Newcastle benefit as Ba feels like old self

For almost seven months, it’s made for grim post-match viewing, never-ending re-runs of those bad days at the office, but finally Demba Ba can settle back and feast his eyes on a welcome reminder of what he does best.

The Newcastle forward willingly put himself in the uncomfortable position of reviewing DVDs of games from his lengthy score-sheet hiatus in an attempt to identify exactly where he was going wrong. It’s proved to be a valuable exercise in self-help, one that ultimately paid-off, with a single, telling swing of the boot to break the deadlock early in the second half.

“I’ve spent a lot of time after games, watching them over again and analysing them, seeing what I had to do to change the bad stuff and that’s why I am back scoring,” he said after scoring for the first time since February with a memorable effort.

Ba’s 17 goals last season arrived in a four-and-a-half month window from late September. He added: “A lot of things were going on last season, I was playing out wide for a lot of the time and while I wasn’t frustrated at not scoring, I didn’t get enough of the ball.”

His tally might have been doubled, but for the swift intervention of Hatem Ben Arfa, who quickly claimed the ball after being upended in the area by Rafael van der Vaart, the Dutchman who compounded a miserable second-half cameo from the bench by conceding the decisive late penalty.

The Frenchman confidently dispatched the ball as Brad Friedel dived in the opposite direction.

Despite an equaliser from Jermain Defoe, who poked home the rebound after Tim Krul saved his initial header, for Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas, it all started as it had ended, with defeat against a team in stripes.

A single-goal reversal at WBA in March spelled the end of his tortuous nine months in charge at Stamford Bridge. While he won’t suffer a similar fate just yet, a failure to earn a share of the spoils from a game where they struck the woodwork though Defoe and Gareth Bale underlined the work needed to be done in what remains of the transfer window.

“It was a decent performance, but with the result it’s a bitter-sweet situation,” said Villas-Boas. “Of course after any defeat there is disappointment, but I have to say it’s good to be back.”

The FA will study referee Martin Atkinson’s report today before deciding whether to charge Alan Pardew with improper conduct.

The Newcastle manager shoved the assistant referee in his petulant protests over nothing more important than a second-half throw-in. “I’m embarrassed and I’ve apologised because I was 100 per cent in the wrong,” Pardew said.

NEWCASTLE (4-4-2): Krul 7, Simpson 7, S Taylor 7, Perch 7, Santon 6; Ben Arfa 7, Tiote 7, Cabaye 7, Gutierrez 6; Ba 7 Cisse 6

Subs: Anita (Cabaye 71) 6, Obertan (Ba 85) 6.

Not used: Harper, Williamson, Gosling, R Taylor, Amalfitano.

TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Friedel 6; Walker 6, Kaboul 6, Gallas 7, Assou-Ekotto 7; Sandro 7, Livermore 7; Lennon 7, Sigurdsson 6, Bale 6; Defoe 7

Subs: Van der Vaart (Sigurdsson 68) 5, Kane (Sandro 85) 6.

Not used: Cudicini, Vertonghen, Naughton, Jenas, Townsend.

Referee: Martin Atkinson 6.