Newcastle United 4-0 Tottenham: Alexander Isak double secures victory

Newcastle striker Alexander Isak has 21 goals in 34 games in all competitions this season

Alexander Isak’s rich goalscoring form at St James’ Park continued as Newcastle beat Tottenham to boost their hopes of European football next season.

Isak produced two clinical finishes to score in each half as he netted on home turf for the sixth consecutive match.

The striker now has 17 goals in 24 Premier League appearances this season.

Anthony Gordan and Fabian Schar were also on target for the Magpies, while Timo Werner had two chances for Spurs but his finishing let him down.

Newcastle’s emphatic victory lifted them up to sixth in the table – a point ahead of Manchester United, who face Bournemouth at 17:30 BST on Saturday.

Spurs dropped to fifth, below Aston Villa on goal difference.

Isak the latest in lineage of Newcastle strikers

From Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole to Malcolm Macdonald and Jackie Milburn, Newcastle’s fans have long held a special affinity for a goalscoring striker.

Isak may have the number 14 emblazoned on the back of his shirt, but the Sweden striker is cut from the same cloth as names typically associated with the fabled number nine.

In the Premier League era, only two men have scored in more successive games than Isak – Shearer (15) and Cole (eight) – to underline why he will quickly establish himself as a hero on Tyneside.

The double he scored in this one-sided victory over Spurs underlined his finishing prowess as Newcastle left the visitors dazed in the spring sunshine.

Isak opened the scoring after he received the ball from Gordon, cut inside, then powerfully struck a low shot into corner of the net.

Gordon added a second after he latched on to Pedro Porro’s miscued clearance, before Isak effectively made the points safe after the interval.

The 24-year-old initially looked to be offside when he burst through on goal, opened up his body and steered the ball past Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

But Isak had timed his run, from inside his own half, to perfection before he produced an ice-cool finish.

A hat-trick evaded Isak – Schar added a fourth with a header from a Gordon corner – but he was firmly the name on the lips of those streaming out of the Gallowgate End at the full-time whistle.

Werner’s woes as Spurs struggle

Tottenham had failed to find the net in only one of their past 43 league matches before this encounter.

There was a lot of promise in patches of their attacking play in the opening third of the game.

Newcastle’s defenders did a fine job of stymying the effectiveness of Son Heung-min, which left a player with 15 goals and nine assists this season a peripheral figure.

However, two fine chances did come the way of Germany forward Werner in the first half when the match was still a contest.

Werner lifted a volley high over the crossbar from a Brennan Johnson cross when he might have been better placed to head the ball.

The 28-year-old – on loan with Spurs from RB Leipzig – also scuffed a shot inside the penalty area when well placed.

Failure to capitalise on their chances, and some slipshod defending, resulted in a chastening defeat for Tottenham.

It was undoubtedly a setback for their Champions League hopes, even if manager Ange Postecoglou has being doing much to play down expectation.

With Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City to play in four of their next five games, Spurs need to be more clinical to finish in the top four.

Player of the match

IsakAlexander Isak

Newcastle United

Squad number14Player nameIsak

Squad number10Player nameGordon

Squad number39Player nameBruno Guimarães

Squad number5Player nameSchär

Squad number15Player nameBarnes

Squad number33Player nameBurn

Squad number23Player nameMurphy

Squad number21Player nameLivramento

Squad number32Player nameAnderson

Squad number17Player nameKrafth

Squad number20Player nameHall

Squad number1Player nameDúbravka

Squad number40Player nameWhite

Squad number11Player nameRitchie

Squad number3Player nameDummett

Squad number36Player nameS Longstaff

Line-ups

Newcastle

Formation 4-3-3

1Dúbravka

23Murphy17Krafth5Schär33Burn

36S Longstaff39Bruno Guimarães32Anderson

10Gordon14Isak15Barnes

1Dúbravka23MurphySubstituted forLivramentoat 78’minutes17Krafth5SchärSubstituted forDummettat 90+3’minutes33Burn36S Longstaff39Bruno GuimarãesSubstituted forWhiteat 90+3’minutes32AndersonSubstituted forRitchieat 89’minutes10Gordon14Isak15BarnesSubstituted forHallat 88’minutesSubstitutes3Dummett11Ritchie18Karius20Hall21Livramento29Gillespie40White54Murphy63Parkinson

Tottenham

Formation 4-2-3-1

13Vicar

23Porro17Romero37van de Ven38Udogie

8Bissouma30Bentancur

22Johnson10Maddison16Werner

7Son Heung-min

13Vicario23PorroSubstituted forEmerson Royalat 49’minutes17RomeroBooked at 56mins37van de VenBooked at 27mins38Udogie8BissoumaBooked at 47minsSubstituted forHøjbjergat 57’minutes30BentancurSubstituted forSarrat 57’minutes22Johnson10MaddisonBooked at 61minsSubstituted for Lo Celsoat 81 ‘minutes16Werner7Son Heung-minSubstituted forKulusevskiat 58’minutesSubstitutes5Højbjerg6Dragusin11Gil12Emerson Royal18Lo Celso21Kulusevski29Sarr33Davies40Austin

Live Text

Match ends, Newcastle United 4, Tottenham Hotspur 0.

Second Half ends, Newcastle United 4, Tottenham Hotspur 0.

Substitution, Newcastle United. Paul Dummett replaces Fabian Schär.

Substitution, Newcastle United. Joe White replaces Bruno Guimarães.

Offside, Tottenham Hotspur. Timo Werner is caught offside.

Substitution, Newcastle United. Matt Ritchie replaces Elliot Anderson.

Substitution, Newcastle United. Lewis Hall replaces Harvey Barnes.

Goal! Newcastle United 4, Tottenham Hotspur 0. Fabian Schär (Newcastle United) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Anthony Gordon with a cross following a corner.

Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Micky van de Ven.

Attempt blocked. Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Harvey Barnes.

Foul by Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur).

Sean Longstaff (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Offside, Tottenham Hotspur. Timo Werner is caught offside.

Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Elliot Anderson.

Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Giovani Lo Celso replaces James Maddison.

Emil Krafth (Newcastle United) hits the left post with a right footed shot from outside the box following a corner.

Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by James Maddison.

Substitution, Newcastle United. Tino Livramento replaces Jacob Murphy.

Attempt blocked. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Timo Werner.

Brennan Johnson (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

2024-04-13 14:28:18
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