Premier League - Spurs deepen Newcastle woe

Eurosport - Mon, 20 Apr 09:38:00 2009

Newcastle slumped closer to relegation with a 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur that leaves them four points from Premier League safety.

2008-2009 Tottenham-Newcastle - 0

Darren Bent's first-half goal was enough to settle a match that the home team dominated and should have won more convincingly.

Alan Shearer's men have five games to maintain their top-flight status, but their performance over the first hour at White Hart Lane suggests they have little hope.

Things picked up a little after the introduction of Obafemi Martins, but the result means they remain second from bottom on 30 points, four behind Blackburn Rovers and Hull City.

Tottenham moved to within a point of seventh place, which would give them a place in the Europa League that looked unlikely for most of the season. Spurs have won six of their last eight league games.

The visitors might have found themselves a man down as early as the second minute when Sebastien Bassong clumsily hauled Bent down in front of goal, but referee Mark Halsey deemed the coming-together a simple tangle rather than anything more malicious.

Tottenham's technical superiority allowed them to enjoy two-thirds possession, while they took the ball off their opponents with embarrassing ease.

Newcastle cannot be faulted for their endeavour, but they simply looked like relegation fodder as they were outclassed in every department of the pitch.

Harry Redknapp will be concerned over the loss of centre-back Michael Dawson to what looked like a twisted ankle, and the 25-year-old was carried off on a stretcher after landing awkwardly following an aerial challenge.

With Ledley King's troublesome knee keeping him on the sidelines, Redknapp had to deploy substitute Alan Hutton at right-back and slide Vedran Corluka to the centre.

The goal came on 24 minutes after a rare foray forward for Newcastle, with Kevin Nolan shooting straight at Heurelho Gomes from the edge of the box.

Fifteen seconds later the ball was in Steve Harper's net, although Spurs benefited from two large slices of luck. As they counter-attacked Luka Modric's through-ball, intended for Robbie Keane, was deflected by Bassong into the path of Bent.

Harper parried Bent's initial shot but the rebound fell straight to the striker who slotted into the unguarded net from close range.

Tottenham proceeded to toy with their opponents, passing through them in slick, stylish fashion but failing to add a killer second.

Tom Huddlestone went close with three long-range piledrivers, while Modric had a shot that deflected off two defenders, with the second touch off Bassong bouncing fortuitously into the arms of Harper.

As the second period wore on, Tottenham grew increasingly anxious at their inability to add to Bent's opening goal.

Shearer acted decisively, bringing strikers Martins and Mark Viduka off the bench, and the former had a goal disallowed.

Gomes came rashly out to meet a corner and was left in no-man's-land as a clearance thwacked into the Nigerian's hand and he drilled the ball in off the right-hand post.

Referee Mark Halsey awarded handball, but his assessment that Martins handled deliberately was a harsh one.

Martins again looked lively when he won an aerial duel with Corluka in unorthodox fashion and tested Gomes with an instinctive shot.

His energy and invention put Newcastle skipper Michael Owen to shame. The £17 million signing was completely anonymous and few will shed a tear when he leaves St James' Park on a free transfer this summer.

Martins went on to have a penalty appeal turned down, then shot over from close range. He must surely start the remainder of Newcastle's games if they are to have any chance of survival.

Alex Chick / Eurosport

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  1. I see Mr. Keane has found a big club who can match his­ ambitions at last. Good luck Roy and Ipswich

    From Bob R, on Thu 23 Apr 8:36AM

  2. cameron whoever,
    i will tel you why its better for the­ prem for you scum to go down.
    1. Over rated team
    2. Fat­ ugly fans
    3. Dont wear shirts at games cause cant­ afford them, fattys.
    4. Sihte fans, thick as @#$%
    5.­ And it will be good for the north east to only have one­ team in the prem.
    so go kiss Tony Ks fat backside.

    From Ian, on Thu 23 Apr 5:45AM

  3. d.makin
    i have absolutely no problem with your view;­ that's fine, it's your opinion and you are­ welcome to it. However, d.makin, please enlighten us as­ to how it will be for the good of English football for­ Newcastle United to go down. A club that sends­ thousands of fans to rival grounds, thus boosting their­ finances no end!!!! Will the Chairmen of Fulham and­ Wigan think you are correct; losing upwards of 10,000­ travelling Newcastle United fans to their grounds in­ place of a few hundred from Swansea or Burnley? So you­ are telling me that Wigan and Fulham losing hundreds of­ thousands of pounds in lost revenue is 'for the­ good of English football' are you? Think before you­ open your sad, bitter mouth . . . . loser! You are­ upset because i claimed it would be good for English­ football if Everton won the FA Cup Semi-Final; my­ reason for that being that it freshens the competition­ up seeing a team other than the self-proclaimed­ 'big-4' in there. Fair reasoning i thought,­ sorry if i offended you; no harm was meant - are you­ perchance one of those touchy manchester united fans?­ Anyway, i have explained my logic, now then you clown,­ explain to me why it would be for the better of English­ football if Newcastle United get relegated. I await­ with baited breath you out and out pillock you!!!!

    From cameron w, on Wed 22 Apr 10:41PM

  4. I think Newcastle united are @#$%..For the good of­ English football,they must go DOWN!!

    From David, on Wed 22 Apr 9:07PM

  5. Just been to the safc pages and nobody is posting; why­ don't you tramps pay attention to your own club­ instead of posting your bitter, jealous rantings here.­ That is after all your problem; safc HAVE ALWAYS, AND­ ALWAYS WILL BE, in the shadow of the big boys up the­ road at Newcastle upon Tyne . . . .THE BIG CITY!!!!!!!­ Scruffy tramps, that's all you are; in-bred,­ illiterate and poor. You all wish you lived here; you­ have the cheek to call us but why do all your­ 'footballers' live here and socialise here!­ Because Wearside is a hovel, that's why; full of­ in-bred pikey thieves like T(IT) and Downside100. Sorry­ jack; they had it coming!!

    From cameron w, on Wed 22 Apr 7:19PM

  6. and as such, i think you will end up looking rather­ silly.
    Now toddle on you scruffy little tramp, and go­ get some cream for your mum's g(enital) warts.
    As­ for d.makin, what is your point?
    That thread has run­ its course, yawn; come on man, get with the programme!

    From cameron w, on Wed 22 Apr 5:43PM

  7. . . . . i think the mighty safc will muster only one­ more point before the season ends -

    From cameron w, on Wed 22 Apr 5:37PM

  8. TTIOT
    how many times do you need reminding; it is not­ us that say we are a 'big club', it is YOU, you­ clown! You are a sad little thing aren't you, of­ very limited education also. Do you have a father­ TTIOT, or is your mother just another s(lag) claiming­ all the benefits she can shaft out of the state?

    From cameron w, on Wed 22 Apr 5:36PM

  9. Just had a quick look on the sunderland board and at­ the time I am writing this 2 of the 6 articles have­ comments from mackems and one of them is having a pop­ at Phil Brown! Need I keep making my point? Get a life­ and talk about your own "club". Discuss the­ £1 tickets and Wheeeeeees keys are theeeeeeeeeeese keys­ etc.

    From Bob R, on Wed 22 Apr 1:54PM

  10. You've just proved my point. Another mackem­ obsessed with the club from the big city up the road,­ that people have actually heard of when he scrapes­ enough of his giro together to go on a cheap holiday to­ Spain from NEWCASTLE airport.

    From Bob R, on Wed 22 Apr 1:42PM

  11. Bob R you seem a little upset my little skunk,
    Why­ would that be ?
    Club in bottom 3 ?
    Club in turmoil ?­
    Club in the hands of yet another scheister ?
    Club up­ for sale ?

    Could these be some of the reason's­ for poor Bob R being a bit tetchy ?

    From TTIOT, on Wed 22 Apr 12:25PM

  12. well iveworked it out andwe should fair pretty well­ against barnsley, blackpool and watford, i see us­ fighting for a play off place in the championship nexy­ year no problem. look out ahead i see an iceburg. we­ going down your right guys. blub blub. byeeeeee

    From steve, on Wed 22 Apr 3:52AM

  13. For the good of English football...Newcastle united­ MUST go down!! LOL!!

    From David, on Tue 21 Apr 7:43PM

  14. Q. What have Newcastle and sunderland fans got in­ common?

    A. They are both obsessed by and spend all­ their time talking about Newcastle United.

    Jog on back­ to your own board boys. I think someone made a comment­ on their a week last Tuesday.

    From Bob R, on Tue 21 Apr 6:37PM

  15. Even if you win your 3 home games and you finish 5th­ bottom. Will you be happy ?
    Afterall a "big­ club" like yours should be nowhere near the­ relagation zone !!!!!!

    From TTIOT, on Tue 21 Apr 9:16AM

  16. cartoon army hav fun playing in championship next­ season

    From scott.arrowsmith2, on Mon 20 Apr 8:29PM

  17. Jack, get yourself back on here mate; i'm afraid­ your fellow 'supporters' just ain't got any­ class, and are really lowering the tone - don't­ like to use the word 'scum' myself but hey man­ jack, look at the S(h)ite they've been posting. To­ insult Wor Bobby, a gentleman and an ambassador for the­ North East is a disgrace and has no place on these­ pages. In fact jack, where they all come from!!!­ I've never heard of 90% of them; they all seem to­ have crawled out from the woodwork all of a sudden. It­ ain't over yet jack, bigger miracles have happened,­ just look at fulham last year and west ham before that­ - and there have been several times when a team has­ comefrom nowhere to be dropped.

    From cameron w, on Mon 20 Apr 7:29PM

  18. I'm an NUFC fan but realisticly can you honestly­ see us winning our 3 home games ? No niether can I­ unless there is a drastic improvement, we've only­ won 6 games all season, nothing makes me think­ we'll win our last 3 home games now !As for the­ Liverpool game, damage limitation, try to keep it below­ 3/4 goals against if possible lads, Villa ? mmm, maybe­ a draw, but I reckon it will be all over by then anyway­ so who gives a F*** any more.
    But after last summers­ transfer debacle should we be supprised by the position­ we are in ? I'm certinly not

    From GRAEME, on Mon 20 Apr 4:25PM

  19. oh deear newcastle i fear the games up relying on that­ has been owe all this time ha sbeen your down­ fall.

    shoudl also have ditched freddie shepherd years­ ago

    From paleondrome, on Mon 20 Apr 2:03PM

  20. I can see us getting something at Villa as by then I­ dont see them having anything to play for as the will­ be out of the Champions league running but safe in the­ Europa cup or whatever the UEFA cup is now called.­ Could probably be the same for the mackems as I reckon­ Chelsea will be out of the title race by then and could­ be there for the taking. Ever the optimist me. Anyway­ Newcastle beer isn't just about Broon Ale there are­ loads of good little breweries around the town. I agree­ the nobnuts who smash up the Toon after a bad result­ give us all a bad name.

    From Bob R, on Mon 20 Apr 1:42PM
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