Tottenham 1-2 Newcastle: Player ratings as Spurs consigned to controversial defeat | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur were consigned to a 2-1 defeat at home to Newcastle United on Saturday lunchtime, inspiring more scrutiny on Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou.

The north London outfit struck the first blow in a typically chaotic opening ten minutes. Dominic Solanke outmuscled Sven Botman - who was making his first Premier League start in almost ten months after an ACL tear - to nod in Pedro Porro's wonderful cross in the fourth minute.

Newcastle weren't behind for long - just two minutes and 20 seconds, to be precise. Lucas Bergvall had injected the burst of energy which led to Tottenham's opener but was responsible for a wayward pass in the buildup to Anthony Gordon's equaliser. The young Swede was robbed by Joelinton on the edge of his own box, gifting Newcastle possession which Gordon capitalised upon with a crisp drive into the bottom corner.

An increasingly under-pressure Postecoglou cut an animated figure on the touchline, demanding a review of the incident after spotting that the ball had struck Joelinton's arm before it found its way to Gordon. The goal was allowed to stand as the VAR "deemed that his arm was by his side, in a natural position and the contact was accidental" according to a statement from the Premier League.

Newcastle took confidence from their equaliser and forced themselves in front in the 38th minute through the reliable source of Alexander Isak. The in-form striker found the net for the seventh league game in succession, stabbing Jacob Murphy's low cross beyond Tottenham's third-choice goalkeeper Brandon Austin.

Spurs cranked up the pressure in search of an equaliser after the interval. Brennan Johnson struck the post and club captain Son Heung-min - who surprisingly started the contest on the bench - dragged a late effort wide.

Despite their best efforts, there was no way through for Tottenham, whose are still waiting for a Premier League win in front of their own fans since defeating Aston Villa back in the hazy days of early November.

Tottenham player ratings (4-2-3-1)

Pedro Porro provided an assist against Newcastle / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

Subs not used: Alfie Whiteman (GK), Alfie Dorrington, Malachi Hardy, Callum Olusesi, Will Lankshear

Newcastle player ratings (4-3-3)

Joelinton was his combative self on Saturday / Crystal Pix/MB Media/GettyImages

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

Subs not used: Odisseas Vlachodimos, Kieran Trippier, Lewis Miley, Miguel Almiron, William Osula