After securing four points from their opening two games of the Premier League campaign, Tottenham fell to a disappointing 1-0 loss at home to Newcastle United. Joelinton was able to prove the doubters wrong with the one and only goal of the day in North London, calmly slotting in a 27th minute winner.
Positives
Son Heung-Min was able to produce a solid performance after returning from suspension, and aside from the goal, Tottenham were able to neutralise the majority of attempts from Newcastle. The full-backs were happy to come forward, and their free-flowing positional play rarely caught them out.
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Negatives
There was a lethargic feeling from Tottenham, who just didn't seem all too interested until the dying embers of the game. They were clumsy in possession and their attacking stars were never really able to get going, suffering from a smothering Magpies backline that were more than prepared for anything that was thrown at them.
Manager rating out of 10
Mauricio Pochettino, 5 -- The Argentine put forward a 4-2-3-1 formation for the hosts, which wound up leaving Harry Kane pretty isolated. While his first two substitutions were positive there was no back-up plan, with the third and final substitution of Ben Davies coming too late in the day and being a questionable decision in itself.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Hugo Lloris, 6 -- Produced a strong save to prevent Sean Longstaff in the 23rd minute. Coped well with any and all shots that came his way aside from the goal, which was a well-placed effort from Joelinton under pressure.
DF Kyle Walker-Peters, 6 -- Showed plenty of drive but was forced off of the ball on occasion, struggled with a hamstring issue just after the hour mark. Was substituted in the 62nd minute.
DF Davinson Sanchez, 4 -- Didn't look comfortable on or off the ball, and his poorly timed header helped Joelinton to open the scoring in the 27th minute.
DF Toby Alderweireld, 6 -- The Belgian was key in a series of interceptions to prevent the visitors from adding to their lead. Didn't play much of a role in Newcastle's opener.
DF Danny Rose, 5 -- Wasn't shy to come forward into the final third, but his defensive frailties were clearly on show. Poor positioning played a key role in Joelinton's goal. Substituted in the 88th minute.
MF Moussa Sissoko, 6 -- Kept things ticking along nicely in the middle of the park, but never showed enough urgency to cause Newcastle any real problems aside from a squared cross into Moura in the 81st minute.
MF Harry Winks, 6 -- An early yellow card led to a more reserved performance than usual from the England international. Wasn't able to dictate the pace and seemed to panic on the ball.
AMF Eric Lamela, 5 -- Was able to open up some space on occasion but his final delivery was lacking throughout the course of the game, most notably during a well-positioned free-kick early in the second half. Substituted in the 62nd minute.
AMF Son Heung-Min, 7 -- The South Korean forward was the most creative player in Spurs' starting XI, creating opportunities and bringing players around him into the game. Had a bouncing shot saved in the 33rd minute following a nice one-two with Walker-Peters.
AMF Lucas Moura, 5 -- Was active in large portions of the game, but his final touch and finishing was poor. Couldn't get underneath a golden opportunity in the 81st minute that would've handed Spurs an equaliser.
FW Harry Kane, 5 -- Boxed out of the game from the first minute until the last, Newcastle marked the Englishman out of the game and never gave him a chance to get into a rhythm. Was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when brought down byJamaal Lascelles.
Substitutions
MF Giovani Lo Celso, 7 -- Showed real initiative when coming on with a number of strong surges into the box. Through ball led to Kane's penalty shout.
MF Christian Eriksen, 6 -- His vision allowed Tottenham to carve out a few chances in the final half hour. Wasn't able to pull the trigger for most of his tenure on the pitch, but a nice shot in 91st minute caused Newcastle some concern.
DF Ben Davies, N/A -- Came on too late to make any kind of noticeable impact.