PLAYER RATINGS - Tottenham 0-1 Newcastle: One outstanding 10, a few 9's & several 8's
An outstanding all round display from the lads, with several players being worthy contenders for Man of the Match in a superb team effort at Tottenham.
Here’s an assessment of each player’s performance along with my marks out of 10:
STARTING 11:
NUFC XI: (3-4-2-1) Dubravka (8) - Schar (9), Lascelles (9), Dummett (10) -Krath (8), Hayden (8), Longstaff (8), Ritchie (8) - Saint-Maximin (N/A), Almiron (8) - Joelinton (9) SUBS: Atsu (8.5), Fernandez (7), Muto (N/A),
Dubravka – 8 - Made a brilliant stop to deny Son. Almost got caught out after missing a cross that Moura nearly tapped in, but he was generally a very safe pair of hands and claimed or punched several corners/crosses well.
Schar – 9 - A classy display from the Swiss centre-back, who read the play brilliantly and combined brilliantly with Krafth to keep Son quiet. He was quick on the cover, timed several tackles superbly and also helped take the pressure off us just when we needed him to, drawing fouls and carrying the ball out of defence expertly.
Lascelles – 9 - A superb display from the skipper and a total contrast to the performance he put in at Norwich last weekend. The skipper kept us organised from the first minute and cleared away several good balls into the box. He almost conceded a penalty with a slightly clumsy stumble into Harry Kane, but, other than that, he was outstanding.
Dummett – 10 - Absolutely outstanding. He denied an almost certain goal early on, taking a ball off Lucas Moura's head with a superb last ditch clearances, and that was just one of several bits of outstanding defending he did. He cleared a countless number of balls into the box, read the play well and showed superb leadership when Lascelles was forced off late on. He didn't put a foot wrong.
Krafth – 8 - The Swedish international struggled on his debut at Carrow Road last time out, but he did brilliantly today and kept Son very quiet all afternoon. He was strong positionally, rarely let his man get past him - whether it be Rose or Son - and was in the right place at the right time on more than one occasion to clear / head away danger. Very solid.
Hayden – 8 - Another full blooded and combative display. He looked much more comfortable in a midfield two alongside Longstaff and protected the back 5 superbly, tracking runners and timing several key tackles to perfection.
Longstaff - 8 - Had a slightly slow start, but grew into the game brilliantly. He almost scored with a powerful effort that stung the wrists of Lloris and showed his worth both on and off the ball. Not only did he do the dirty work well, fighting for every loose ball and getting into solid positions to hold up Tottenham's creative players, he used the ball well, getting passes into the front three and making good attacking runs to support them when he could.
Ritchie – 8 - A tireless display from the wing-back, who was barking out orders all afternoon. He was everywhere down the left-side, putting in a huge shift at both ends to stop Spurs attacks and also get us on the front foot offensively whenever he could. His delivery into the box was better and his ability to sense the danger, close down quickly and get into the tackle was key.
Saint-Maximin - N/A - Sadly, the Frenchman was withdrawn just 15 minutes in after he appeared to aggravate his recent hamstring strain. The only negative in an otherwise brilliant day for NUFC!
Almiron – 8 - He was constantly an outlet for us on the counter-attack, with him drawing fouls, using his pace to get Spurs on the back foot and carrying the ball out of our own half well. He sometimes went down too easily and held the ball a little too long on occasion, but his energy and intensity was superb all afternoon, with him constantly looking to break away but never shirking his defensive responsibilities. He didn't give Danny Rose and inch and put in a huge shift to help Krafth defensively out down our right-hand side.
Joelinton – 9 - He may have struggled badly at Norwich last weekend, but he looked every bit a £40m player in this one. He was brilliant today. Took his goal well, making a good run, controlling Atsu's through ball well and finishing calmly. He did much more than just score, however, with him holding the ball up brilliantly (96% pass accuracy) and linking the play nicely (he benefited hugely from having more support in attack). He was shattered late on but it's no surprise, with him running himself into the ground and being a real handful for the Spurs centre-backs all day. A brilliant display from the Brazilian and a huge confidence boost.
SUBS:
Atsu - 8.5 - It's not often I say this, but he was outstanding. Chipped a brilliant ball in behind the Spurs defence to set up Joelinton, but did much more than just bag an assist. He looked after the ball well and worked his socks off, with him coming around on the cover brilliantly to off put Moura just six-yards from goal.
Fernandez - 7 - Had big boots to fill when replacing Lascelles in the centre of defence for the final 15 minutes and did a solid job. A few key clearances.
Muto – N/A - Hard to give him a rating given he played little over 5 minutes, but he battled for every ball and closed down quickly in the short time he was on the field. Almost got Sanchez sent off after getting on the wrong side of the Colombian and being bundled over - but Mike Dean waved it away...somehow!
