From Hugo Lloris who shot the ball out of his net in 28 minutes, to Harry Kane who shot home his second goal of the game in 34 minutes, Tottenham Hotspur played as a top four team.
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The traveling side constantly fed the ball into the feet of Tanguy Ndombele, and the Frenchman avoided tackles and charged forward with a fiery drive to penetrate the back line.
Newcastle did not lead for long! ?
Fantastic turn from Tottenham, and Harry Kane is on double! ?
Emphasizing finish from Spurs principal …
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Spurs fullbacks flew up and down the flanks, desperate to get in position to throw a post into the box from an overlap, and Kane hovered in the risk zone, waiting for his moment to strike.
During the five and a few minutes, Spurs found the back of the net on two occasions, the first with a stroke of luck and the second through a fantastic build-up game. Kane was at the end of both chances and showed exactly why he is the best striker in the Premier League and why he deserves to play in the Champions League on an annual basis.
The chemistry between Kane and Ndombele was great to witness, with the former Lyon midfielder relentlessly popping into space to try to slide a smart ball through the defense and into the hungry England captain.
The importance of the pass to help Kane secondly was a beauty, as was the striker’s first touch and deadly finish.
He deserves better STU FORSTER / Getty Images
For six minutes, Spurs played as a team that could undo the very best in the league. They showed that they can be adventurous, exciting and creative and have connections between players who should be able to blow away other teams.
So why did we not see that spirit after Kane found the net for the second time on Sunday afternoon?
Tottenham visibly retreated into their shell after taking a 2-1 lead against Newcastle Untied and returning to their previous tactics of trying (and failing) to frustrate their opponents by inviting pressure and sitting deep.
Frankly, it’s a criminal system to deploy against a team as vulnerable and low-confidence as the Magpies, and these tactics are even more bizarre when considering the staff of Spurs’ backline.
Spurs attack on Spurs defense pic.twitter.com/ERUCOGsTa5
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If you want to absorb pressure and frustrate opponents with a solid backscreen, Davinson Sanchez is not the man you want in the heart of your backline. The Colombian midfielder has the potential to become a top defender, but the way Mourinho plays football only reveals all the shortcomings in his game.
And given the lack of success this tactic has had during the season, a more flexible manager would probably consider mixing it up, especially against one of the worst teams in the league.
So if there ever was a day to explode out of the traps and kill a game in half an hour, it was here. Still, Newcastle had at one point succeeded with 15 shots and Spurs had only collected four.
Another bitterly disappointing result | Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA / Getty Images
For once, Steve Bruce’s men were good value for a Premier League point and could argue that they were more deserving of all three. The hosts ended the match with 19 goal attempts, while Mourinho’s men combined with 11 shots.
The Magpies even reached an expected goal (xG, for you millennia) north of 4 – the third highest sum of any team this season.
Tottenham were so bad that they made Bruce’s Newcastle look like a good, fully functioning and exciting football team – and there can be no more condemning conclusion than that.
The frustrating truth is that the Spurs had fewer shots on goal, fewer shots off target and fewer blocked shots than the fourth worst team in the Premier League, and yet they still scored two well-executed goals.
Choking a yawn, maybe | Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA / Getty Images
This is because this team is packed with incredible attacking talent and midfielders who love to cut out chances and provide one of the best strikers in world football. There is enough quality in this group to comfortably finish among the top four, despite what Mourinho will tell you.
Right now, the attack must be the best form of defense for Tottenham, and if Mourinho is too ignorant to admit it, then Daniel Levy must wonder what in the world he has let in for north London.
