Tottenham 5-1 Newcastle: Player ratings as Spurs climb to fourth
By Sean Walsh
From Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - Spurs thrashed Newcastle 5-1 to leapfrog rivals Arsenal into fourth place in the Premier League.
Antonio Conte's men battled back from a goal down to earn a resounding win, and move ahead of their north London foes on goal difference ahead of their trip to Crystal Palace on Monday.
Harry Kane dragged a shot wide at the end of a tough opening 15 minutes for Tottenham, who were having real difficulty in breaking down Newcastle's well-organised low block.
An Eric Dier free-kick from just over 20 yards sailed wide soon after, while Joe Willock's close range effort seemed destined to find the net if not for a flying block from Cristian Romero.
Newcastle took the lead shortly before half time after Son Heung-min tripped Willock on the edge of Spurs' box. Fabian Schar's curling free-kick was too strong for Hugo Lloris to handle, and he palmed the ball into the side of his net.
A lengthy VAR check threatened to curtail the traveling Geordies' celebrations as the ball brushed Chris Wood's arm on the way in, but the goal was allowed to stand.
Spurs hit back immediately when Son's second cross - a real beauty - from a corner was looped in by Ben Davies.
Tottenham managed to turn the game on its head just after the restart, with Kane dropping into the right channel and crossing for his South Korean strike partner, but he was unable to get a touch on it, with Matt Doherty arriving at the far post to head home instead.
The ruthless hosts added a third when Kane released Dejan Kulusevski on the break and into acres of space, and the Swede's cross was controlled well by Son before he lashed past Dubravka.
After a decent spell of Newcastle pressure, Spurs went and notched a fourth through Emerson Royal, who got himself in front of Matt Targett to stab home at the near post from a clever dink by Doherty.
Son unbelievably didn't grab his second of the day when Kane sent him racing away again, but Spurs fans were nonetheless enjoying the day and Newcastle were collapsing under the weight of the hosts' quality.
But substitute Steven Bergwijn - who bemoaned his lack of club game time in the week - did grab a fifth when Lucas Moura's neat touch put him through on goal, and the in-form Dutchman made no mistake.
Tottenham secured their first league double over Newcastle since the 2018/19 season, while the hosts' winning run and visitors' losing streak were both extended to three games.
Tottenham Hotspur player ratings
1. Goalkeeper & defenders
Hugo Lloris (GK) - 4/10 - Should probably have done better with the opener. His kicking was a bit more accurate than usual.
Cristian Romero (CB) - 8/10 - Usually succeeded in his duals with Saint-Maximin and Wood. Was very composed with the ball at his feet and often ventured into the Newcastle half.
Eric Dier (CB) - 6/10 - Fine on the ball when afforded acres of space.
Ben Davies (CB) - 7/10 - Snuck between Manquillo and Targett to grab the equaliser.
2. Wing-backs & midfielders
Emerson Royal (RWB) - 7/10 - Spurs' spell of possession usually dies once the ball falls to the Brazilian, but he did very well to get into an attacking area to notch in his first goal for the club.
Rodrigo Bentancur (CM) - 7/10 - Some neat turns and passes between the lines but sometimes held onto the ball for too long. Improved in this aspect after the break.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (CM) - 6/10 - Brought much-needed physicality to clamp Newcastle down.
Matt Doherty (LWB) - 8/10 - Looked comfortable when coming inside but offered little down the flank. Great adventure to meet Kane's cross.
3. Forwards
Dejan Kulusevski (RF) - 7/10 - Carved out some decent openings but lacked dynamism. Did well to assist Son for Tottenham's third.
Harry Kane (CF) - 9/10 - Played as though he was unfit in the first half, but that definitely was not the case in the second. His superb contributions outside of the box saw Spurs run away with the lead.
Son Heung-min (LF) - 9/10 - Sloppy to begin with but kept plugging away, grabbing a vital assist and goal.
4. Substitutes
Harry Winks (75', CM for Bentancur) - 6/10
Lucas Moura (76', RF for Kulusevski) - 7/10
Steven Bergwijn (81', AM for Emerson) - 8/10
Newcastle United player ratings
5. Goalkeeper & defenders
Martin Dubravka (GK) - 4/10 - Not much he could do about any of the goals. But he did concede five of them.
Javier Manquillo (RB) - 2/10 - Lost the runs of both Davies and Doherty for Spurs' first two strikes.
Fabian Schar (CB) - 5/10 - A monster first half saw the Swiss pick out the far corner with a wonderful strike.
Dan Burn (CB) - 4/10 - Usually imperious, but did get wound up by Kane in the second half and Spurs capitalised on his lack of pace.
Matt Targett (LB) - 2/10 - Congratulations to Targett who became the first left-back to get completely swarmed by Emerson this season.
6. Midfielders
Jonjo Shelvey (CM) - 3/10 - Didn't offer control or an eye for a searching pass.
Joe Willock (CM) - 5/10 - Acted as a disruptor between the lines, earning the free-kick for Schar's opener.
Joelinton (CM) - 2/10 - In the wars early on but faded away. Only other notable contribution was shoving Bentancur to the ground. Hooked before he was sent off.
7. Forwards
Ryan Fraser (RW) - 3/10 - Didn't get much of a run at Doherty in what would have been a race the Scot surely would have won.
Chris Wood (CF) - 2/10 - Just offers very little when things aren't going Newcastle's way.
Allan Saint-Maximin (LW) - 5/10 - Looked dangerous every time he had the ball but didn't actually get much of a sight at goal.
8. Substitutes
Jacob Murphy (59', RB for Joelinton) - 4/10 - Didn't offer much, if at all.
Bruno Guimaraes (59', CM for Manquillo) - 4/10 - Brought on to bring more control to the game. Newcastle conceded four minutes later.
Jamaal Lascelles (70', CB for Wood) - 5/10