- By Yann Tear at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Five for silver as Tottenham put sorry Magpies to flight
Tottenham (1) 5 Davies 43, Doherty 48, Son 54, Emerson 64, Bergwijn 83
Newcastle United (1) 1 Schar 39
Spurs are up to that all-important fourth place after recovering from a goal down to thrash the increasingly-bedraggled Magpies.
On an afternoon which seemed to get better and better for the hosts with each passing minute, the only surprise was that Harry Kane – so often the scourge of Newcastle – was not on the scoresheet for once.
They found themselves a goal down to the Magpies just before the break from a Fabian Schar free-kick but responded almost immediately with a glancing header from Ben Davies – the first of three goals in 11 minutes either side of the interval.
Matt Doherty netted just after the break from another of those viciously-angled Kane crosses which proved impossible to defend.
And with the away side now committed to playing forward, Spurs had all the space they needed to break out of defence at speed and it was no surprise when the ever-impressive Dejan Kulusevski took delivery of a fine Kane pass before centreing for Heung-Min Son to control and bury.
With Newcastle looking more and more dishevelled, Emerson Royal popped up to prod in a Doherty cross past Martin Dubravka and into the net off a post for his first of the season.
Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn came off the bench and combined late on to make it even more chastening for the Geordies with a tidy finish.
There could have been more. When Kane flighted another perfect ball into the inside left channel for Son to scamper onto, it was a shock that the South Korean scuffed wide with the goal at his mercy. Bergwijn volleyed over soon after his goal.
It had looked good for Eddie Howe’s side after 40 minutes and their organised approach saw them take a shock lead when Swiss defender Schar bent a shot around the wall that Hugo Lloris got a hand to but could not prevent from creeping inside his post.
The set-piece came after Son had upended Joe Willock with a clumsy challenge close to the edge of the area.
But Antonio Conte’s men hit back immediately when Son atoned for his error with a perfectly weighted and angled ball to the near post which Davies headed in. It was the Welsh defender’s first league goal for four and a half years.
Moments after the restart and the turnaround was complete when Kane played in that telling ball which was missed by Son at the near post but reached by Doherty at the far stick with a stooping header.
As further goals flew in chants of “Antonio” rang out from the South Stand from the massed bank of highly-satisfied customers.
Spurs: (3-4-2-1) Lloris – Romero, Dier, Davies – Doherty, Bentancur (Winks 75), Hojbjerg, Emerson Royal (Bergwign 81) – Kulusevski (Lucas Moura 76), Son – Kane. Subs not used: Sanchez, Rodon, Gollini, White, Scarlett, Bowden
Magpies: (4-3-3) Dubravka – Manquillo (Bruno 59), Schar, Burn, Targett – Willock, Shelvey, Joelinton (Murphy 59) – Fraser, Wood (Lascelles 70), Saint-Maximin. Subs not used: Dummett, Ritchie, Krafth, Darlow, Gayle, S Longstaff
