In a game where Tottenham were very relaxed and Newcastle had other issues on their mind, it was never going to be pretty. But Spurs played their game from the first minute and capitalized on a wandering Newcastle team who are still without a win in 5. Even Paulinho got Man of the Match! Plus Harry Kane became the first Tottenham Hotspur player to score 30 goals in a single season since Gary Linekar in 1991-1992, so despite the dire game, there are some positives.
Michel Vorm- 6
Newcastle hardly threatened the Spurs goal and when they did, the scored, but Vorm had a solid game, despite the goal. It’s nice to know that even when Lloris isn’t able to play we have a good keeper who can organize a defense and keep the fans positive that we have a good backup on standby.
Eric Dier- 6
Similar to Vorm, Dier dealt with the danger of Perez, Cabella and Obertan well enough when called up and showed that he is slowly developing into a good central defender, as well as a good right back who is defensively more competent than Walker, more experienced than Yedlin and just flat out better than Chiriches. Some maybe calling for an England call up for Dier, seeing as he is already an integral part of the under 21 set up.
Federico Fazio- 6
Fazio was better than last week, which to be fair wasn’t exactly hard to better. He was part of a pretty solid defensive performance, and dealt with Perez’s threat with ease and showed how strong his and Vertonghen’s partnership is. In a slow game, the pace and style of the game really suited him and his style of play.
Jan Vertonghen- 6
Similar to Fazio, he returned with style as the attack of Newcastle was stifled with relative ease. Our best partnership at the back is most likely Vertonghen and Fazio and it showed here today. Not much to comment on except from the fact this man is the vice captain and not Harry Kane.
Danny Rose- 6
Again, another great showing from Rose as he bombed up the left flank and supplied Chadli with a good outside option. His development over the course of the season shows how far he has come from “that goal” against Arsenal. Maybe a starting place ahead of Leighton Baines in the England squad?
Nabil Bentaleb- 8
Had a good game overall, yet again, showing why he is one of the first names on the team sheet. Simple passes coupled with subtle moments of pure class show why he should have been nominated for PFA Young Player of the Year. One of the players who really showed his worth in the match.
Paulinho- 8
Its true It’s true, Paulinho did get Man of the Match and did have an absolute blinder, but one thought that seemed to come up a lot was whether a move was on the horizon. Either way, it was refreshing to see him put in such a good performance.
Nacer Chadli- 7
Sporting his new Samurai hair bun, Chadli repeated his feat from last season by scoring against Newcastle at St. James Park. His strike from outside the box was the pinnacle of his game as he was rather subdued in the second half before being replaced for Mousa Dembele.
Christian Eriksen- 7
In the first half, Eriksen started off brightly but never did much in terms of creativity, but when the second half came, he seemed to wake up. His goal from the free kick managed to fly past everyone including Tim Krul and capped off a good game for the Dane.
Erik Lamela- 4
There is only so much time that Spurs fans can defend this man. Time after time, they stick up for him whilst he does near enough nothing in every game except give away the ball and run around. I think his time Is up at the club, as he isn’t getting any better, and for £30 million, he shouldn’t need time to settle in no matter his age or price tag.
Harry Kane- 7
The first striker since Gary Linekar to reach 30 goals for Tottenham, Harry Kane is proving to be an icon similar to what Robbie Keane was to kids my age. His strike this afternoon capped off a great week where he was voted both PFA Player’s Player and Young Player of the Year. Lets just hope we keep hold of him for a couple a years and hope he becomes a legend at the club.
Subs:
Ben Davies – 6
Added a solid full back performance to his young career and showed that he can be a useful back up if Rose was to ever get injured.
Mousa Dembele- 6
Showed that he is one of the creative midfielders that the club needs whenever the team need a genius late on in games.
Ryan Mason- 5
Came on late on in the day to sure up the midfield and add some solidity towards the end. Also was up in support with Kane prior to Kane’s strike for the third goal.
