcastle captain opened the scoring earlier than his team-mate put the hosts again in entrance from the spot within the 86th minute after Romero’s diving header had made it 1-1.
However quite than seeing the sport out, and holding maintain of the ball, Newcastle gave Spurs encouragement to imagine {that a} late equaliser was potential after 9 minutes of stoppage time had been added on.
“I actually favored the character and the mentality within the crew with what they confirmed after three robust video games,” Frank mentioned.
“It is the fourth recreation in 10 days, a 3rd away recreation. A really tough place to go down two occasions and are available again reveals every little thing in regards to the willingness and mentality within the crew.”
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‘Typically it turns into a worry of conceding’
Newcastle, although, will rue the way of that second Tottenham equaliser.
On an evening when Spurs had not precisely peppered the Newcastle aim, the hosts kindly gifted their guests their second shot on course within the dying minutes.
Aaron Ramsdale, who’s filling in for injured goalkeeper Nick Pope, elected to punch substitute Mathys Tel’s nook but it surely didn’t clear the field and the ball looped up invitingly inside the world.
What occurred subsequent felt prefer it was occurring in sluggish movement.
Romero, who had earlier sounded a warning in entrance of aim, was given the time and house to line up his overhead kick as no Newcastle participant attacked the ball.
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There was nonetheless a chance for somebody to maintain it out, however the ball bobbled previous a sea of black and white shirts and crept previous Ramsdale, who was sluggish to react.
St James’ was shocked.
It introduced again reminiscences of Rio Ngumoha’s One centesimal-minute winner for Liverpool again in August and Arsenal defender Gabriel’s 96th-minute knockout blow in September.
“You may look again to every second and establish the error or part of the crew not doing its job,” Howe mentioned. “The job for us is to teach the crew to be higher in these conditions and that is what we are going to endeavor to do.
“However typically it turns into psychological, typically it turns into a worry of conceding and also you do concede. There’s a lot that goes into it, however we’ve got obtained to search out methods once we are in entrance to be higher and often our greatest type of defence is to assault and I encourage us to try this on a regular basis.
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“Typically it’s important to settle for that you simply’re not in that place within the recreation to do it, and also you simply need to see it out and defend higher. At present was a type of moments the place we did not do it.”
