Jose Mourinho blames Tottenham players for defensive lapses against Newcastle

Jose Mourinho has pinned the blame on his players after another shaky defensive performance cost Tottenham victory over Newcastle on Sunday.

Spurs travelled north knowing they had the chance to move into the top four after Chelsea fell to a shock defeat against West Brom on Saturday. For 86 minutes, it looked as if they would get there, as a Harry Kane double overturned Joelinton's early opener to put Mourinho's team in control.

But there was to be a cruel twist of fate from a Spurs perspective as Arsenal loanee Joe Willock arrived at the back post to steal a point for the Magpies.

Spurs have come under some criticism for their defensive lapses of late. They threw away their Europa League campaign from a seemingly secure position against Dinamo Zagreb, and while a 2-0 win over Aston Villa temporarily put their worries to one side, they all came rushing back out here as they dropped points from a winning position once more.

"I am frustrated. We needed to win the match and we came to win," Mourinho fumed to BBC 5 Live after the game.

"We were not far from winning it but, at the same time, we created some instability on the game with so many individual defensive mistakes that we made.

"We always gave Newcastle a chance to be in the game.

"Of course, we had the biggest chance of the game to make it 3-1 and kill it, then we concede a game the next minute."

Mourinho is known for the defensive solidity of his teams, and it was put to him after the match that his Spurs side aren't living up to that reputation. He was quick to shed the blame for that, suggesting it's the players, and not his management, who are the problem.

"Same coach, different players," he said.