The second half of another wretched Tottenham performance was only three minutes old when home supporters started singing the name of former manager Mauricio Pochettino, prefaced with the line: “He’s magic, you know.”
As good as the Argentinian coach is, however, he is no miracle worker, and that is what Spurs need now if their season is not to go into complete meltdown and end in relegation.
This latest defeat, which was Newcastle’s first league win for over a month, means Tottenham are now dangerously close to the relegation zone, having failed to win a league game so far this year.
Thomas Frank should not shoulder all the blame, because this is the result of years of poor recruitment culminating in the weakest set of players in living memory.
Spurs have also been hit hard by injuries, with another coming last night.
But it is hard to see how Frank can turn this around under these circumstances, and supporters know it. There was loud booing at half-time and on the final whistle, and plenty of empty seats throughout a thoroughly miserable evening for the club, as fans voted with their feet and stayed away.
By contrast, Newcastle’s hardy band of fans were singing long after the final whistle as their team put on a sparkling display to reward their loyalty. Eddie Howe has been under pressure after a run of only one win and five defeats in their previous nine games, but he was able to celebrate with the club’s supporters on a wet and windy night in north London.
There is certainly more turbulence ahead for Tottenham, though. Their next game is at home to league leaders Arsenal, and on this form, they have no chance. Tottenham’s only two victories in their past ten games have come in the Champions League, and they are sliding ever closer to the bottom three.
They already have close to a dozen players unavailable, and the injury list lengthened again when Wilson Odobert limped off after twisting his right knee on the half-hour mark. By that stage, Newcastle had been much the better side in a frantic game that was high on effort but low on quality.
The visitors forced nine corners in the opening half-hour, the most by any Premier League side in the first half of a game this season, but the closest they came to scoring was when the ball hit Sven Botman in the face and flew over the bar from close range.
Spurs created little of their own in response, except for a Xavi Simons shot wide and a Dominic Solanke shot that was well blocked.
Joe Willock thought he had broken the deadlock in the 44th minute when he raced on to a through ball from Jacob Ramsey and fired past Guglielmo Vicario, but he was fractionally ahead of Micky Van de Ven when receiving the ball and referee Anthony Taylor changed his mind after VAR’s intervention.
But Tottenham’s reprieve lasted less than five minutes, as Malick Thiaw gave Newcastle the lead they thoroughly deserved. Anthony Elanga had been given the freedom of north London to cross from the right, and when he swung in yet another pinpoint delivery, Thiaw met it with a powerful downward header. Vicario did well to save, but his defenders let him down and Thiaw was quickest to react, prodding the loose ball home from barely two yards.
Cue the now traditional booing at half-time by those Spurs supporters who had made the effort to attend – and judging by the vast swathes of empty seats, plenty of others had chosen to stay at home.
Spurs had a glorious chance to equalise in the 53rd minute after Archie Gray ran from right back to the opposition byline before cutting back a low cross. Unfortunately, the hapless Mathys Tel spooned the ball so high over the bar that it almost hit the cockerel statue on the roof of the huge south stand.
But Gray, one of the few bright sparks from Spurs, persisted and volleyed home a close-range equaliser in the 65th minute after Pape Matar Sarr headed a Simons corner back across goal.
The goal simply spurred Newcastle back into life, and another goal looked inevitable and it came within three minutes.
Van de Ven had to make a trademark sliding tackle to block a goalbound shot from Harvey Barnes, but when Tottenham’s counter-attack broke down, Nick Pope transferred the ball downfield, Anthony Gordon danced into the penalty area from and prodded a pass in for Ramsey to sweep home first time with his left foot.
The result was never in doubt after that, with Spurs looking a beaten team and Newcastle the latest team to turn around a poor run of form at Tottenham’s expense.
The old joke about Dr Tottenham giving ailing teams a timely boost has never been more prevalent, nor less funny for their fans. The final months of the season will determine their fate, and the question is whether Frank will still be in charge.
Vicario 7; Gray 6, Dragusin 6, Van de Ven 6, Spence5; Sarr 6, Gallagher 6 (Kolo Muani 70), Bissouma 4 (Palhinha 46); Odobert 5 (Tel 35), Solanke 5, Simons 5.
Pope 6; Trippier 6, Botman 8, Thiaw 7, Burn 6; Guimaraes 7, Ramsey 7 (Tonali 75), Willock 7 (Woltemade 88), Elanga 7 (Murphy 75), Gordon 7 (Osula 88), Barnes 7.
Anthony Taylor 6/10
