Elanga and Wissa shine as Newcastle extend Spurs' worrying start
Newcastle United's Anthony Elanga celebrates the win. Pic: John Walton/PA Wire.
TOTTENHAM'S horrible home form continued as two goals in a ten-minute burst from Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa gave Newcastle their first league win of the season and left sad Spurs pointless and goalless at the bottom of the table.
Roberto De Zerbi blamed last weekend's 3-0 defeat at Brentford on a lack of match fitness from his players, who went on a money-spinning but energy-sapping tour of Australia and New Zealand in pre-season.
And some of the same issues that led to two successive 17th place finishes appear to be rearing their ugly heads again – terrible home form, a failure to take their chances, and more fitness and injury problems.
The latest player to miss out was Savio, the Brazilian winger who made a goalscoring debut in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, but was out of contention for this game with 'muscle fatigue'.
On the plus side, there was a Spurs debut for Savio's former team-mate Omar Marmoush, signed on loan from Manchester City earlier this week.
The Moroccan showed some good touches and hit a couple of decent volleys, but neither Marmoush nor his team-mates could find a way past Newcastle keeper Lukas Hornicek, who made good saves from Mathys Tel, Pedro Porro and Jan Paul van Hecke.
Newcastle, on the other hand, made the most of their few attacks with clinical precision.
Matthias Jaissle's side had managed just two shots off target before Elanga put them ahead in the 62nd minute with a smart shot on the turn after Amar Dedic headed on a long ball out of defence. Elanga's shot hit the inside of the far post before trickling over the line.
Ten minutes later, their second shot on target produced a goal, as Wissa flicked home a knockdown from Nick Woltemade following a corner. They rarely troubled Spurs keeper Antonin Kinsky thereafter, but did not need to. It was a proper smash-and-grab raid, and the Geordie fans were singing in delight long before the final whistle.
Yet they were booing every time their former midfielder Sandro Tonali touched the ball, as Tottenham's record signing struggled to cope with the pressure and the pace of the game. Yet he helped set up chances for Porro, playing as a stand-in winger, and Tel, whose end product was too often well below the standard of his wing play.
Tottenham were not terrible, and there were signs that once De Zerbi gets his best players fit, and they get to grips with his system, they can be an attractive attacking side. But just as at Brentford last week, they failed to take their chances and were beaten by a side who were well organised and clinical.
Lewis Miley was majestic in midfield, alongside Nico Gonzalez, making his debut after being signed from Manchester City in midweek.
In the closing stages, Tel fired a free-kick embarrassingly high over the bar, Mateus Fernandes volleyed wide from long range, and Newcastle's impressive left-back Lewis Hall cleared off the line.
But all Tottenham's efforts came to nothing, and they need to start winning and quickly, if they are to avoid another season of struggle.
Kinsky 7; Gray 6, Van Hecke 6, Van de Ven 6, Robertson 6; Tonali 5, Bentancur 6; Porro 5, Fernandes 6, Tel 6; Marmoush 6.
Hornicek 8; Dedic 6, Thiaw 7, Botman 7, Hall 7; Miley 8, Gonzalez 7; Elanga 7, Barnes 7, Willock 6; Wissa 7.
Peter Bankes 6/10.
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