Newcastle United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
The Premier League started with a bang after Manchester United pulled off a superb victory against an equally impressive Leicester City squad. Both sides played exciting football, and there was hardly any moment of downtime as fans were treated to consecutive barrages of creative attacks and brave defending from both sides.
The bar was set high for the rest of the games of the League’s Game Day 1, and the Newcastle-Tottenham match did everything it could to add its own share of impressive Premier League 2018 highlights.
The 51,749-strong crowd at St. James’ Park saw quick action within the first 20 minutes of the game. While the rest of the match didn’t see any goals come in from both sides, there isn’t a single soul that will tell you that the game was a bore.
This game was a good showing from Mauricio Pochettino’s lads. They showcased their quality despite their lack of summer signings in the transfer window.
Highlights of the game
Rafael Benitez wanted to start this game right and fielded a 4-4-1-1 formation to deter Tottenham from pounding their defence. Meanwhile, Tottenham used their usual 4-2-3-1 with Lucas Moura manning the right wing instead of Son Heung-min.
The first five minutes saw the two sides feeling out the opposition and trying to find cracks in their respective formations. Matt Ritchie had a chance to put the Magpies ahead in the fourth minute when the rebound ended up with the ball in front of his feet. However, he put excess power in his shot as it bulleted wide of the post.
Tottenham, a club full of World Cup talent, scored the opening goal of the game before the ten-minute mark was even hit. Christian Eriksen, one of the more standout performers during the World Cup, fired a corner to Davinson Sanchez. The young Colombian then headed the ball to Jan Vertonghen, who avoided a flying foot of a Newcastle defender to get the ball past Martin Dubravka.
However, it wouldn’t take more than five minutes to put the game back on level terms. Ritchie started out the play from the right and fired a cross to the middle. Joselu cleverly beat the offside trap and headed the former Bournemouth man’s cross into the far side of the goal and away from World Cup winner Hugo Lloris. St. James’ Park roared to life, and the game was afoot once more.
The final goal came in at the 18th minute, and the setup for the goal was too similar to the first two. This time, it was Serge Aurier who supplied the beautiful cross from the right wing. It was sent to the other side of the goal for Dele Alli to simply smash into the net. He made sure that the goal was also fired away from Dubravka.
The rest of the game saw the two teams battle for one more goal without much success. However, both sides gave the crowd some ooh’s and ahh’s with their plays.
Eriksen fired another corner to Sanchez, but his effort for a goal ended with the ball flying past the right post. Mohamed Diame almost equalised in the dying minutes of the first half, unleashing a powerful shot from inside the penalty box. However, the ball hit the left post and ended the game with Tottenham still on top of things.
The second half was a rather quiet affair in comparison to the first, with most of the battles happening before the ball even reaches the final third of the pitch. Jose Rondon could have equalised in the 85th minute and pull off a remarkable comeback, but his mid-range effort was a few inches too high and hit the crossbar.
Tottenham then ensured that the Geordies wouldn’t be able to upset today’s Premier League 2018 predictions by playing smart football. The whistle was eventually blown and Spurs now have their three points to start their Premier League campaign.
Key statistics
There was quite a disparity between Tottenham and Newcastle when it comes to possession, with the visitors taking 60% of their time with the ball. However, Newcastle were a lot more productive with it.
They had just as many shots at the goal as Tottenham and could have equalised if it wasn’t for the heartbreaking block by the woodwork on Diame’s attempt. They also had more completed dribbles and won more aerial battles.
Vertonghen’s effectiveness on defence and his outstanding opening goal make him worthy of Man of the Match honours. He only wasted few passes, had more successful tackles, and didn’t lose control of the ball in the 95 minutes played.
What’s next?
SBOBET football fans will be eager to see how these teams will continue their form after this match.
Tottenham will have an interesting challenge against a new-look Fulham side as they play their final Premier League game at Wembley. The Cottagers are looking especially dangerous after making a myriad of signings in the offseason and will be looking to continue their good form.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have a chance to erase the negatives of this game and focus on getting their three points against Cardiff City. It will be quite a challenge for them to win in Southeast England, given their tendency to struggle in games away from St. James’ Park. However, Benitez needs to motivate his men to fight hard and go for the win here.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
