Newcastle United (Home) 09.05.2018

Heung-Min Son’s driven cross from the left caused Martin Dubravka to punch the ball away at waist height, with the keeper having to be alert to claw away a Christian Eriksen free-kick that was heading towards the top right corner of the keeper’s net.  Hugo Lloris had to be sharp to get down to a low shot from Perez from just inside the box after he knocked over Jan Vertonghen, when the Magpies’ striker should have done better and Newcastle won a free-kick in the D outside the Tottenham box when Sissoko rashly brought Gayle down.  Shelvey took the free-kick and curled it against the outside of the post and off for a goal-kick.  It was a slow start and the white shirts were second to every ball and they were finding it difficult to create much, with Wanyama blasting high over the opposition goal from a half-cleared corner in the 25th minute.  Newcastle had another good chance a minute after, when Lascelles met a Shelvey corner and Hugo dived full-length to his right to push the ball away as it looked as though it might creep in at the post.

The Spurs contingent in the crowd were getting agitated when Perez crossed and Gayle got in behind Davinson Sanchez to win a header that he got underneath and put it too high.  Harry Kane hit a volley from the left of goal across the face and a bit later Jan Vertonghen strode forward to drill a shot at goal, but Dubravka was right behind it.  Two chances came quickly one after another at each end, with Gayle aiming a weak flick at goal and when Lloris gathered it with ease, he launched a long kick upfield that was chased by Harry Kane and with only the keeper to beat, he had a complete air shot and it ran through to the goalie. With the visitors having the better of the half, it got a little untidy as the match went through to half-time.

While the Spurs game was not coming together Dele played the ball to Kane who played a short pass to his right to Son, getting the return a couple of yards inside the box and lifting a side-foot effort into the top left corner past Dubravka’s despairing dive.  50 minutes gone and Spurs were perhaps a little fortunate to be in the lead.

A cleared corner was played back in and Jan forced the keeper to a save and he failed to hold it low down, but the ball was cleared before Kane could capitalise.  Newcastle hit back with Yedlin sliding a ball across the penalty area to the far side, where it was fed back in and Perez swung and totally missed the ball allowing Lloris to slide in with his feet to kick the ball away before Ritchie could get onto it.  Tottenham were beginning to put some passes together, but without much end result, although Sissoko played a square ball to Dele Alli on the edge of the box and his low shot was saved low at the foot of the keeper’s left hand post.  

A minute after coming on Jacob Murphy got away down the left, came inside Sanchez and from the corner of the six yard box he fired his shot wide of the angle on the other side of the goal when he really should have composed himself to hit the target.  Sonny made a dart into the box and went down under challenge from Diame but the ref showed no interest in giving a penalty.  The Newcastle midfielder was at fault at the other end when a corner dropped and Kieran Trippier got there first, but Diame caught the Spurs right back very late and picked up a rightful booking with ten minutes to go.

With five minutes of added time to play, substitute Erik Lamela played a reverse ball to another sub Danny Rose on his right, but with only the keeper to beat, the defender hit the ball low but straight at Dubravka.  A last chance free-kick was hoisted into the Spurs box, but although a blue shirt won the header, it looped gently into Lloris’ arms and the whistle went on the end of a poor Spurs performance, but all that mattered was the three points.

With Chelsea only drawing at home with Huddersfield and away at Newcastle on the final day, it gave Tottenham with home advantage in trying to seal a place in the top European competition against Leicester City at Wembley.