Newcastle vs Tottenham result: Harry Kane’s headed double boosts Spurs’ hopes of Europe

Newcastle United 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur: The Spurs captain scored two second-half goals to take the game away and put his side back into the picture for a place in next season’s Europa League

Harry Kane’s 200th and 201st club goal of his career saw Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-3 win over Newcastle United. A journey that began for Leyton Orient way back in 2011 continued here in 2020 with a brace that confirmed a professional away win.

It was a second in four days, coming after the North London Derby. Similarly here, it was Son Heung-Min who would get on the scoresheet first for Spurs. Of course, consternation has never been far away from them this season, and when Matt Ritchie fired in an equaliser, you did wonder if this was to be two steps back after Sunday’s one forward.

But Newcastle were on level terms for barely four minutes before Kane scored his first and then netted his second on 90 minutes to quell any late threat. With that, the home side’s unbeaten run, which began after a New Year’s Day defeat to Leicester City, came to an end.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the game came an hour before it began with the news of Serge Aurier in the starting XI following the murder of his younger brother, Christopher, on Monday. That he was at fault for the goal conceded was of little real consequence in every sense. He will fly home to France in the next 24 hours to be with his family as he and they try and comprehend such a tragic loss.

This was a match pitting two managers in very contrasting situations. One softly spoken, doing quite well but facing an uncertain future. The other as razor-tongued as they come, whose shtick has become less “us against them” and more “me me me against them". One he will continue well into the 2020/21 season.

Son Heung-min celebrates with Giovani Lo Celso (EPA)

Therefore it almost feels insignificant to run through the ways in which Newcastle were better – Steve Bruce giving Allan Saint Maximim are more central role – or how Jose Mourinho’s side lacked a bit of cutting edge. By the time Spurs had a shot on goal, the host’s had seven. So, of course, it was Spurs who took the lead on 27 minutes.

It was their first shot on target: one that owed itself to a bit of scrap rather than superior quality. Giovanni Lo Celso’s battling saw him sprawling on the edge of the Newcastle box to work the ball to Son-Heung Min. A cut inside and shot through the legs of Deandre Yedlin was enough to beat Martin Dubravka.

The opener carried with it more than simply putting the hosts 1-0 up. For Lo Celso, it was a first assist in his 26th Premier League appearance. A notch in a recognisable column to offer some tangible acknowledgement of the fact the Argentine has been Spurs’ best player over the last few weeks.

This was also Son's 11th goal which, combined with 10 assists, has this statistically as his best season, even if the perception – and it’s not incorrect – will have you thinking otherwise. Anecdotally at least, the club’s malaise has been reflected in the form of its high profile assets, of which Son is one of the most dynamic.

Newcastle would hit the post before half-time: an engaging move with Ritchie pining the ball out to Shelvey for a whipped cross that Dwight Gayle deftly flicked on at the near post but off the far one hinted at avenues out wide to target space in the box. And that would be how their equaliser came on 56 minutes.

Valentino Lazaro, on for Yedlin, broke from the right, carrying in-field and drawing defenders to him like flying ants to your business. While he, like Lo Celso, would finish on the floor on the edge of the box, an awry clearance from Aurier arrived at the feet of Ritchie. One touch out of the Scotsman’s feet was all it took to create space for a second touch to rifle into the top corner, far beyond the reach and so quick it may have even been out of the sight of Hugo Lloris.

Harry Kane directs a header past Newcastle's Martin Dubravka (Reuters)

There was not much time to dwell on level terms, nor for Spurs to panic. Steven Bergwijn, who arrived a minute after Ritchie’s strike, had enough space on the right to curl the perfect cross onto the forehead of Kane three minutes later. A double century for Kane – his 184th for the club – and, more presciently, the reestablishing of a lead that would be held right to the end.

Newcastle did not stop trying to find that second leveller, ticking over to 22 shots – the most since the same amount against the same opposition in December 2003. But only six were on target and to compound that inefficiency in the last minute of regulation time, a break from Erik Lamela – started from Kane – saw the Spurs’ captain follow-up with a diving header from the rebound that came from Dubravka’s save from Lamela to register not just his second goal but his team’s second shot on target.

The regular numbers do more justice to Newcastle's work than the 1-3 scoreline. Of course, only one of those actually matters.