Isak scores twice as Newcastle thump Spurs

Isak scores twice as Newcastle thump Spurs
Newcastle striker Alexander Isak has 21 goals in 34 games in all competitions this season

Alexander Isak’s rich goalscoring form at St James’ Park continued as Newcastle beat Tottenham to boost their hopes of European football next season.

Isak produced two clinical finishes to score in each half as he netted on home turf for the sixth consecutive match.

The striker now has 17 goals in 24 Premier League appearances this season.

Anthony Gordan and Fabian Schar were also on target for the Magpies, while Timo Werner had two chances for Spurs but his finishing let him down.

Newcastle’s emphatic victory lifted them up to sixth in the table – a point ahead of Manchester United, who face Bournemouth at 17:30 BST on Saturday.

Spurs dropped to fifth, below Aston Villa on goal difference.

Isak the latest in lineage of Newcastle strikers

From Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole to Malcolm Macdonald and Jackie Milburn, Newcastle’s fans have long held a special affinity for a goalscoring striker.

Isak may have the number 14 emblazoned on the back of his shirt, but the Sweden striker is cut from the same cloth as names typically associated with the fabled number nine.

In the Premier League era, only two men have scored in more successive games than Isak – Shearer (15) and Cole (eight) – to underline why he will quickly establish himself as a hero on Tyneside.

The double he scored in this one-sided victory over Spurs underlined his finishing prowess as Newcastle left the visitors dazed in the spring sunshine.

Isak opened the scoring after he received the ball from Gordon, cut inside, then powerfully struck a low shot into corner of the net.

Gordon added a second after he latched on to Pedro Porro’s miscued clearance, before Isak effectively made the points safe after the interval.

The 24-year-old initially looked to be offside when he burst through on goal, opened up his body and steered the ball past Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

But Isak had timed his run, from inside his own half, to perfection before he produced an ice-cool finish.

A hat-trick evaded Isak – Schar added a fourth with a header from a Gordon corner – but he was firmly the name on the lips of those streaming out of the Gallowgate End at the full-time whistle.

Werner’s woes as Spurs struggle

Tottenham had failed to find the net in only one of their past 43 league matches before this encounter.

There was a lot of promise in patches of their attacking play in the opening third of the game.

Newcastle’s defenders did a fine job of stymying the effectiveness of Son Heung-min, which left a player with 15 goals and nine assists this season a peripheral figure.

However, two fine chances did come the way of Germany forward Werner in the first half when the match was still a contest.

Werner lifted a volley high over the crossbar from a Brennan Johnson cross when he might have been better placed to head the ball.

The 28-year-old – on loan with Spurs from RB Leipzig – also scuffed a shot inside the penalty area when well placed.

Failure to capitalise on their chances, and some slipshod defending, resulted in a chastening defeat for Tottenham.

It was undoubtedly a setback for their Champions League hopes, even if manager Ange Postecoglou has being doing much to play down expectation.

With Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City to play in four of their next five games, Spurs need to be more clinical to finish in the top four.

Player of the match

IsakAlexander Isak

with an average of 8.91

Newcastle United

  1. Squad number14Player nameIsak

  2. Squad number10Player nameGordon

  3. Squad number39Player nameBruno Guimarães

  4. Squad number5Player nameSchär

  5. Squad number15Player nameBarnes

  6. Squad number33Player nameBurn

  7. Squad number23Player nameMurphy

  8. Squad number21Player nameLivramento

  9. Squad number32Player nameAnderson

  10. Squad number17Player nameKrafth

  11. Squad number20Player nameHall

  12. Squad number1Player nameDúbravka

  13. Squad number40Player nameWhite

  14. Squad number11Player nameRitchie

  15. Squad number3Player nameDummett

  16. Squad number36Player nameS Longstaff

Tottenham Hotspur

  1. Squad number13Player nameVicario

  2. Squad number7Player nameSon Heung-min

  3. Squad number22Player nameJohnson

  4. Squad number30Player nameBentancur

  5. Squad number38Player nameUdogie

  6. Squad number10Player nameMaddison

  7. Squad number16Player nameWerner

  8. Squad number23Player namePorro

  9. Squad number5Player nameHøjbjerg

  10. Squad number21Player nameKulusevski

  11. Squad number17Player nameRomero

  12. Squad number8Player nameBissouma

  13. Squad number37Player namevan de Ven

  14. Squad number12Player nameEmerson Royal

  15. Squad number29Player nameSarr

  16. Squad number18Player nameLo Celso

Line-ups

Newcastle

Formation 4-3-3

  • 1Dúbravka
  • 23MurphySubstituted forLivramentoat 78′minutes
  • 17Krafth
  • 5SchärSubstituted forDummettat 90+3′minutes
  • 33Burn
  • 36S Longstaff
  • 39Bruno GuimarãesSubstituted forWhiteat 90+3′minutes
  • 32AndersonSubstituted forRitchieat 89′minutes
  • 10Gordon
  • 14Isak
  • 15BarnesSubstituted forHallat 88′minutes

Substitutes

  • 3Dummett
  • 11Ritchie
  • 18Karius
  • 20Hall
  • 21Livramento
  • 29Gillespie
  • 40White
  • 54Murphy
  • 63Parkinson

Tottenham

Formation 4-2-3-1

  • 13Vicario
  • 23PorroSubstituted forEmerson Royalat 49′minutes
  • 17RomeroBooked at 56mins
  • 37van de VenBooked at 27mins
  • 38Udogie
  • 8BissoumaBooked at 47minsSubstituted forHøjbjergat 57′minutes
  • 30BentancurSubstituted forSarrat 57′minutes
  • 22Johnson
  • 10MaddisonBooked at 61minsSubstituted forLo Celsoat 81′minutes
  • 16Werner
  • 7Son Heung-minSubstituted forKulusevskiat 58′minutes

Substitutes

  • 5Højbjerg
  • 6Dragusin
  • 11Gil
  • 12Emerson Royal
  • 18Lo Celso
  • 21Kulusevski
  • 29Sarr
  • 33Davies
  • 40Austin

Match Stats

Live Text

  1. Match ends, Newcastle United 4, Tottenham Hotspur 0.

  2. Second Half ends, Newcastle United 4, Tottenham Hotspur 0.

  3. Substitution, Newcastle United. Paul Dummett replaces Fabian Schär.

  4. Substitution, Newcastle United. Joe White replaces Bruno Guimarães.

  5. Offside, Tottenham Hotspur. Timo Werner is caught offside.

  6. Substitution, Newcastle United. Matt Ritchie replaces Elliot Anderson.

  7. Substitution, Newcastle United. Lewis Hall replaces Harvey Barnes.

  8. Goal! Newcastle United 4, Tottenham Hotspur 0. Fabian Schär (Newcastle United) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Anthony Gordon with a cross following a corner.

  9. Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Micky van de Ven.

  10. Attempt blocked. Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Harvey Barnes.

  11. Foul by Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur).

  12. Sean Longstaff (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  13. Offside, Tottenham Hotspur. Timo Werner is caught offside.

  14. Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Elliot Anderson.

  15. Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Giovani Lo Celso replaces James Maddison.

  16. Emil Krafth (Newcastle United) hits the left post with a right footed shot from outside the box following a corner.

  17. Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by James Maddison.

  18. Substitution, Newcastle United. Tino Livramento replaces Jacob Murphy.

  19. Attempt blocked. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Timo Werner.

  20. Brennan Johnson (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

Read More

Zaļā Josta - Reklāma