Spirited Newcastle rise to the challenge

Tottenham - 2 Newcastle Utd - 3:Nicky Butt's preparation for yesterday's visit to north London consisted of five days in bed trying to shake off a bout of influenza. He emerged more than half a stone lighter but still capable of inspiring Newcastle, whose injury list remains in double figures, to their third away win of the season, bringing a performance of enormous energy and resolution to a climax with a marvellous late winning goal.

After a defeat that follows their loss to Liverpool on December 30th Tottenham's unbeaten run at White Hart Lane is now a distant memory. Martin Jol's players dominated long periods of the game so thoroughly that the manager was tempted to describe it as their best display of the season.

But a total of two successful strikes from 24 chances perhaps explains their present goal difference of minus three, which alone makes a place in the top half of the table look flattering.

All those opportunities for the home team meant the spotlight would inevitably be on Shay Given and the Newcastle goalkeeper met the sustained assault with a series of excellent saves.

Captaining the side in Scott Parker's continued absence, he began with a fine block to deny Jermain Defoe in the seventh minute and there would be little relief throughout the first hour.

"In my opinion Shay is undoubtedly the best goalkeeper in the Premiership," said visiting manager, Glenn Roeder. "He's right up there with Petr Cech."

But Given's was not the only outstanding individual performance. Steve McClaren took a seat in the grandstand and Defoe's display would have given him food for thought. The little striker fought for every ball and had already taken a leading role when he gave Spurs the lead after 14 minutes, although he was marginally offside as Malbranque released the pass that allowed his team-mate to sidefoot the ball past a helplessly exposed Given.

Less than two minutes later, however, Newcastle were level when Paul Huntington got his head to James Milner's free kick at the far post, saw the ball rebound off Antoine Sibierski and shoot home off Paul Robinson's heel. Tottenham simply redoubled their attacking efforts and the best of Defoe's chances came a minute before the interval, when he jinked in from the left touchline and sent his low shot just wide of the far post.

According to Roeder, an incident in the second minute of added time in the first half helped to shape the outcome by galvanising the spirited visitors.

Trying to clear the ball upfield, Given took exception to challenges from Dimitar Berbatov and Pascal Chimbonda. Seconds later, as Steve Bennett blew for half-time, Butt and Chimbonda confronted each other. The Spurs full back slapped his opponent, the Newcastle midfielder gave him a shove in return and others rushed to join the brief melee. The referee booked Butt immediately and then Chimbonda in the home dressingroom.

"The boys had already made their mind up that what had happened was going to pull them together ever tighter," said Roeder. "In terms of sending them out motivated, that was done for us."

But first they had to weather a continuation of the siege, giving way after 54 minutes when Teemu Tainio's shot came back off Solano, allowing Berbatov to shoot home. The lead might have been increased when Defoe saw Given beat away a 20-yard drive and Tom Huddlestone hit a powerful 25-yarder that looped just wide off an opponent's boot.

After 71 minutes, however, Obafemi Martins scored a goal good enough to turn any match. The Nigerian accepted a return pass from Kieron Dyer and unleashed a 20-yard cannonball into the top corner. Two minutes later Martins smuggled a wonderful pass into the path of Butt, who held off Tainio and angled his shot across Robinson.

While Jol sent on three substitutes in the final 15 minutes Roeder was happy to leave his starting XI undisturbed for the first time this season.

Guardian Service