Newcastle United swept aside Tottenham Hotspur in an emphatic 5-1 victory with 10 men at St James’s park on Sunday night.
The Spurs will now finish third behind Arsenal, as Mauricio Pochettino and his men needed a minimum of a draw to claim the runner-up mantle.
Georginio Wijnaldum put Newcastle in front in the 19th minute, after Daryl Janmatt swung a ball into the box which was poorly headed away by the visiting defence.
Aleksandar Mitrovic deepened Tottenham’s wound with a bullet of a header just before halftime, after Kyle Walker failed to challenge in the air, yet Erik Lamela thought he had given his team a chance to fight back with a goal smashed in at the near post. At 2-1 down, goal scorer Mitrovic was then sent off for a dangerous foul on Walker. However, going down to 10 men did not stop the Magpies.
Anthony Taylor made an interesting decision that originally ended Tottenham Hotspur’s chances to level, but Newcastle made sure that they could not get a point with two more goals on top. Taylor gave the penalty away after a challenge from Jan Vertonghen on Moussa Sissoko. There appeared afterwards that there was no contact, and Wijnaldum collected his second goal of the game.
Rolando Aarons then made it 4-1 with five minutes to go, following up from a shot by Andros Townsend which smashed off the cross bar. Janmaat then sealed the deal moments later.
Newcastle United will go into the Championship with an emphatic final day win in the Premier League over Spurs. It is a pity that Rafael Benitez was not brought in sooner, as he could have kept them up with more time.
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‘Auf Weiderseihn Prem Tyne To Go’
Newcastle may have been relegated from the Premier League, but their performance today did not reflect that situation. The Magpies were leading 2-0 by halftime through goals from Wijnaldum and Mitrovic, with the Tottenham defence to blame both times as a poor header and a moment of ball watching allowed the hosts to take advantage. Is it a little late for the Geordies? If they had played like this earlier in the year, then maybe Newcastle would not be in the Championship next season. To go into the second division with a performance like this will give the fans and the team a large boost, however. Let us hope Rafael Benitez stays.
Tottenham Suffer More Misery
Dropping points against Chelsea lost them title, losing to Southampton and now Newcastle have lost the second place to rivals Arsenal. Spurs have already guaranteed Champions League football, but to finish third rather than runners-up after a season like this will be extremely upsetting. The team will be very annoyed with themselves, but Newcastle played very well to take all three points, even if the Lilywhites were a little unlucky at some points. To win 5-1 against this season’s Tottenham team is an unbelievable achievement.
Was it a red card and was it a penalty?
Yes. Mitrovic went in with his studs high up on the ankle, which could have resulted in a much worse injury for Kyle Walker. The Serbian was rightly sent off, and it was a poor attempt at a tackle especially after his presence in the game. Mitrovic had scored and also delivered the assist for Wijnaldum, so the dismissal is a poor way to end his Premier League season. Walker then had to come off for Nacer Chadli himself. At the other end of the field, referee Taylor ruled a Vertonghen challenge as a penalty where there was minimal contact, leaving Wijnaldum to score his second goal of the game.
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